Author: Richard Paul Evans
Narrator: Fred Berman
Unabridged Length: 5hrs, 3mn
Here is a summary of the book from the publisher's website:
Joseph Jacobson is the twelfth of thirteen siblings, all of whom are employed by their father’s successful Colorado advertising company. But underneath the success runs a poisonous undercurrent of jealousy; Joseph is his father’s favorite and the focus of his brothers’ envy and hatred. When the father seems ready to anoint Joseph as his heir, the brothers make their move, forcing Joseph from the company and his Denver home, severing his ties to his parents and ending his relationship with his soon-to-be fianceé. Alone and lonely, Joseph must start a new life.
Joseph joins a Chicago advertising agency where his creativity helps him advance high up in the company. He also finds hope for a lasting love with April, a kind woman with a secret. However, all secrets hold consequences, and when Joseph learns the truth about April’s past, his world is again turned upside down. Finally, Joseph must confront his own difficult past in order to make his dreams for the future come true.
A Winter Dream is an ingenious modern retelling of the Old Testament story of Joseph and the coat of many colors by the master of the holiday novel.
My Review:
A couple of years ago my book club read an Evans book around Christmas-time, so I did kind of expect this to be a fluffy book. It did not fail me in that regard, but I have come to expect that with most Holiday themed books. I think that Evans did a good job of creating a modern day story with parallels to the bible story of Joseph and the coat of many colors. He created very believable circumstances, which you don't always find in fluffy novels.
I think Berman did a great job of narrating also, helping to encourage me to continue listening with an acceptable amount of enjoyment. He really embraced the characters, encouraging me to love and dislike the characters that fell into those categories.
Joseph is a young, hard-working man and probably mostly appreciated among his other siblings by his father. This creates a tremendous amount of jealousy and turmoil between his siblings, and at the first opportunity they decide to cast Joseph into a life of exile. This sends him on a journey across the country that will help him to grow both emotionally and intellectually. The last thing he expects is to fall in love along the way.
Of course, several obstacles come up along the way, allowing him to grow from the challenges he must overcome. This was a nice story that I'm sure many people will enjoy. My biggest complaint about the book is that the dialogue drove me batty at times. With themes of family, forgiveness, and love, I think many fans of Richard Paul Evans will enjoy this book. I recommend this novel for Evans fans and those looking for a quick and fluffy read.
My Rating: 3/5
Disclosure: This audiobook was provided to me by the publisher through Audiobook Jukebox in exchange for an honest review.
2 comments:
I do enjoy books like this from time to time, but not very often.
I immediately thought of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and I see that it's a modern retelling. That's kind of odd, don't you think? For him to even use the same name and all?
Post a Comment