Customer Reviews

Christmas Gifts, Christmas Voices: A Holiday Novel of Hope and Healing

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3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
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I love Grisham's legal trillers. But I've got to truthfully say tht I was disappointed with his holiday novel Skipping Christmas. A friend recommended John Allen's (an author I've never heard of, by the way) "Christmas Gifts, Christmas Voices."
I've got to say this book is the best book I've read in a long, long time. The funny parts are funny. The sad parts are overwhelmingly sad. And when you're done reading it, it sticks with you. You find you really care about the characters. And as promised on the cover, the story (without being "pie in the sky") really does give you comfort and hope.
Bottom line: Skip "Skipping Christmas" read "Christmas Gifts, Christmas Voices."

When a friend told me about "Christmas Gifts, Christmas Voices" I thought she was exaggerating. Surely no book could be as incredible as she cliamed.
But to humor her, I read the book.
Now I'm telling people how extraordinary the book is.
It is a heartbreaking book, but it contains gentle humor (I like the scene in the hardware/toy store.) And as sad as the book is, it leaves you with a good,peaceful feeling...
If you don't believe me I don't blame you. But do what I did. Read the book and find out for yourself.

When you're done with this book, you look at it...it's a thin book. And you wonder, how did the author accomplish so much in so few pages.
The cover says that it is a novel of hope and comfort. This story definitely gives you hope and comfort...and a few smiles along the way. The story is also heartbreaking. (Allen draws out his characters so well, that it reads like non-fiction.)
When the story is over you feel uplifted. The heartbreak has been resolved. And you have a sense of hope.

This story has the luster of a diamond. And like a maney faceted diamond, there are many layers to this story. Every time I read Christmas Gifts, Christmas Voices, I get something new out of it.
And like a diamond, this is a story that will endure the test of time.

I can't do justice to the story in a review. All I can say is read it yourself, and you'll know what I mean.

(This is the first review I've ever written.)

We recently had a death in our family. A beloved aunt passed away. Even though she was elderly (72) none of us were ready to let her go.

After the funeral I started thinking about the message of Christmas Gifts, Christmas Voices--one of my favorite Chirstmas books. I re-read it and felt at peace. I realized that its message would comfort all those who were mourning the death of my aunt. I sent copies to my relatives. I heard back and they all said that the book helped them cope with the loss.

That's why I say that this is a book not just for Christmas.
I would like to thank the author for writing such a comforting book.

Why aren't there more books like this? This is a book that is uplifting, heartwarming, and touching. There's no sex or coarseness. The violence that is referred to (it is not portrayed) is integral to the story.
The resolution at the end is a classic.
If they make a movie of this I will be the first in line!
Are there any other books by this particular John Allen? If so, please tell me.

(PS. Don't read the synopsis on the back cover. It gives away too much.)

Christmas Gifts, Christmas Voices is very moving...it is very sad, but it contains touches of light humor. The sadness is very real and intense. But the light moments help move the story along. There is a glimpse of a young boy studying potato bugs turning into "BBs." There is the teenager with the battered pickup truck. The problem of picking out ripe cantaloupes is portrayed.

If you read any new Christmas book this year, I'd recommend Christmas Gifts, Christmas Voices. It's unlike any other Christmas story. And if you're like me, you'll find that you want to read it again and again.

One of my friends found out that I loved The Passion. She said, "If you liked The Passion, I think you'd like a book called Christmas Gifts, Christmas Voices."

I countered, "Why would I want to read a Christmas book when it's not even Christmas?"

She said, "It's more than a Christmas book...just read it."

I humored her and read it. I loved it. Afterwards, I talked about the book with my friend and we compared the similarities with The Passion. Both depict suffereing and anguish...but both stories leave you with a quiet sense of hope.

"Got any other books you'd like to recommend?" I asked her.

She said, "Anything by C.S. Lewis."

Christmas Gifts, Christmas Voices is a very provocotive book--provocotive in a good way. This book provoked me into thinking about the unthinkable (as Allen states in his afterword, the things that happen to the "other person.") And as painful as it is to think about things such as losing loved ones, Allen offers readers a lifeline of hope at the end. I don't want to say much about this, as it might give away the ending. But all I will say is this, after taking you on a roller coaster ride of emotions, the book ultimately leaves you with a sense of comfort and hope. This book is the ultimate Christmas story.

This book should be required reading for anyone who has suffered a loss, for anyone who is grieving.
This book eloquently shows how losing yourself in service to others not only helps "others" but helps yourself.
And if you're not a "believer"--that is someone who believes in an afterlife or a higher power,or a purpose for this earth life--you very well may be by the end of the book.
I don't want to get too personal...all I want to say is that this book changed my outlook on life and gave me hope.

I'd give this book 10 stars if I could!

--JJ Rankin