THE ALUMINUM CHRISTMAS TREE
THOMAS J. DAVIS
Thomas Nelson Books
$6.99 Kindle edition, available now (non-affiliate Amazon link)
Rating: 3.5 very surprised stars of five
The Publisher Says: The shiny aluminum tree was the symbol of everything he thought was right in their lives and everything she thought was wrong. It was 1958 and Jimmy Jackson had it all: a wife, two kids, and the promotion that was his ticket to success. Finally, he could afford all those things he had gazed at in the Sears Roebuck catalog. But now that he had the money, would he find that the true cost was more than he could pay?
I RECEIVED A COPY OF THE BOOK FROM A DEAR OLD FRIEND. THANK YOU.
My Review: A gift from a delightful old friend, this book arrived at precisely the right time. I was not at my most pleased and happy the day it came. I read the whole book in a sitting, and was much restored and refreshed.
Thomas Davis tells an oft-told tale of a man's descent into depression caused by his single-minded pursuit of material success with no nods towards his inner needs. His wife recounts the tale to her sympathetic audience after his death, which causes her to move to a new, smaller home in town from their half-century long country life on an apple orchard. She tells her cousin and his wife, who are helping her pack and move, the story of the year that almost ended the marriage most people thought was perfect.
I think the story of any well-lived life contains the passage that Mildred, our narratrix, recounts. It's instructive to be reminded of this in fiction as well as fact. All of us fallible humans can run off the rails, and it's often only after losing "everything" that we realize how much we really have that *can't* be lost, only thrown away.
The book breaks no new ground anywhere, but it takes the reader on its well-worn path with a pleasant tone and a loving heart. I can't recommend it to the cynical or the youthful, but anyone over 40 will recognize the situation and could probably benefit from a reminder of its perils and the tenuous nature of human relationships. Take care of them, feed them, prune them carefully, and a lifetime will seem too short.
You try so hard to be a curmudgeon, but you're truly a poet at heart. An inspiring and refreshing reflection. And gorgeous photos too!
ReplyDeleteHmmm, he's still a pretty good curmudgeon. Just sayin'
ReplyDelete@Tina...thank you!
ReplyDeleteThe Other Party I shall Loftily Ignore.
ooo myyy god! you have a blog and did not throw a brick or something at me so I notice ... cruel man :P
ReplyDeleteNow I can read and comment everywhere... hahah, is there anywhere else I can read your hilarious muses??
Great post, of course you had me at the first picture ;)
Hi Lyly! Yes, here's the blog. *smooch* for finding me!
DeleteLove this post, M'Dear. I've been enjoying the sweetgum beauties; here, fortunately, the weird seedpods fall mostly in the back forty with plenty of cushioning from other tree detritus. We have a sparkling red-leafed crepe myrtle and assorted odds and ends. The magnolias simply puff up their always-green leaves to taunt the sissy trees that can't hang on to their clothes.
ReplyDeleteAint' that the truth The magnolia blossom *defines* tetchy, fussy beauty, and the tree is a stovebolt-solid survivor. Funny, that.
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