Wise Guy A Christmas Tale Joseph Bottum Brian Troxell 0191091238196 Books
Download As PDF : Wise Guy A Christmas Tale Joseph Bottum Brian Troxell 0191091238196 Books
The 12 crimes of Christmas Bart Sagan is a thief, yes, but more or less a good guy - at least, he wouldn’t rob an orphanage if he didn’t have to. Not at Christmastime, anyway. But then the local crime boss, Harry King, loses a shipment of drugs and orders Bart to burglarize the 12 addresses to which it’s been accidentally sent. Can Bart and his ragtag band of independent criminals keep their Christmas spirit while breaking and entering at the behest of a drug lord? Can they keep their lives if they don’t?
A comic crime caper for the holiday, “Wise Guy” retells the story of Balthasar, one of the three Wise Men who followed a star from the east for the first Christmas. Or as much of Balthasar, anyway, as a confused and slightly hangdog minor thief can manage. As much of a Wise Man as a Wise Guy can be.
The author of three best-selling Singles, Joseph Bottum is a widely published essayist and poet - whose account of winter on the American prairie, “The Christmas Plains” (from Image/Random House), has been named an instant holiday classic. He is, as the essayist Andrew Ferguson has noted "one of America’s most gifted writers, with a perfect ear and a matchless style". He lives far off in the Black Hills of South Dakota. “Wise Guy” is his first foray into Christmas fiction.
Wise Guy A Christmas Tale Joseph Bottum Brian Troxell 0191091238196 Books
This is the kind of well-written story that would have provided "filler" in a "PODT" ("published on dead tree") magazine of the '50s through 80s, such as The Atlantic or Esquire. Now, sadly, those kinds of magazines are going the way of the Wooly Mammoth, but, happily, we are seeing writers connect directly with readers, without the mediation of those magazines and their many stories and much advertising, for less than a buck.This story is a gem. It is a wonderfully crafted and written story about a thief who is impresssed into service to find 12 lost kilos of heroin in the week before Christmas. Bart Sagan is a thinking man's thief, but a bottom feeder in a city run by crime kingpin, Harry King. Bart also knows the other bottom feeders who are allowed to exist in King's city. Now, when King's heroin gets mailed out by a mistake to 12 civilians, Bart is told to get the heroin back or else his friends will suffer.
The story develops from there as a very human story of friends in low places and concludes with a satisfying surprise ending. The Christmas element consists of the Christmas deadline and the planting of parallels with the story of the Nativity. The story is a short read - around 20 - 30 pages. The characters are enjoyable, the writing is highly accessible and the biblical parallels make for a fun mental puzzle to reflect upon.
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Tags : Wise Guy: A Christmas Tale [Joseph Bottum, Brian Troxell] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The 12 crimes of Christmas: Bart Sagan is a thief, yes, but more or less a good guy - at least, he wouldn’t rob an orphanage if he didn’t have to. Not at Christmastime,Joseph Bottum, Brian Troxell,Wise Guy: A Christmas Tale,Audible Studios on Brilliance Audio,1536640832,Crime,Audiobook; Audio; Book; CD; Literary; Literature,FICTION Crime,Fiction
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Wise Guy A Christmas Tale Joseph Bottum Brian Troxell 0191091238196 Books Reviews
I highly recommend this entertaining, fast paced Christmas story. What a delight to read a very good story with memorable characters that surprises us with a believable Christmas message.
I had no clue of what to expect and, since it is about criminals, I was not expecting to like the characters. I couldn't help liking the characters. It's fiction, remember, and in fiction bad guys can have hearts of gold. The bad guys are good guys only because there are worse guys. It's a good story.
It has been a long time since I have read a book but this was a very awesome book I could not put down. I will be reading other books,too. Very good. I am so happy to be able to read this way on my Fire which makes choosing a book and reading it alot of fun.
This is one of those short stories that you'll want to reread because It's over much too quickly! It's an unlikely Christmas story about a young drug runner who looses a drug shipment his uncle has entrusted to him and the runner's 'savior' who is trying to redeem the runner's soul, reputation, and perhaps his life as well. The story is told by the 'savior' in a seedy bar with a cast of unsavory but funny characters. This story is short, funny and totally enjoyable.
