The Noel Diary, Richard Paul Evans
The Noel Diary, Richard Paul Evans
23 Rating(s)
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The Noel Diary

Bestseller

Author: Richard Paul Evans

Narrator: Richard Paul Evans

Unabridged: 4 hr 56 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 11/07/2017


Synopsis

Now a Netflix film starring Justin Hartley!

In this holiday-themed novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Mistletoe Promise and The Walk, a man receives the best Christmas present he could ask for: the chance to rewrite the past.

Bestselling romance author Jacob Churcher hasn't been home for almost twenty years—not since his mentally ill mother kicked him out of the house when he was just sixteen. When a lawyer calls, days before Christmas, to inform him that his estranged mother has passed away and left her house to him, Jacob returns not just to settle the estate but to try and reconcile with the past and the pain and abuse he experienced as a child. Also, maybe cleaning out her house will be slightly less depressing than spending the holidays alone, watching re-runs of Christmas classics.

But as it turns out, the house holds more than just difficult memories, Jacob’s mother had become a hoarder and he must excavate through two decades worth of clutter. As Jacob digs through the detritus, like an archaeologist, he uncovers many puzzling items including a diary left by someone named Noel, a young woman he has no recollection of, who stayed with Jacob’s family during her pregnancy. That’s not the only echo from the past. Jacob has an unexpected visitor, Rachel, a woman looking for the mother who put her up for adoption thirty years before. United by their quest to make sense of the past and rewrite their futures, Jacob and Rachel begin a search for Noel. Along the way they find more than they possibly imagined, including grace, forgiveness and a chance at love.

About Richard Paul Evans

Showing great tenacity, American author, Richard Paul Evans, grew up in Murray City, Utah, and when he decided to write and publish a book, he could not find a willing publisher, so he self-published. That book was entitled, The Christmas Box. He had been working full time as an advertising executive, when he decided to write a Christmas story for his children. He distributed his book to area bookstores, and it became a huge local success.

The following year, The Christmas Box became the #2 bestseller on the New York Times list. That distinction led to a bidding war among publishers (who originally had no interest). Simon and Schuster won the bidding with their advance payment of $4.2 million! They released the book in hardcover in 1995, and it became the first book to be NYT #1 bestseller in both hard cover and paperback.

In 1995, The Christmas Box was made into a movie for television, starring Richard Thomas and Maureen O'Hara. In 1996 his book, Timepiece, was also made into a television movie starring Naomi Watts, James Earl Jones, and Ellen Burstyn. Other books adapted for movies were, The Locket, A Perfect Day, The Mistletoe Promise, and The Mistletoe Inn.

Evans is known for his conservative Christian themes appealing to family values, and for his children's books. He also founded Christmas Box House, Int'l that helps abused and neglected children, with a network of shelters and services. Another group was established to help men who have feelings of isolation caused by the "toxic masculinity" movement by some women. This group is called Tribe of Kyngs. Evans lives in Salt Lake City, Utah with his wife, five children, and one grandchild.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Linda on December 09, 2017

An excerpt from "The Noel Diary": "She looked at me with piercing eyes "You're still him, Jacob. You're still that sweet, bright-eyed little boy. He's still in you. And he is still living and vulnerable. Every time I read one of your books, I can feel his sweetness rising up from the pages like groun......more

Goodreads review by Jennifer on November 19, 2017

Each Christmas, Richard Paul Evans releases a new holiday-themed novel. This year in 2017, it was The Noel Diary and it was wonderful as expected. Raw, real, and full of perspective. It's about flawed parents and the consequences of their choices. It's about the children left behind searching for an......more

Goodreads review by Darla on December 26, 2017

I can always count on Richard Paul Evans to write a Christmas story that requires tissues to read. This was a lovely story of love and grace which he says is somewhat autobiographical. I notice in about the middle of the book that he mentions doing research on Route 66 to write a book -- an obvious......more

Goodreads review by Justina on January 05, 2022

Štai taip mes ir gyvenam. Judam, skubam, nesvarbu, laimingi ar ne, kol susiduriame su kažkuo, kas pakeičia mūsų tikslą. Kartais tas susidūrimas būna skausmingas, kartais ne, bet jei mums pasiseks, būtent laimė tampa tą išorine, mūsų kryptį keičiančia jėga. Meilė. Visatoje nėra galingesnės jėgos. Jei......more

Goodreads review by Krista on December 15, 2017

I didn't really enjoy this book. It was very simplistic, predictable and had a lot of showing rather than telling. I felt disconnected from the characters and felt all the dialog was stunted and or unrealistic in some way. I was hoping for a much more Christmassy feel than what I got. It is simply a......more