The Christmas Tree
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4.5 • 14 Ratings
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- $7.99
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
The classic New York Times–bestselling tale of friendship, generosity, and the magic and wonder of the Christmas spirit
On his annual search for Rockefeller Center’s next Christmas tree, the chief gardener spots an ideal candidate: a stately Norway spruce located on the grounds of a convent. There he meets Sister Anthony, a nun for whom the tree has special meaning. Orphaned and sent to the convent as a lonely young girl, Sister Anthony befriended the then-tiny spruce whom she lovingly named “Tree.” Over the following decades, as the tree grew, so did Sister Anthony’s appreciation for the beauty and wonder of nature.
She is reluctant to see her oldest and closest friend chopped down and sent away to New York City. But when a fierce blizzard threatens the old tree’s existence, Sister Anthony realizes it’s time to let the world enjoy Tree as she has for nearly her whole life.
Accompanied by charming illustrations and a new introduction by the author, The Christmas Tree is a heartwarming story of love and friendship, a modern holiday classic for all ages.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Trying not to behave like Scrooge may be a book critic's most difficult task this Christmas season. This thin holiday fable is based on a true incident, but it is saturated with sentimentality. Narrated by the unnamed, curmudgeonly chief gardener of Rockefeller Center, the tale concerns his annual search for the tree whose lighting heralds the holiday season in Manhattan. When the narrator says that he looks for a tree that has "character," whose "beauty comes from the inside and not just the outside,'' we know we must swallow some anthropomorphic whimsy. He discovers just such a tree on the grounds of a convent in New Jersey, but Sister Anthony, who has a special relationship with the magnificent Norway Spruce (she calls it simply Tree, and talks to it), is loath to let it be cut down. She tells the narrator the story of her life: how, as a lonely orphan child she was brought to the convent, where the tree became her only friend. When she decides to make the supreme sacrifice, her message--that we must look for beauty even when life is hard--melts the crusty old man's heart. Former Wall Street Journal reporter Saloman, who wrote such incisive books as The Devil's Candy and The Net of Dreams, seems to have overdosed on saccharine. Random House audio.
