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Twas the Night Before: A Christmas Allegory | 
 enlarge | Author: Jerry B. Jenkins
Publisher: Viking Adult
Category: Book
List Price: $19.95
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Rating:  15 reviews
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 224
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.5 x 1
ISBN: 0670881767
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780670881765
Publication Date: October 1, 1998
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Amazon.com Review
When it comes to Christmas, there are two categories of people in the world: believers and non-believers. Although non-believers will probably never get around to reading this love story by Jerry Jenkins (bestselling co-author of Left Behind: A Novel of the Earth's Last Days), believers will certainly relish this mystical story that delivers a doubting Thomas to the home of Kriss Kringle. Jenkins's usual use of high adventure and unpredictable love is at play in this story about Tom Douten, a gritty Chicago journalist, who isn't afraid to investigate the truth about life in the inner city, and his new lover, Noella, an optimistic writer who believes in Santa. When Jenkins flies to the Black Forest to investigate the "truth" about Santa and dispel Noella's belief, his plane crashes, killing the pilot and his fellow passenger. Jenkins keeps the story fast-moving in his terse, straightforward style. Nonetheless, he manages to plot an intricate enough course, so that the final revelations are surprising, and as satisfying as plum pudding at the end of a Christmas feast. --Gail Hudson
Product Description
Noella, a journalism professor at Northwestern University, and Tom, a reporter for the Chicago Tribune, are engaged to be married. After several failed relationships for each, they believe they have finally found true love. As Christmas approaches, though, they come up against a basic difference in their temperaments: she always sees the glass as half full and he sees it as half empty--or maybe even cracked beyond repair. When she insists that a medallion she received as a child is actually from Santa Claus, he bah-humbugs it. Sadly, they realize they are just too dissimilar to get married. Devastated by the breakup, Tom decides he won't do his usual cynical Christmas story for the paper but instead will fly to Germany to write about the Father Christmas tradition. What he discovers changes his life . . . and restores his faith in much more than Santa. 'Twas the Night Before is a spellbinding love story that will join O. Henry's "Gift of the Magi," Dickens's A Christmas Carol, and the film It's a Wonderful Life as a Christmas classic that will bring romance, good cheer, and hope to the season.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 10 more reviews...
 Not really a Christmas story until the end December 17, 2007
E. Schmidt
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Going into this book, I was expecting an all-out tale of Christmas wonderment; what I got was 40 pages of great Christmas cheer, and 160 pages of "blah." The first half of the book details the lives of two career-people in love. There is tons of characterization, and you really get to know the characters...but there is zero action, and this part of the book just drags on forever (although if you like reading about intellectuals in love, you'll be in heaven). To make matters worse, I didn't find either of the characters very appealing, and the love story is sacharine sweet and borders on hokey.
The third quarter of the book revolves around a plane crash in which one of the characters is severely injured and ends up crawling around in the woods, on hands and knees, looking for help - sometimes with the will to get back to his true love, and at other times wishing he would just die (Ho, Ho, Ho - if this aint the Christmas spirit, I don't know what is).
Luckily, the book really comes to life in the final quarter, as our hero encounters Santa Claus. I found this last bit to be really wonderful, with some clever ideas about Santa. The only real fault with the ending of the book is that it feels disjointed from the rest of the story - it is far too brief, feels rushed, and the characterization goes down to zero.
The ending saved this book from getting a lower score, but all in all, this is another dissapointing holiday story. If you want to get to the "Christmassy" part of the book, simply start with the last quarter (you actually won't miss out on too much).
 bad in every possible way December 10, 2005
B. Carlson
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Our family usually reads a book together at Christmas; my mother found this monstrosity in a Christian book store... we only finished it because we all found it so hilariously bad. One of my favorite lines is 'to others it may have looked like a casual kiss, but he knew how she really felt when she brushed his lips with her tongue." The whole book is filled with this sort of clumsy writing. This book might be worth a penny just for the amusement, but how it was every published is beyond me. I mean-- the main characters' names are Tom Douten (perhaps.. could this mean... "doubting Thomas"?) and Noella Wright. Please.
 The Santa Story January 2, 2003
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
I read this book because I thought it was a Christian Christmas romance. It's a romance set during the Christmas season, but to my surprise, it didn't even talk about Christmas being Jesus's birthday. Instead, this author (who also penned the Left Behind series) wrote a book about believing in Santa Claus. What the world doesn't need is another book or movie about Santa Claus. Christmas isn't about Santa Claus, it's about the miracle of the birth of Christ. The book was laid out with big print and big margins and was a fast read, but don't expect to find any theological messages.
 Fantastic August 30, 2002
Jordan McKay (California)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I'm not sure this book was meant to be Hemingway, but if you want to read a touching, beautiful Christmas love story, this is it. I laughed, I cried (as did my wife), and I was almost cheering at the end. I can't believe I haven't seen more about this book! I heard about it from a friend, bought it, and now I'm telling everyone about it. PLEASE do yourself a favor and buy this book as soon as possible. I heard a rumor this was going to be a movie...if so, can't wait!!!
kind of cute, but... February 24, 2002
M. H. Bayliss
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
Okay, credit to the author for a novel idea and a cute storyline that tries to make believers out of all of us. In the tradition of Richard Evans and other simple-plot writers, this is a neat little love story with a Christmas theme. I read it in about an hour and found the story charming. On the other hand, the writing is mundane, the characters' thoughts spelled out to the nth degree (she wanted to kiss him, he wanted to see her...) to the point that it almost took the magic out of the story. At times it felt like a poor version of writer's workshop. Still, the story has merit and I don't think the author aspired to great literary heights -- I apologize if I'm being too harsh, but the writing just wasn't as good as the idea. If you want a quick read and an inspiring love story, you won't regret it, but if you're looking for literature, you have the wrong book.
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