4 stars for Noel Street (Noel Collection book 3) by Richard Paul Evans.
I have been in a reading slump - a bad one - ever since I finish reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. I have tried reading so many books, ten, fifteen or more, but each time, I end up shoving them aside. For the first time in forever, I have so many Did Not Finish books that I simply stop counting after a while. The worst is, some of these books are by authors who are on my favourite list, and I have actually taken a dislike to their books.
Over the 13th and 20th November weekend, I borrowed more books from the library. All of them look promising. There is mystery, fantasy, literary fiction and Christmas-themed books. But sad to say, by Monday night, more than half of them are down. The fantasy book is by an author who is really good at churning out fantasy novels. I have read two of her earlier books and like them much. So, I am really disappointed that I did not like her latest series.
Noel Street is my last resort. In truth, I did not want to start reading a Christmas-themed story in November yet. I am hoping to leave the book for December when the festive mood gets richer and deeper. But I know, being so knee-deep in my reading slump, I cannot afford to be choosy.
Noel Street. It feels surreal to be holding the book in my hands and looking at a cover which I have in all likelihood played a part in. Yes, I am one among many who have voted on this cover. You see, author Evans has this practice of asking readers to vote our favourite cover, and usually from among three or four others to select from. The book cover that graces Noel Street is exactly that which I have cast my vote on. It feels especially heartwarming to be reading a story with a cover that I have helped in choosing. I don't think I will ever get tired of looking at this lovely picture of a cover.
I think I have said this before, perhaps even more than once and that is, I have yet to come across another male author who can personify and pass off as a female protagonist as well as author Evans. If I do not know it already, I will have thought that this story's been written by a female author. That is how good author Evans is!
Noel Street is indeed made for the holiday season and wears it well. The story is about second chance, hope, forgiveness, courage and choice. It explores the deeper meaning of Christmas and what it truly means to love and forgive. As usual, there is fact mixed in with fiction in the book. Here, I learn about an interesting fact on a past USA President, President William Henry Harrison. He died just thirty-one days after his inauguration. His term in office was the shortest in U.S. history and the first to end in death.
I doubt I will ever get tired of author Evans' books. When I first bought two of his books, The Last Promise and The Carousel, many years ago, I will never have imagined myself to still be reading his books many years later. His stories are the same but not the same; always inspiring and heartwarming, but still as refreshing and different every single time.
Publisher: Gallery Books
Publication date: 5 Nov 2019
*** Favourite Quote 1 ***
Some own up to their past. Some are owned by their past. The wise take what they can from the past and then leave it behind.
*** Favourite Quote 2 ***
The cost of love is the risk of losing it. But it's always worth it. After all, in the end, what else is there?
~ Noel Street
Richard Paul Evans
@}--->>--->>-----
The year is 1975. Elle Sheen - a single mother who is supporting herself and her six-year-old, African-American son, Dylan, as a waitress at the Noel Street Diner - isn’t sure what to make of William Smith when his appearance creates a stir in the small town of Mistletoe, Utah. As their lives unexpectedly entwine, Elle learns that William, a recently returned Vietnam POW, is not only fighting demons from his past, but may also have the answer to her own secret pain - a revelation that culminates in a remarkable act of love and forgiveness.
*Blurb from Goodreads*
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