Plot/Storyline: 4 1/2 StarsAfter a short prologue, the book opened with a scene from a family's life near Christmas. After a little introduction, the father jumps into a tale about Saint Nick, who was the origin of the legend of Santa Claus.Saint Nick's story was an interesting mix of fantasy and history. His life seemed to mirror much of that of Jesus Christ (so, Christians be forewarned if this sort of thing disturbs you). Obviously, plenty of research went into the writing of this novel, for which the author is to be applauded. I wasn't really able to get into the Santa Claus as a healer thing, but it did make for an interesting read. For those who were wondering, yes, there are explanations for elves and reindeer, too.One drawback was that I found it very difficult to imagine a man telling the more gruesome parts of the story to children. Initially, the children listening to the story were very young girls, preschool age, I think. The audience later switched to some prepubescent boys; however, I still felt some parts were too graphic even for that age group.The story did drag a little in the middle. I really enjoyed the intervals with the modern day family Christmas. There was a story of a father and a Christmas Tree that had me laughing out loud. Those little intervals were sparse, and more of them might have spiced up the storyline somewhat. At the very least, a little humor interspersed would have given the book a more upbeat feeling.This was not a novel that would ever become part of my Christmas Traditions. It was just way too depressing, even though, oddly, at the same time it offered a wonderful explanation for the traditions of Christmas that involve Santa Claus.Characters: 4 1/2 StarsAlthough the story was all about Saint Nick, he was not very well developed insofar as the reader was not privvy to enough of his thoughts. I wanted to know what he was really thinking when he found he was able to heal. He just seemed to take it for granted. Now, I can understand that after awhile, but the first time had to be exciting or induce some kind of emotion. I think in the mirroring of the life of Christ, the author presented the story in much the same way, as a bystander, but it would have been far more interesting, since it was fictional, to have been given more insight.Writing Style: 4 1/2 StarsThe writing style was excellent for many portions of the story. Even though I felt the novel lagged in some areas, in others, the writing in other scenes felt very rushed, to the point where I had to read sections twice to catch everything. The descriptions were vivid and picturesque. The dialogue was pretty good, but I felt a better job could have been done with the accents or vocabulary to give more a feel for the time period.
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