Book Review: The Christmas Star by Robert Tate Miller

“Paul, don’t you get it?” she said. “A world without God wouldn’t be worth living in at all. How can you look at all the wonders around you and not ponder God?”

Robert Tate Miller, The Christmas Star

Review:

Though this book wasn’t entirely what I had anticipated it to be, it was a touching, emotional, and inspiring Christmas read.

Paul didn’t always hate Christmas. How could he when he had so much good in his life? Married to his high school sweetheart and having two daughters together, his life was what he’d always dreamed of. But as they say, all good things come to an end. One Christmas, everything changes, and he comes to detest the holiday. 

Each year, Christmas passes more bitterly than the last. His life is falling apart. Just when he thinks things couldn’t get any worse, he finds himself in Bethlehem after an accident. Not sure of who he is or where he came from, he joins a familiar family as they follow the Christmas Star.

I’d expected more of the book to be set in Bethlehem. The first half was entirely focused on Paul and Rebecca’s meeting/relationship after the first chapter. I was losing interest, but once it reached the present time of the book (or the years closer to it), I became invested again. The scenes in Bethlehem were also not what I’d expected, but they were touching. All in all, this was a sweet, emotional, and hopeful read.

Likes & Dislikes:

What I liked:

• The depictions of Paul’s grief.
• Rebecca’s patience and faith.
• The scenes in Bethlehem.

What I didn’t like:

• Having to sit through Rebecca and Paul’s entire history at length. A few highlights would have sufficed, especially since things like issues with her parents and going to different schools had little bearing on the main story being told.
• I need to be vague to avoid spoilers, but Abbey’s storyline was handled poorly by the end.

Afterthoughts:

As I was reading, I noted that the book felt more like a movie setup than a book. When I got to the author’s note, I saw that he does in fact write movies as well. I would watch this if it were turned into a movie and I think it would work better. As a book, it’s difficult to get into the rhythm of the story.

Where to buy the book: