Book Review: The Forgotten Carols

First of All:  Merry late Christmas!  I'd been meaning to get another post up sooner than this, but the holidays kind of got in the way, and taking time away from family and the festivities to write on a blog was a bit hard, so I didn't get around to it until now.  For those of you who don't practice Christmas, I hope you had a happy time celebrating whatever holiday you enjoy, or if you just outright don't practice anything during December, then I hope you just had a great month.

This time, I'm tackling one of my family's long-time Christmas traditions: Michael McLean's book-and-audio tag team, The Forgotten Carols.  It's a short book, with--if I remember right--less than a hundred pages, which are half-pages in many editions, so that clues you in to the short duration of the story.  Along with the story, McLean wrote music to go along with the different parts of the story, which make for a powerful combination of text and audio.  If you go looking for this book, make sure to pick up one with an included CD of the tracks to listen to at the designated parts of the story; it's so much better that way.

Second of All: The Forgotten Carols follows a relatively young nurse named Constance Louise Chamberlain, who is as stern as her first name infers.  A structured, controlled life has lead her to work at a hospital, which receives a strange request from a rather wealthy family.  The family, it seems, is going on a vacation to Europe, and is leaving behind their strange old uncle, who needs someone to tend him while they're gone.  Constance reluctantly agrees to go take care of the old man, who turns out to be nothing like she expected.  Uncle John, as he is named, leads Constance through a heart-changing experience punctuated by several forgotten Christmas carols that revolve around some unique Christmas tree ornaments.

Third of All: The review!
There's a reason that reading this book and listening to the accompanying audio has been a long-standing Christmas tradition in my family.  The story is powerful, with dynamic characters who are easy to fall in love with, more than a couple plot twists, and a tender ending which will leave you with a smile on your face.  As the designated story reader, it's my job to keep a level head while performing, but there's several points at which I tear up every single time.

Along with the story, the music is gorgeous, well-suited to the story, and deeply powerful.  I'd venture to say that nearly everyone can find one of these songs that fits them in a special way.

Overall, this book-and-audio combo is a wonderful, powerful, and tender experience that could easily find a home in any family's Christmas traditions.  I give it a Six out of Six Nerd Stars.