The Last Noel Paperback – October 1, 2003

This book captured me from the first page and held me until the end, my husband found me crying helplessly at 12:30 am, usually I've fallen asleep over my kindle far earlier than that, and I'm still thinking about it this morning. Yes, there are unlikeable characters; yes, there are simultaneous themes of heavy social issues such as segregation and racial tensions in the south over the past 50 years or so; and yes, tragedies occur on several occasions. But let's all agree that in real life there are always social issues which inform and affect our lives, tragedies which define us and unlikeable people all around that we still manage to endure. One aspect of Malone's writing which I find particularly appealing is his spare writing style. There is not a single extra word in this book. That ability is such a gift and so few authors have it. There was never a sense of wading through extra prose and digging out the important parts. I found myself re-reading passages because I have a tendency to skim and I found that I didn't want to miss a word. That excess word load is generally found in the setting-up portion of a story, the first few pages or chapters that we soldier through because we hope to get hooked later, this time that hook hits on page one and stays. I love the theme around the twelve days of Christmas, he carried this whole story off by focusing on 12 events over 40 years and all of them at Christmas. And I truly enjoyed the character development of some of the supporting characters--especially Tatlock Fairley and Bud Tilden. His management of the issues around the final two chapters was spot-on. I can't stand a spoiler so I won't give it away but I work in the field which becomes central to the story and although the events which occur are unpleasant and emotionally draining, they are such deep and dramatic aspects of real life that they can always belong in a story about humans. I found rare misspellings and typos but far fewer than the usual kindle publication. The story was far too good to be free and I consider it a Christmas gift from Michael Malone. It must be the best free kindle download I have read, and I've read many. But it has worked as intended, I certainly intend to read the rest of his work now.

This story drew me in from the first few pages. From the get-go, readers have a clear understanding that Christmas is important and Malone continues that theme throughout the book by highlighting family milestones and events in relation to Christmas time. The story follows the characters over the course of about 40 years and the readers get to see them grow and evolve.About halfway through the book, I started to get annoyed with the style. Malone lost me with all his "recapping." Since we only checked in with the characters at Christmas (and often with years in between chapters), he was left listing off all the events the reader missed in between chapters. It left me feeling disconnected from the story and the people it was about.But I kept going. And by the end, I was weeping--thank goodness I finished the book at home where only my husband and dogs could see/hear my tears! When the book ended, I was confused at my reaction. If I wasn't feeling engaged by the style of the book, then how could I have such a strong emotional reaction to the end? What could the author have done differently to keep me engaged throughout the book--not just at the beginning and end?I think the book would have been more effective for me if the chapters were not set with Christmas day as the "present" every time. Yes, Christmas was an integral part of the story. But I think the same would have been true regardless of what date each chapter was told from. Getting to see some of the big events that we missed between chapters--rather than just reading a brief recap of what had happened since the last Christmas--would have kept me more engaged throughout the book. But I'm probably just being nit-picky.I'm giving this book 4 stars overall because it got me to cry. So clearly the author did something right, in my opinion. It was a beautiful story full of well-developed and (mostly) likeable characters. And I'd recommend it to anyone who likes epics.