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Summary
Summary
The #1 bestselling author of The Christmas Box and master of the holiday novel reimagines the biblical story of Joseph and the coat of many colors, presenting an inspiring modern story of family and forgiveness.
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.
Author Notes
Richard Paul Evans is an American author, born in Utah in 1962. He earned his B.A. at the University of Utah. He previously worked as an advertising executive. His first story was a Christmas story written for his children. He self-published it with the title, The Christmas Box. It became a New York Times bestseller, and was made into a television movie. He has written over 31 bestsellers. Timepiece, The Locket, and A Perfect Day were made into television movies. His awards include the American Mothers Book Award, two first place Storytelling World Awards, The Romantic Times Best Women's Novel of the Year Award, the German leserpreis Gold Award for Romance and three RCC Wilbur Awards. In December 2016, The Mistletoe Secret became a New York Times Bestseller.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (1)
Kirkus Review
Best-selling author Evans takes the biblical story of Joseph and transposes it to contemporary times in Denver, Chicago and New York. This novel turns biblical archetypes into authentic, believable characters and uses an interesting and credible plot to convey an important message. Joseph Jacobson, or J.J as he likes to be called, is his father's 12th son, one of two sons born of his father's fourth wife. His 11 brothers are jealous of him because he is also his father's favorite. The biblical coat of many colors is, in this modern tale, the father's Navy flight jacket from Vietnam decorated with the colorful patches of his deployment. Joseph's father chose to give him this precious gift at a family dinner on the same night he celebrated his favorite son's success in saving an account for the family advertising firm. And so the story begins. The oldest brothers find a way to banish their hated younger brother to a different company in Chicago, where he rises above hardships only to fall and rise again. Each chapter begins with one of the narrator's dreams, and these dreams turn out to be symbolically prophetic, just as Joseph's dreams in Egypt turned out to be. The first-person narrative voice feels familiar and endearing, and the conversations among the various characters are authentic. Readers will relate to these characters, be moved to tears and laughter by them, and most importantly, be inspired by them. If you know how the biblical story ends, it won't spoil anything for you to know that this book has a happy ending. Getting there is a journey you should definitely take.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Excerpts
Excerpts
PROLOGUE Life is the soil, our choices and actions the sun and rain, but our dreams are the seeds. Joseph Jacobson's Diary My name is Joseph Jacobson, though most call me by my initials, J.J. For better or worse, I've also been called a dreamer. I take this as a compliment. I've always been fascinated by dreams. Both kinds: the kind we create with our hearts and the kind that come to us in the night when our mental gates are unlocked and unguarded. Throughout history, dreams have been a source of wonder to humanity. Some of the world's greatest authors, musicians, scientists and inventors have credited dreams with revealing ideas that have changed the world. Some believe that dreams are the very secret to understanding life. Others, like the ancient Toltecs, believed that life itself is a dream. The story I'm about to share with you begins with a dream. A Winter Dream. One night I dreamt of myself walking through a dark, snow-blanketed forest. I came upon a tree covered with brilliant, colorful lights--like a Christmas tree. Surrounding the tree, in a perfect circle, were eleven other trees. Then, a great storm arose. Snow whited out all the forest except for the illumination of the one tree. When morning came and the wind stopped, the eleven trees were bent, bowing toward the tree of light. Whether the dream was prophetic or the cause of all that happened, I'll never know. But for years I kicked myself for telling the dream to my father, who, for reasons I still can't understand, chose to share it with my eleven brothers. Excerpted from A Winter Dream by Richard Paul Evans All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.