Title: The Angel of Bastogne
Author: Gilbert Morris
Year Published:2005
Why did you get this book? It is one of my book club selections.
B.O.B.B.: Like the fictional character George Bailey, sullen journalist Ben Raines is not a praying man, and he has heard enough talk about Christmas and angels. But the holiday movie, It's a wonderful Life, seems to follow him everywhere.Ben's aging father even has a "Clarence" story about a wartime angel who saved his life one Christmas on a battlefield in Bastogne.In tribute to his dad, but also to prove himself right. Ben sets out to track down the other servicemen who would have witnessed the so-called angel. What he finds would make a true believer out of anyone.
Do you like the cover?: The above picture does not do the cover justice. I think the cover is beautiful. Had it not been a book club selection, I would have at least picked it up in the bookstore.Did you enjoy the book? I did. Ben Raines grew up poor and was ashamed of his father's lack of success in life. His father owning a newsstand made Ben grown up without the material things his friends enjoyed. Through his research he learned his father's life meant more to others than to him. Through the lens of the other Bastogne survivors, Ben begins to see his father and the true meaning of Christian servitude.
Was the author new to you and would you read something by this author again?: Gilbert Morris is a new-to-me author. Over his career he has authored over one hundred books. You think of an genre, he has a book. YA, fantasy, historical romance, etc. A book club member wondered how someone who looked so stuffy could write romance. I took offense. What does romance look like? He's a professor, but does that mean he can't feel and express himself romantically. Just for the comment, I'm going to read one of his other books. There was romance in this book. I felt the attraction among Ben and Charlene just fine. At one point, there was a little romantic tension in the motel scene. I can't remember which one looked the other over and announced they had to leave because they could not trust themselves. LOL.
Are you keeping it or passing it on?: I will keep the book.
