Type of bind: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN num: 9780060565572
ISBN number: 0060565578
Label: HarperCollins
Manufacturer: HarperCollins
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 144
Printing Date: November 01, 2003
Publishing house: HarperCollins
Release Date: October 31, 2006
Sale Popularity Level: 258310
Studio: HarperCollins
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
A fourteenth wedding anniversary is nothing to sneeze at, Elliott Banner knows, but it's not exactly a landmark year -- like fifteen, or twenty, when he plans to take his wife, Laura, to Paris. But when a headache on the drive home from their anniversary date -- two days before Christmas -- turns out to be more than a migraine, he wishes he had celebrated every year as though it were their last.
In this poignant, touching, uplifting story, a woman calmly gathers her family around her during the Christmas holiday to cel-ebrate their lives together -- both past and future -- and to truly count their blessings.
A family history unfolds in a single night in this deeply affecting story that speaks volumes about love, trust, and letting go -- a perfect holiday read that underscores the true meaning of the season.
User popularity level:
Rated by buyers 
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Well-written, but as a Bostonian, I could not get beyond blatant factual errors about Boston, where the story is set. I am disappointed in the author and the publisher for not catching these.
Rated by buyers 
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An amiga gave me the book to read before the upcoming holidays, I suppose to get in the right mood for the special days. She thought the book was wonderful. Two days later, another friend sees the book laying on my table and tells me that the book isn't worth the time. He didn't like the protagonists at all, especially Laura sending people on errands and not really talking totally and sincerely in her last hours.
I read it and went from total frustration to sadness, but its value is that it makes you think about your own life and what can happen in just the blink of an eye. Of course, Jacquelyn is an excellent writer, and she did what good writers do, keep you interested and kick the thoughts and emotions into gear. I read it in one sitting and passed it on to another friend. Waiting to hear her reaction. I will definitely appreciate my family more during the big holidays ahead. Mahalo.
Rated by buyers 
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What I love about this short novel is its truth. This is life the way it really is. The series of characters surrounding the dying woman are skillfully and unsentimentally drawn. Kids wonder whether they will have enough money to keep the dog, one daughter scolds her mother for dying, the husband criticizes his mother-in-law's unskilled mothering. This is anything but syrupy sweet. The book teaches us to be accepting and non-jugemental of all these well-meaning if flawed humans. And it teaches us to be grateful for the moments we have in this life. It reminds me of Thornton Wilder's "Our Town" or Jane Kenyon's "Otherwise." It will stay with you for a long time.
Rated by buyers -
This touching holiday story begins Elliot Banner's struggle with what to get his beloved wife Laura for their anniversary (which one is it? Is it the important one?), and finally settles on tickets to Cirque du Soleil and dinner at their favorite restaurant. At the conclusion of what would have otherwise been a perfect evening, tragedy begins to unfold in the form of an intense headache experienced by Laura after their car becomes disabled. Laura seemingly irrationally insists upon going to the hospital, where after a series of diagnostic tests, the news is given to them that Laura is dying, and that what is happening within her brain is inoperable. The doctor says that she has perhaps 8-12 hours to live....and so the family begins to gather. Although the ending is sad, the conclusion inescapable....Laura leaves her family with what the reader will see as her final and most precious gift to them...hope.
Enjoyable and a tear-jerker, readers should enjoy this tale of hope and a "life will go on" message, delivered during the holiday season.
DYB
Rated by buyers -
CHRISTMAS, PRESENT begins with Elliot Banner planning a very special wedding anniversary for his wife, Laura. He surprises her with tickets to see the Cirque du Soleil. It's just two days before their December 23rd anniversary and a few days before Christmas. Laura mentions that she has a headache, and on the way home their car breaks down in a busy tunnel. While they're waiting for a wrecker, the headache that Laura has been having escalates, and she becomes severely ill.
The story continues with a shocking diagnosis for Laura and a gathering of their children, Laura's siblings and mother at the hospital.
This is a very small book and a fast read. It's well written and although the title is appropriate, this is not your usual Christmas story. I do recommend this book, but some people may prefer not to read it until after Christmas. This is a serious and mind wrenching story!
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