This retelling of O. Henry's classic short story "The Last Leaf" begins with an adolescent girl, Ally, who is deathly ill and angry at God. Her grief stricken father is a pastor on the verge of losing his faith.
From Publishers Weekly
This wonderful novella by established Christian writer Myers (Eli) is a sweet and salty story of a pastor struggling to reconcile his faith with the possible loss of his daughter to cancer. The characters are convincing and deftly developed in a series of brief vignettes. Pastor Paul Newcomwaits to hear if his 17-year-old daughter, Ally, will survive a critical attack. In his fear and anguish, his mind wanders back over her life from willful infancy to an even more stubborn adolescence. Any parent will warm to the humorous reminiscences and the loving exasperation of this father for his strong-willed daughter. Myers avoids cloying sentimentality and weaves a marvelous parallel story to the fishes and loaves miracle from the Gospel of Mark. The novella has one serious flaw, however: according to the author it is "inspired by" O. Henry's short story entitled "The Last Leaf." In fact, it has the same essential plot elements of the Henry tale. But Myers lacks the powerful economy of Henry, who ends with a moving climax and allows the great atoning act of the story stand alone. Myers weakens the power of this climax with complicated description and by spelling out the moral. To those familiar with Henry, the novella will be predictable and will lack dramatic tension. Others will better enjoy the compelling characters and fresh, vibrant anecdotes of one family's faith journey.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Pastor Paul Newcombe's life is a celebration of faith and family until his teenaged daughter Ally is stricken with cancer. As Ally lashes out at God for allowing her to fall ill and at her family because they are healthy, Paul's faith is tested as it never has been before. Even Ally's grandpa, Paul's father, a retired pastor and artist, is unable to shake Ally out of her pessimistic certainty that she'll die "when the last leaf falls" from the tree outside her window. Myers (Eli) closely follows the plot of O. Henry's short story, "The Last Leaf," in a touching tale of love and devotion interspersed with humorous anecdotes of a father watching his little girl grow up. For all collections. Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Description:
This retelling of O. Henry's classic short story "The Last Leaf" begins with an adolescent girl, Ally, who is deathly ill and angry at God. Her grief stricken father is a pastor on the verge of losing his faith.
From Publishers Weekly
This wonderful novella by established Christian writer Myers (Eli) is a sweet and salty story of a pastor struggling to reconcile his faith with the possible loss of his daughter to cancer. The characters are convincing and deftly developed in a series of brief vignettes. Pastor Paul Newcomwaits to hear if his 17-year-old daughter, Ally, will survive a critical attack. In his fear and anguish, his mind wanders back over her life from willful infancy to an even more stubborn adolescence. Any parent will warm to the humorous reminiscences and the loving exasperation of this father for his strong-willed daughter. Myers avoids cloying sentimentality and weaves a marvelous parallel story to the fishes and loaves miracle from the Gospel of Mark. The novella has one serious flaw, however: according to the author it is "inspired by" O. Henry's short story entitled "The Last Leaf." In fact, it has the same essential plot elements of the Henry tale. But Myers lacks the powerful economy of Henry, who ends with a moving climax and allows the great atoning act of the story stand alone. Myers weakens the power of this climax with complicated description and by spelling out the moral. To those familiar with Henry, the novella will be predictable and will lack dramatic tension. Others will better enjoy the compelling characters and fresh, vibrant anecdotes of one family's faith journey.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Pastor Paul Newcombe's life is a celebration of faith and family until his teenaged daughter Ally is stricken with cancer. As Ally lashes out at God for allowing her to fall ill and at her family because they are healthy, Paul's faith is tested as it never has been before. Even Ally's grandpa, Paul's father, a retired pastor and artist, is unable to shake Ally out of her pessimistic certainty that she'll die "when the last leaf falls" from the tree outside her window. Myers (Eli) closely follows the plot of O. Henry's short story, "The Last Leaf," in a touching tale of love and devotion interspersed with humorous anecdotes of a father watching his little girl grow up. For all collections.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.