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She was my first kiss. My first love. She was a little match girl who could see the future in the flame of a candle. She was a runaway who taught me more about life than anyone has before or since. And when she was gone my innocence left with her.
As I begin to write, a part of me feels as if I am awakening something best left dead and buried, or at least buried. We can bury the past, but it never really dies. The experience of that winter has grown on my soul like ivy climbing the outside of a home, growing until it begins to tear and tug at the brick and mortar.
I pray I can still get the story right. My memory, like my eyesight, has waned with age. Still, there are things that become clearer to me as I grow older. This much I know: too many things were kept secret in those days. Things that never should have been hidden. And things that should have.
Richard Paul Evans is the #1 best-selling author of The Christmas Box. His novels have each appeared on the New York Times bestseller list; there are more than thirteen million copies of his books in print. His books have been translated into more than 22 languages and several have been international best sellers. He is the winner of the 1998 American Mothers Book Award, two first place Storytelling World Awards for his children’s books, the 2005 Romantic Times Best Women's Novel of the Year Award, and the 2011 Wilbur Award for Fiction (Book). Evans received the Washington Times Humanitarian of the Century Award and the Volunteers of America National Empathy Award for his work helping abused children. Evans lives in Salt Lake City, Utah, with his wife, Keri, and their five children.
Richard Paul Evans When Richard Paul Evans wrote the #1 best-seller, The Christmas Box, he never intended on becoming an internationally known author.
Officially, he was an advertising executive, an award-winning clay animator for the American and Japanese markets, candidate for state legislature and most importantly, husband and father. The Christmas Box was written as an expression of love for his (then) two daughters. Though he often told them how much he loved them, he wanted to express his love in a way that would be timeless. In 1993, Evans reproduced 20 copies of the final story and gave them to his closest relatives and friends as Christmas presents. In the month following, those 20 copies were passed around more than 160 times, and soon word spread so widely that bookstores began calling his home with orders for it.
His quiet story of parental love and the true meaning of Christmas made history when it became simultaneously the #1 hardcover and paperback book in the nation. Since then, more than eight million copies of The Christmas Box have been printed. The Emmy award-winning CBS television movie based on The Christmas Box starred Maureen O'Hara and Richard Thomas. Two more of Evans's books were produced by Hallmark and starred such well-known actors as James Earl Jones, Vanessa Redgrave, Naomi Watts, Mary McDonough and Academy award winner Ellen Burstyn. He has since written 10 consecutive New York Times bestsellers and is one of the few authors in history to have hit both the fiction and non-fiction bestseller lists. He has won three awards for his children's books including the 1998 American Mothers book award and two first place Storytelling World awards. Evans's latest book, The 5 Lessons a Millionaire Taught Me About Life and Wealth, is now available.
Of his success, Evans says: "The material achievements of The Christmas Box will never convey its true success, the lives it has changed, the families brought closer together, the mothers and fathers who suddenly understand the pricelessness of their children's fleeting childhood. I share the message of this book with you in hopes that in some way, you might be, as I was, enlightened."
During the Spring of 1997, Evans founded The Christmas Box House International, an organization devoted to building shelters and providing services for abused and neglected children. Such shelters are operational in Moab, Vernal, Ogden and Salt Lake City, Utah and Lucre, Peru. To date, more than 16,000 children have been housed in Christmas Box House facilities.
As an acclaimed speaker, Evans has shared the podium with such notable personalities as President George W. Bush, President George and Barbara Bush, former British Prime Minister John Majors, Ron Howard, Elizabeth Dole, Deepak Chopra, Steve Allen, and Bob Hope. Evans has been featured on the Today show and Entertainment Tonight, as well as in Time, Newsweek, People, The New York Times, Washington Post, Good Housekeeping, USA Today, TV Guide, Reader's Digest, and Family Circle. Evans lives in Salt Lake City, Utah, with his wife, Keri, and their five children.
This is a wonderful story told by a wise narrator, who looks back over the years to his first love, the tragedy that followed, and the purpose that he discovered for his life. I had not read any of Evans' novels before, and after reading a short summary, I was afraid that this would be overly sentimental and saccharine. My fears were groundless. The story is believable, realistic, and well told. There is nothing pretentious or preachy here, just a heartfelt expression of the author's faith. The sadness and tragedy are not nuanced or downplayed. I cried several times in this book. It is a sad story, and the ending is very uplifting, but it does not bring a relief of sadness. I found it to be very realistic.
The writer brings the worldview of a 14 year old boy clearly into focus. He shows Eric's worries, awkwardness, his lack of control over his own life, and the beginnings of his independence from the adults around him. Reading about Eric's struggles, I remembered once again those intense feelings of adolescence.
The story is told in a colloquial style, which lends verisimilitude to the teenager's voice. He doesn't use proper grammar throughout, but that fits with this novel. The characters in the story are basically good, but with many flaws. The author describes how the boys torture insects during the long summer. The three main characters fight, hurt, and love each other just like the teens I knew and know.
In summary, this is a story that I can recommend to everybody. It deals with mature subjects, but in a respectful and realistic manner. I read it practically in one sitting. Then I gave it to my teenage son to read. I would not do that with many books.
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AMAZING! I devoured this book. This is one of Richard's best books! This incredible tale touched my soul! These characters share their hearts and opened mine! I immediately donated to the Christmas Box Lifestart Initiative! It made me remember those relationships in my past that have left an impression or shaped my life. For those I am truly grateful.
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There are many reasons I love books from Richard Paul Evans. He's on my very short list of authors for whom I wait, albeit impatiently, every year for a new book. I always wonder if this is going to be the book that falls short of my expectations. I mean, really, how can authors keep writing great books again and again? But I have yet to be disappointed with Richard's novels. Grace probably hit me harder and shook me more than any of his previous books. I don't cry over Richard's books like many do, but this one broke me up. I will not soon forget the feelings it invoked and the changes its message caused in me. A truly wonderful book that can and will change lives. Most of the time I only read a book once. This one I will read again--and again.
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