2009: #10 – Claus, A Christmas Incarnation: Vol I (C. John Coombes)

Book #10 was Claus, A Christmas Incarnation: Volume I by C. John Coombes. The back of the book reads:

Escape to a time When life was an adventure.

Our nation was young, And so were her people. A time of struggle and setback, Of pain and perseverance.

A time also of freedom, joy, And the birth of new traditions. The future was fearful and uncertain, But no more so than for the children.

For them, let us say, Fate brought forth a man. He was wealthy and influential, He was good-hearted and generous. A man of conjecture and mystery. He was there for them, a savior, A second chance, a hope.

Only one person may have known him. A person who struggled to understand him Through the eyes of a child, Through the heart of a woman.

A disciple named Elizabeth.

This was an absolutely beautiful read.  Just gorgeous.Claus is the story of Elizabeth, an orphan (for all intents and purposes) who comes to work for the Lady Rebecca Claussen, a woman who was once an orphan herself and who has now dedicated her life to helping children.  Through Elizabeth’s young eyes we are witness to the journey to America of Lady Rebecca and her generous and kind husband, Christopher Claussen.  Does that name seem familiar to you? That’s where the familiarity ends, for this is a story of Claus you could never have imagined.

What C. John Coombes gives us here is something that is so often lacking from self-published works… description.  The description in this novel is lyrical and thorough.  I’ve never been so interested in the workings of a sailing ship, nor so entranced by a battle with pirates.  Elizabeth is perhaps too smart for her own good, but through her eyes we see things we may never have noticed otherwise. And, to top it all off, the author himself has literally illustrated the story beautifully. He is a very talented man! This was quite a long read (almost 700 pages in pdf), but it was well, well worth the time I put into it.

Page Count: 657 | Approximate word count: 218,200

2008: Dead Aim (Iris Johansen)
2007: Maisie Dobbs (Jacqueline Winspear)
2006: K is for Killer (Sue Grafton)
2005: Immortal in Death (J.D. Robb)

Used in these Challenges: 100+ Reading Challenge 2009; 1st in a Series Challenge; 2009 eBook Challenge; The 999 Challenge; A-Z 2009 Challenge;