It's a feel good story about Christmas thieves. It's about gentle robberies. A talented thief is asked (threatened more like) by the local drug lord to recover the heroin his distant relative had lost by placing it in twelve gift boxes that would be delivered to twelve locations. Our thief goes to fix the problem himself, but finds it's too big a project to do in too-short of a time.
In one of those houses, he meets an elderly woman who leaves an impression on him. He learns about Christmas, love, and friendship from this woman. He spills the whole story to her, and instead of turning him in she wishes him well, so he could protect his friends.
When he leaves he finds his good friend, Liz, who has organized the cities thieves to help him pull off the job. They work together and recover the stolen heroin, and return it to the drug lord in the most creative fashion.
It's a nice feel-good story that gives you hope for the criminals of the world, and reminds you that respect really means a lot. It perpetuates the idea that the Christmas spirit can overcome the world of crime, and even criminals will come help the helpless. It's a fun story, though I would have liked more details about the recovery of the packages and their delivery to Harry King, the drug lord.
I would reccommend it for a short, fun read on a cold winter day.
This is a story to share. Read it aloud to your wife. Give it to a college kid to read while waiting in the airport. Recommend it to your co-workers. Joseph Bottum's 'Wise Guy' is almost free; it's never been easier for you to show your spouse or friend that you are, at heart, a smart reader, thoughtful and profoundly festive in ways hitherto unimaginable.
Guaranteed for $.99 are these great features
1. A relatively short read. The pace of the story is brisk, even though it is also layered with allusions, hints, and themes from the first Christmas.
2. A layered story. You cannot read this merely as a christmas-themed crime caper. No one will read it that way. For example, it might strike you that crime boss Harry King is a thinly veiled counterpart to first christmas's King Herod, or that Liz evokes Elisabeth in some curious way. The more you look, the more you see.
3. A satisfying read. You finish this story and you are glad. Just as all circles want to close, this story wants to make sense superficially and deeply. The opening paragraphs, you will see, suggest as much. That's why it's such a great piece to share it doesn't trick the reader, even when there are details and meanings that some readers might not catch. Nor does the story fall flat.
I bought this because a. I know Jody and b. I had seen a preview and it intrigued me. While I thought the beginning was different than the rest of the story,I really got intrigued when Bart met,,,well I won't give it away. I really enjoyed it. I didn't see the ending(s) that were coming and most enjoyed the last ending. Sorry to be so cryptic but otherwise you would know the story. I liked it a lot better than last years Dakota Christmas maybe because it had a Dickensonian mix to it--but the ending was pure Jody. You cannot go wrong for 99 cents for a short pleasurable read. Now off to buy the Christmas Plains for husband and in-laws from the Dakotas and friends who are not. I actually sniffled at one of his readings from it. From local reactions I see it as a book for people who love Christmas and the meaning behing it.
Denise, Washington DC
This is the kind of well-written story that would have provided "filler" in a "PODT" ("published on dead tree") magazine of the '50s through 80s, such as The Atlantic or Esquire. Now, sadly, those kinds of magazines are going the way of the Wooly Mammoth, but, happily, we are seeing writers connect directly with readers, without the mediation of those magazines and their many stories and much advertising, for less than a buck.
This story is a gem. It is a wonderfully crafted and written story about a thief who is impresssed into service to find 12 lost kilos of heroin in the week before Christmas. Bart Sagan is a thinking man's thief, but a bottom feeder in a city run by crime kingpin, Harry King. Bart also knows the other bottom feeders who are allowed to exist in King's city. Now, when King's heroin gets mailed out by a mistake to 12 civilians, Bart is told to get the heroin back or else his friends will suffer.
The story develops from there as a very human story of friends in low places and concludes with a satisfying surprise ending. The Christmas element consists of the Christmas deadline and the planting of parallels with the story of the Nativity. The story is a short read - around 20 - 30 pages. The characters are enjoyable, the writing is highly accessible and the biblical parallels make for a fun mental puzzle to reflect upon.
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