Mr. Ives' Christmas

Rating:
Summary: Not for everyone.
Review: "Mr. Ives Christmas" is about a faithful man whose teenage son is cruelly murdered at Christmastime. It's a stunning story about religious faith. Hijuelos takes things of the spirit very seriously, and sacred events indeed occur in the novel. It climaxes with a series of epiphanies, in the very literal sense of that word. Hijuelos makes frequent fitting reference to Dickens and "A Christmas Carol" because his story is about the tragedies of life, but also the grace of God that is available to "those that are good." I finished this novel at 3 a.m., in tears. I can't recommend it highly enough.

Rating:
Summary: Faith exemplified!
Review: Another wonderful Oscar Hijuelos novel-- so different than "Mambo Kings" yet so powerful. Hijuelos has done what thousands of sermonizers and preachers could never do. He has exemplified faith through the story of a real man in a real world with real problems. Edward Ives is not perfect and his struggle to find God is not dramatic - it takes his entire lifetime, but a simple faith sustains him. I'm not Catholic, but this story demonstrates how the church and those that are a part of it can be God's instrument in an imperfect world -- just the opposite of the tremendous beating the church has taken recently. "Mr. Ives' Christmas" is a beautiful story, the people are real, and the theme is profound. The author has made a powerful statement in a calm & quiet manner.

Rating:
Summary: Faith exemplified!
Review: Another wonderful Oscar Hijuelos novel-- so different than "Mambo Kings" yet so powerful. Hijuelos has done what thousands of sermonizers and preachers could never do. He has exemplified faith through the story of a real man in a real world with real problems. Edward Ives is not perfect and his struggle to find God is not dramatic - it takes his entire lifetime, but a simple faith sustains him. I'm not Catholic, but this story demonstrates how the church and those that are a part of it can be God's instrument in an imperfect world -- just the opposite of the tremendous beating the church has taken recently. "Mr. Ives' Christmas" is a beautiful story, the people are real, and the theme is profound. The author has made a powerful statement in a calm & quiet manner.

Rating:
Summary: A Story of Christian Love
Review: I am willing to bet that, many years from now, Oscar Hijuelos will be remembered almost entirely for The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love, his admiring tribute to 1950's mambo-crazed New York. I am not a gambler, but the critical praise and popularity of this novel tilts the odds in my favor. A less sure bet, and one that I'm more tempted to make, is that Mr. Ives' Christmas will endure as a favorite among Hijuelos fans. At least, I hope this quiet, slim, touching novel endures.

At a time when the Christian right flexes its intolerance at Bob Jones University and Jerry Falwell's pulpit, this novel of Christian love and hope reminds us of those who quietly abide by these virtues. As he does with the central characters of The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love, Hijuelos walks us through the entire life of Mr. Ives, a man who humbly lives in his apartment in New York, who marries for love, and who nurtures a joyful family. At a time when many middle-class families are flocking to the suburbs, Mr. Ives savors the diversity of his Manhattan neighborhood. When tragedy strikes, his faith enables him to forgive.

Mr. Ives' Christmas is a rich novel, not simply because it enlivens Christian virtues, but because in doing so, it tackles our contemporary struggles with issues of race, class, and gender. This is not a sugar-coated tale, but a real story of Christian love in our world.

Rating:
Summary: Ay, que nice!
Review: I can be petty and focus on the son, who is too perfect a teenager, or focus on the miraculous cure of Mr. Ives' skin disease, or focus on his Catholic beliefs and how promptly and frequently he engaged in fornication with Annie (before holy matrimony!). But somehow i have to give this book a grand total of 5 starts, because its positive aspects far outweigh my criticisms. I love the vignette format, because it is not only a fresh approach to telling a story, but also the very way we recount a life. Hijuelos does a superb job describing the fossilizing of Ives' feelings, his self-pity disguised as stoicism, Annie's frustration, Ramirez's way of being (by far, the most endearing character in the book; i cried when i read about his travel bag and its contents).

Funny that the novel spans over 70 years of the life of Mr. Ives, because the pace is fast and the narrative is colorful, yet refined. The core of the book, Mr. Ives' feelings and religious sentiment, plus his wondering about identity and background, are examined with an elegant simplicity, despite the conflicting emotions he has in both counts. This is an excellent portrayal of a good man, who puts his money (and time, and effort) where his mouth is, the very essence of Christian love. What a sweet human being. How touching the scene where he follows a woman fantasizing that she is his birth mother, and he is somehow protecting her from potential muggers. How touching that he enjoys the ethnic diversity and his dealings with the Hispanic and Black communities. How could anyone possibly not enjoy Mr. Ives in all his goodness?

