One Imperfect Christmas

"One Imperfect Christmas" by Myra Johnson is a book that goes beyond simply entertaining the reader. For me, it made me think and, more importantly, feel. Belinda, the matriarch of the family, has suffered a massive stroke and needs longterm care. Myra Johnson has skillfully weaved a tale that examines the effects of this tragic stroke on the various family members. In addition, she conveys to us the thoughts and wishes of the stroke victim Belinda.

Anyone who has ever cared for a sick loved one will be able to identify with the feelings of Belinda's daughter Natalie. Myra Johnson doesn't just list the usual feelings of grief, sorrow, guilt, etc.; but, and this is the painful part, she delves into exactly why and how these feelings show more occur. She avoids the tendancy most of us have to catapult the victim into a saint and, rather, portrays her as a three-dimensional human being.

Myra Johnson also does a masterful job painting the many layers of a real marital relationship. It is so poignant to see two people wanting the exact same thing and being within inches of achieving it, save for the lack of communication that so often mars real life love. And Natalie's dad, caught in the crosshairs of trying to hold the family together while keeping hold of his own emotions, is a character that I found incredibly appealing.

Finally, I loved the fact that though this was an undeniably Christian family, they were, without dispute, authentic. Myra Johnson shows that even the most devout faithful don't always skip happy-go-lucky through life, whistling merrily in the face of misfortune. In many cases, as in this story, the believer's faith is hard won through trial by fire. I highly recommend this book. As you read this family tale, your smile may fade, but I guarantee, your hope will soar. show less

If you are looking for a fun and delightful Christmas romance, then this story is one you might not want to read right now. Although it definitely has a Christmas theme to it, it was a story of how a family struggles through a very difficult time in their life. It was very well written and showed that even a family who thinks they "have it together" can face some real struggles when tragedy strikes.

Natalie and Daniel are raising their one child and working and life seems to be going about in a normal fashion. Then one day Natalie finds herself getting a phone call that her Mom is in the hospital with a stroke and because no one found her for awhile her prognosis for recovery is not good. Natalie blames herself for this as she turned show more down her mother's request to come over to the house and help her the day it happened. Now Natalie is pulling away from her husband and her family and can't seem to come to grips with her life. She thinks working hard all the time will help but it ends up separating her from her husband and daughter. Can anyone or anything get through to Natalie?

I thought the author did a good job of getting into the minds of each family member and helping you to understand their thought processes. I was a little upset with Natalie and her failure to see what she was doing to her family. I felt sorry for the daughter who was trying so hard to keep her folks together. And I wished that Daniel could have tried a little harder to help Natalie. It was a good but difficult ending to a very somber story. Love and forgiveness go hand in hand and life is not easy sometimes, but God is faithful and when we take our eyes off ourselves and put them on Him, we can make it through those hard times and come out stronger. show less

ONE IMPERFECT CHRISTMAS is not a light and fluffy read – but it is not doom and gloom either. I spent most of my time just wanting to slap Natalie, the mental anguish she put herself through and her reasoning just didn’t ring true for me. I just didn’t get how Natalie and Daniel wouldn’t unload their real thoughts to each other – even in anger they held back. However, author Myra Johnson had a very good supporting cast and every other character in the book was likeable and believable and they made the book for me. Natalie seemed unable to grasp the fact that her father was losing his wife of 50 years and her brother was losing his mother; they had a much more realistic look at events, though the reader had no doubts that they show more were just as distressed. It was all me, me, me with Natalie. Johnson’s writing style is easy to read and as she switched between the points of view there was no jarring of the senses. Natalie does have a crisis of faith, and this is handled very well and the Christian aspects are not shoved down your throat. Overall it was a good read and a warm uplifting end, despite the sadness, rounded off the story. show less

This is not the typical feel-good Christmas book. It's a story of a family struggling through a rough time. Sometimes, they operate as a loving family, but more often, they pull apart. It's a bit of a tearjerker.

Natalie is a complex character caught up in guilt and operating in a chaotic world of her own making. She overreacts to her mother's stroke by first clinging to her side and then by diving headlong into work. Her husband and daughter are pushed away and sadly neglected. The readers learns how easily a good marriage can go haywire through neglect and how a parent-child relationship can quickly become strained.

Although the topic is gloomy, this Christian fiction book has an uplifting theme: "learn to love and forgive."

3.5 or 3.75 stars. I'm glad to have read this, though I made the mistake of starting to read this book last night in bed; I intended to read just a few pages before sleep and ended up reading the whole thing. I didn't know anything about this book before reading it, except that it was recommended on Amazon and had a Christmas angle. I wasn't expecting the religious focus of the book, which increased more in the middle/end of the story, but of course it fit. Most of the story/characters were very believable, however much you wanted to shake some sense into most of the characters. Some pieces toward the end were a bit less natural to me, but I'm not discounting their authentication/realism. Well written, well told.

I read this on the Nook and it had 223 pages. This novel has a good storyline. The book is well written for the most part. Especially for a debut novel. But the author started to drag down the story by not letting the main character Natalie move on. We only needed so much of Natalie's selfishness and consistent conflict to get the point.

Natalie Pearce faces the most difficult Christmas of her life. Her mother remains in a nursing home after suffering a massive stroke and her marriage is on the verge of dissolving. Her husband Daniel wonders if this Christmas spells the loss of everything he holds dear.

Honestly, i was about 25% through the book and I have decided there are too many books I enjoy reading for me to spend time of this one. In many ways I suspect it isn't a really bad book - the writing is ok and the story isn't bad. The characters are boring and honestly very annoying. I constantly want to tell them 'Get over it". As I read the other reviews I am thinking that more is coming besides Natalie's guilt of depression but I don't want to wait for it.