The Letter by Richard Paul Evans

Published in 1997. 335 pages.


I read The Letter for the October meeting of our church women's group book club. It is the concluding book in The Christmas Box collection, but I didn't need to have read the other two books to understand this one. (I own a copy of The Christmas Box, but I have not yet read it.)

The woman who picked The Letter likes Evans' books because they're inspirational, "feel good" reads. This historical fiction novel - set in Utah (my home state) during the Great Depression - was that. Although Evans has a tendency, in my opinion, to overwrite - what my high school senior composition teacher would have called "purple prose" - the plot was not overly predictable nor was the sentiment too sappy. I wouldn't say I'm a big Richard Paul Evans fan, but reading The Letter was an enjoyable experience.

2007.63