Rating:
Summary: A beautiful, beautiful story.
Review: I read a lot, and if I compiled a list of the best books I've read in the last decade, this book would be way up on the list.

The writing is lush and practically sings off the page. A description would bore you, but trust me on this - you will love this beautiful, moving story

Rating:
Summary: What's the Point?
Review: I'm a little shocked by all the 5-star reviews. Some episodes in the book were quite touching, especially Robert's dream of Jesus and the elevator scene, when Edward deals with his inborn feelings of rejection.

However, I have to disagree with the other reviewers on two points. I did not like the prose style much at all. Hijuelos, in my point of view, falls into the "telling not showing" pitfall over and over. It reads like an AP Story...for 300 pages.

Second, I found the spirituality insipid and inconclusive. What was the point? It didn't seem to go beyond the quote on the cover jacket--being religious is hard. Actually, since 97% of the world adheres to some kind of religion, I would think it's the other way around.

I'm sounding harsh here. I suppose it's because I'm disappointed after reading a string of magnificent Catholic novels, such as Vipers' Tangle, The End of the Affair, Charming Billy, and even Lying Awake.

On another note, it's interesting that the chief "miracle" in _Mr. Ives'_ involves the healing of a skin condition, as in _The End of the Affair_.

Rating:
Summary: A tested faith
Review: In MR. IVES CHRISTMAS, Oscar Hijuelos' gives us Mr. Ives, a quiet spiritual man who is loved and loves. Ives is successful in his profession, he loves his family and friends, and he is truly a part of his community. Hijuelos also presents us with Mr. Ives' great agony; the sensless murder of his son and his desperate attempts to understand it. We see Ives' life in brief glimpses, each time we get a better understanding of the man and the world that he is part of, but he still remains a cipher. It's as if he is not a fully formed person, or perhaps it's the distance that Hijuelos wants to create in this man who does not truly know where he came from. I found this distance to be my great obstacle in liking this book more. Ives is more symbolic of a crisis of faith than he is a human being. I couldn't connect with him even as he was in the throes of anguish. Hijuelos' prose is marvelously readable, he creates a Manhattan that you can feel. Too bad I can't say the same thing for mr. Ives.

Rating:
Summary: A remarkable and unforgettable book
Review: In this beautifully written novel Hijuelos gives us characters that live, love, suffer tragedy and die while revealing their innermost thoughts, hopes , fears, and doubts to the reader in a most touching and evocative way. The main character. Mr. Ives , is a man who has from earliest childhood been given reason after reason to lose faith and yet he is a man who perserveres and finds beauty in life while living a life of faithfulness to his family, friends, coworkers and even many strangers and random characters that he encounters. He is dealt a serious blow with the loss of a child and yet as he struggles to comprehend, and has his moments of severe doubt and depression he remains essentially good and faithful. This man is no mystery though, Hijuelos has created a character of flesh and blood and spirit who reacts to life in ways that ring true and the reader will relate to real people he/she has known.
Overall this is a beautiful life affirming story that follows Ives and his small circle through the years and in short episodes at different intervals in time conveys their humanity and struggles so vividly that we come to know them like family by the time we finish.
The story is set in Manhattan and the various scenes are also realistically depicted by a writer who obviously knows and loves the city.
A remarkable and unforgettable book.

Rating:
Summary: A Beautiful Tale of Faith and Forgiveness
Review: When MR IVES' CHRISTMAS was first published, I read the book in just about one sitting, promptly purchased a number of copies of the book, and gave it as a Christmas gift to close friends and family. I still find myself buying multiple copies of the book as presents. The book tells the story of Edward Ives, a character Hijuelos has lovingly created. Ives' life is a mixture of joy and tragedy. Christmas is significant in this novel since many of the joyous events in Ives' life happen at Christmas, yet it is ironic that many of the tragic events of Ives' life dovetail the Christmas too. Immediately the reader connects with Ives. He deserves his wonderful wife and his model son. Ives' world is turned upside down when his son, who longs to be a priest, is killed in a senseless act of violence. Ives' becomes obsessed with reforming the young man who murdered his son. The book could easily be cliché. He is a firm believing Catholic, but he is no saint. He is a wonderful husband, but his marriage is troubled at various points. He wants to reform his son's killer, but he is also tormented by depression and loss.

The book is not necessarily a heart warming book. The Christmas story does not magically transform the events that have taken place in the book, but Ives' belief in, and questioning of the miracle behind the Christmas story is perhaps what makes the book so complex. The faith of Edward Ives is real and lived. The book does demonstrate, through a memorable and likable Edward Ives, the pivotal role that faith can play in a person's life, and how faith helps us cope and live rather than understand all the answers to life's questions.