Audiobook Review: A Winter Dream by Richard Paul Evans

Title:  A Winter Dream

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.

Review: Finding Noel by Richard Paul Evans

The following is a summary of Finding Noel by Richard Paul Evans from his website:

“There are stories, Christmas stories that are stored away like boxes of garlands and frosted glass ornaments, to be brought out and cherished each year. I’ve come to believe that my story is a Christmas story. For it has forever changed the way I see Christmas.” The Christmas season is supposed to be full of joy, but not for Mark Smart. Life had dealt him one body blow after another: he lost his scholarship and had to drop out of school; his beloved mother had died in a car crash; his girlfriend dumped him, and now, late on a snowy night in November, his car had broken down. Stumbling into a coffee house, he was looking for a phone to call a tow truck. What he found was a beautiful young woman with an unusual name who, through a simple act of kindness, changed his life forever. Macy Wood had little memory of her birth parents, and memories she’d rather forget of her adopted home. A Christmas ornament inscribed with the word “Noel” was the only clue to the little sister she only vaguely remembered, a clue that would send her, and Mark on a journey to reclaim her past, and her family. From the author of the beloved classic, The Christmas Box, comes another inspiring story of the power of love and the wonder of Christmas.

My Review:

I probably would not have read this book if it was not selected for one of our book club selections. I am very glad that my group chose this book as it was a touching and sweet story. This is the first book that I have read by Richard Paul Evans and I plan on reading more of his work in the future.

One of the major themes of this book is that people are put into others lives for a reason. Macy has lived a pretty rough life by growing up with a family that admitted they didn't really want her--they essentially adopted her because their 'ideal' adoption choice was no longer available. Macy remembers having a sister but all ties to her were severed once the adoption was finalized. As a young adult Macy begins her quest of finding the sister that she has yearned for most of her life.

Mark is a young man who doesn't really know what he is searching for. His heart seems to be hardened from his string of badluck and heartbreak. When Mark's car breaks down he happens to wander to a coffee shop where Macy is working to use a phone. They immediately form a special connection and start to help each other find what is missing and needed in their lives.

As I indicated earlier, this is a sweet Christmas story. During the busy holiday season this is an easy to read novel that really doesn't make you look to deep into the story for meaning. But I think with such a simple message that this story delivers, needing to look deeper is not necessary.

I must admit that at first I didn't think I would enjoy this book because it seemed to consist of mostly dialogue. At about the halfway point that did change, and you were able to see deeper into the heart of the characters. This was an emotional story for me so I did need to keep my tissue handy...so consider this your KLEENEX ALERT.

I did enjoy this story and I can't wait to discuss it with my book club. Richard Paul Evans has a great website that you can check out here. He shares information about all of his books and also has reading group discussion guides available.