Richard Paul Evans

Based in part on a real-life assignment the author once had if I'm reading correctly.

James Kier does what he wants and gets what he wants no matter who he hurts along the way--his wife, his son, his best friend, etc. When the story opens, he and his wife are in the process of divorcing and he's got a girlfriend he's planning to go away with--among other ruthless business deals.

Someone else with the same name dies and the death is mistakenly reported as his own and Kier gets to see what show more people think of him as he reads the online comments. The comments bother him--but somewhere between when he reads them and when he gets back to the office, something changes within him. Instead of firing his right-hand-man, he gives the guy another chance. He also asks his personal assistant to list people he's harmed in the past and to find out how to get in touch with them now.

The story then alternates between his reconciliation with his family and his attempts to make things right with the top 5 people his assistant indicates he's wronged.

What I liked: the story of redemption; the idea that no one is beyond redeeming; that the story did not make it easy for Kier--some of those he contacted assaulted him, some told him off; Kier got to see what resulted from his actions--an old woman who never got to pursue her dreams of living in Italy with her husband, contributing to someone's suicide; the forgiveness of Sara to a man who wronged her and her encouragement to her son to have a relationship with his father; Kier continued to persevere with one of the people on his list until the person was convinced he'd changed; Kier becoming less indifferent to the suffering of others.

What I didn't like: I'm not sure that the depiction of end-stage cancer is accurate; that Kier's childhood friend ended up successful but with a business outlook that he adopted from Kier--there was a sense of one-upsmanship in their one conversation--and despite what he's learned, Kier never attempts to teach these new lessons to the man who was once one of his closest friends. He had that one conversation with the man and the only other thing we hear about him is that Kier got a signed copy of the book the man wrote and later found a different signed copy in a bargain bin at the bookstore. show less

If you like sappy, predictable stories with poorly developed characters and a by-the-numbers plotline, this might be the book for you.

In it, a wannabe novelist hits the big time after appropriating his wife's story of her last days with her dying father, and their supposedly perfect union begins to dissolve under the pressures of celebrity. He goes off on a four-week book tour (which probably ought to be banned by the Geneva Convention) and finds he enjoys the perks while she stays home in show more Utah with their 6-year-old daughter and feels sorry for herself because he's away,pushing his book up the Best Seller List.

At every opportunity, they undermine each other. He doesn't seem to have the backbone to tell his publisher that he absolutely has to have a mid-tour break; she never suggests the notion of meeting him somewhere along the route for a little together-time. (Example -- he finds himself in New York for Thanksgiving week because he has an absolutely vital Monday morning meeting, and notes with what Evans tells us is regret that he will miss his daughter's Thanksgiving Pageant on Tuesday. Why? Don't westbound planes depart New York several times a day? Then, first thing Monday morning, he discovers the meeting has been cancelled. Does he hie to the airport and grab the next flight for home? No, he hangs around until Wednesday afternoon bemoaning the fact that he's missing the family holiday.)

Evans never shows when he can tell, and his choppy chapter structure prevents the narrative flow from ever gathering strength. Then, about halfway through the narrative, the story takes a hard right into woo-woo land when Our Author meets an angel who tells him he will be dead by New Year's and of course, like Ebenezer Scrooge (but with less verbiage) he is transformed by the experience.

Nope. Just not my thing. show less

On a snowy Christmas Eve, a young man named Thomas on his way home for a family celebration realizes that the candle in his lantern is about to expire. He stops in a chandler's shop filled with fantastic wax creations, but instead of admiring them Thomas scorns the chandler for wasting his time on sculptures that will only melt. The mysterious old chandler sells him a special Christmas candle. Back on the bitterly cold street, the young man is accosted by an old beggar woman. When he lifts show more his lantern to get a better look, the candlelight reveals that she is his mother. He gives her his cloak and only then sees the truth: She is not his mother after all, but a stranger. The candle tricks him again before he reaches home, cold and penniless, but richer for his newfound realization that we are all part of one family.

This intriguing original fable about charity is accompanied by lavish, mood-filled oil paintings by artist Jacob Collins. show less

Not normally my cup of tea, this one was pretty good---especially since it included a travel narrative. I received it as a birthday gift from a friend so I figured I'd better give it a shot. I like to call this kind of book a "90s guy" book---similar to those by Mitch Albom and Nicholas Sparks, these types of romantic/contemplative books written by guys always remind me of my Dad in the 90s when he was dating his then fiance. They're just a little too far on the contrived and sappy spectrum show more to be something I'd pick up on my own, but they're quick reads that I don't mind giving some attention to when they're offered to me. This book sits right in the middle of a series. I was interested enough to Google enough spoilers to get the general gist of the series...but probably won't read anymore by him. show less