Friends! We lost a few years ago a wonderful man, Frank McCourt, who always had the spirit of Christmas in his heart and a twinkle (a wry, devilish twinkle) in his eye. This top page of the blog is about what a few others have said about our books, and Bob has always been proud that Frank once said that readin’ his writin’ was “like sitting by the fire with a lively and scholarly seanchai, as satisfying as a pint of Guinness or a Connemarra sunset.” Some other folks—some close to us, some further from us; some bidden, but some, like Gregory, not bidden—have already said nice things about A Child’s Christmas in New England. We’ll start with what Greg has said.
“A brilliant and tender idea that works, I think, beautifully.”
—Gregory Maguire, author of Wicked.
“The childhood memories that the father tells his daughter in this warm and wonderful book can’t help but bring back similar memories for other parents— memories they, too, will be inspired to share with their own children.”
—Daniel Okrent, author of Last Call and The Way We Were: New England Then, New England Now
“Who could have guessed that Christmas memories from the epoch of paisley couches, of young boys with paper routes, of wall phones that ring only in the event of an emergency, of multicolored plastic toothpicks on holiday hors d’oeuvres plates, of a kid designated as “Husky” rather than as obese, of Erector sets and Christmas tree tinsel, and of the guarantee of snow in December—could be so charmingly told, so magically illustrated, as if arising from a village in a folk-tale? Wistful, gentle, and surprising, this sweet book is like a gift-box of holiday peppermints, filling a room with merriment and sparkle.”
—Melissa Fay Greene, author of Praying for Sheetrock and No Biking in the House Without A Helmet
“Master collaborators Robert Sullivan and Glenn Wolff have done it again!
This time, they breathe inspired life into the ghosts of Christmas past,
capturing the good old days when Christmas was always white, the snow
really was waist-high, the turkey was perfectly cooked, the tinsel
shimmered on a towering tree, and the sledding runs went on forever.
When I reached The End, I felt that same empty-full-happy-sad feeling
that used to wash over me after the last present under the tree had been
unwrapped and I’d begin counting the days till Christmas came again.
—George Howe Colt, author of The Big House and Brothers
We don’t want to go on too long here tooting our horn, but here are just a couple of short things that folks said years ago about Bob and Glenn’s first collaboration, Flight of the Reindeer, which itself is being brought back out by Sky Pony Press in a new edition this same season:
“A delightful, constantly surprising book . . . This is a cheerful new Christmas classic.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“At last a writer of great charm brings to bear on a myth which ought to be objective reality the graphic imagination and the narrative skill the subject deserves.”
—Thomas Keneally, author of Schindler’s List
“This is not just a spectacular book; it is a milestone in the literature of Christmas.”
—Jim Doherty, Smithsonian magazine
“Virginia would be proud.”
—Margo Hammond, The St. Petersburg Times
Have fun with the rest of the blog, and Merry Christmas from Bob and Glenn (not the last time you’ll hear that)!
Robert Sullivan and Glenn Wolff: Christmas, and More 