Giovanni's Light: The Story of a Town Where Time Stopped for Christmas [Deckle Edge] [Hardcover]

Phyllis Theroux (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 22, 2002

Ryland Falls wasn't paradise, but there was a certain storybook quality about the town that made visitors catch their breath. As in a book, the order of the stories never changed. On December first, the Chamber of Commerce always hung out the "Yuletide Greetings" banners, the plastic Santa Claus went back on the top of the firehouse roof, and grumpy Diane at Elwood's Market started wearing her set of imitation reindeer antlers.

Yet on this particular Christmas, there were signs that the order of things would change. And when it did, the people in Ryland Falls never celebrated Christmas the same way again.

The Christmas spirit is alive and well in this inspiring story about the redeeming power of the imagination and the true nature of compassion.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A pre-Christmas blizzard alters the emotional and physical landscape of the idyllic village of Ryland Falls in this well-crafted holiday parable. Theroux (Serefina Under the Circumstances) introduces characters at a sprightly pace throughout the brief book, but there are three central figures: Giovanni, a mountain recluse who ventures into town once a year to sell Christmas trees; a frustrated part-time art teacher named Will Campbell; and plucky 11-year-old Miranda Bridgeman, who wants to be a writer. The event that unites them is the snowstorm, which begins by providing some Yuletide ambience before turning into an epic event that buries the town and leaves everyone without power. The residents must reform their rather blas‚ approach to the holidays as they unite to help one another through the tough weather. Theroux gets syrupy with some of the village background and character introductions, but she makes up for the treacle with a nice sense of pace as she weaves together different layers of the story. She also shows a light touch with the various uplifting messages encapsulated in the subplots. Too many writers have to resort to miracles and angels to create their holiday magic, but Theroux wisely relies on the basics of human interaction to deliver her message in this nostalgic, illuminating fable. Illus.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Nothing evokes Christmas like a good old-fashioned holiday yarn. Theroux's tribute to the Yuletide spirit takes place in the seemingly idyllic town of Ryland Falls, which, despite its storybook perfection, contains more than the requisite number of cracked hearts. As the twenty-fifth of December approaches, no one can seem to muster up the usual Christmas spirit. Christmas merchandise languishes on store shelves and carols remain unsung. Taking the village by surprise, a harsh blizzard strands natives and visitors with nothing but the promise of a miracle to keep them warm. On a dark Christmas night, lives are permanently altered as an emotionally neglected little boy, an aloof father, a bored adolescent, a spiritually undernourished artist, and a retired schoolteacher are drawn by the light of a bonfire kindled by a lonely mountain man. This heartwarming little fable will appeal to Christmas enthusiasts of all ages. Margaret Flanagan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Scribner (October 22, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743244338
• ISBN-13: 978-0743244336
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,264,548 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Phyllis Theroux is an essayist, columnist, teacher and author. She is the critically acclaimed author of "California and Other States of Grace", a memoir, two collections of essays, "Peripheral Visions" and "Nightlights: Bedtime Stories for Parents in the Dark", an anthology, "The Book of Eulogies", and a children's book, "Serefina Under the Circumstances". In 2002, a novella, "Giovanni's Light", was published at Christmas. Her newest book, "The Journal Keeper: A Memoir", will be published by Grove Atlantic in March 2010.

A contributing essayist on the "Newshour with Jim Lehrer" from 1992 - 1996, Theroux's columns, op-ed pieces, reviews and feature stories have appeared in various newspapers including The New York Times, Washington Post, Christian Science Monitor, and International Herald Tribune. In the l980's, she was a monthly columnist for Parents Magazine. In the l990's she wrote a monthly column for House Beautiful. Her essays continue to be anthologized in numerous collections.

Following the publication of "The Book of Eulogies" in l997, Theroux created "The Great American Portraits Program", which was sponsored by the Library of Congress and toured various cities in the United States. She has been a guest professor and lecturer at numerous forums, colleges and universities.

The founder of Nightwriters, which conducts writing and creativity seminars in the United States and abroad, Theroux occasionally conducts one-on-one editorial seminars with individual writers who come to spend time working in her writer's cottage in Ashland, Virginia.

A community activist and educator, in 1989, she formed a non-profit organization, "Winners in Grade School", to attract grants and support an inner-city Washington, D. C. elementary school where she taught creative writing to fifth graders between 1989 - 1993. During that time she created a consortium of private schools to be partners in education with the school.

A graduate of Manhattanville College, with a B.A. in Philosophy, she lives with her husband, Ragan Phillips, in Ashland, Virginia.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is the one, November 14, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Giovanni's Light: The Story of a Town Where Time Stopped for Christmas (Hardcover)

There's nothing wrong with watching "It's a Wonderful Life" every year to get in the Christmas mood, but wouldn't it be nice to hear another story, one that's as authentic and uplifting? "Giovanni's Light" is that story. When I read this book, I had to get up from the chair every now and then to dance around the room. Warm, funny, and smart, the story never hits a false note -- which is all too rare in holiday literature. "Giovanni's Light" will remind you that all the ordinary stuff in life holds extraordinary promise, if we will just open our hearts and minds. This Christmas, the gift book for friends I cherish most is "Giovanni's Light."

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy This Book, November 17, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Giovanni's Light: The Story of a Town Where Time Stopped for Christmas (Hardcover)

I love this book. It's a great story. It's beautiful writing. It's a perfect book. After I read it, I bought fifteen copies and gave them to every member of my family and my dearest friends. It is the perfect gift if you want to tell anyone you are glad to have them in your life. It's not full of sappy holiday cliches. It is warm and real. Give it to adults, who will enjoy sliding into the couch with a cup of coffee to read something that isn't cynical. Give it to parents who will get great pleasure from reading it to their kids. Give it to kids, who will read it to themselves, or rally the family as mom or dad reads it to them.

Most of all, give it to yourself. It's a treat. And it's just the kind of book we need--especially now.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a glowing ember; an antidote for harried times, December 14, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Giovanni's Light: The Story of a Town Where Time Stopped for Christmas (Hardcover)

Leaving my cold weather roots with the outside temperature at 70, I never dreamed I'd be able to be deliciously snowed in for the holidays cozying up for a fresh winter storm so vividly brought back to life in "Giovanni's Light". Holed up with me, to my delight, were Ms. Theroux's richly endearing cast of characters who one by one are given the chance to revisit the essence of the holiday spirit. I was at home in Ryland Falls eagerly awaiting each turn of events. A great solo read but just as much a wonderful family read-a-loud. It allowed my sun-bathed clan to experience the magic and wonder of a Christmas where nature's snowy blanket sets the town residents on a new course. A warm glow of a book I have continued to buy more copies to pass on to frenzied, frazzled friends who are all begging to find a way to slow down and experience the true gifts of the holidays. "Giovanni's Light" is just the answer.