The Last Noel

This is one of my all time favorite books! I read it several years ago, but have refused to donate it to my local library because I plan to read it again. I'm a big sucker for Christmas novels and again this one is my favorite. I got wrapped up in the lives of these two characters and found that I couldn't put the book down. It is a true love story at its best.

I picked "the last noel" off the shelf because of the unique & festive cover which looked like a perfect read for the Holidays, and was happy to find that sometimes you can judge a book by it's cover. This was my first novel by Michael Malone & I found his writing style to be wonderful, entertaining and easy to read, as well as discriptive and moving.The story begins with 7 year old Kaye intruding upon Noni one wintery, snowy night, where they journey out into the freshly fallen snow and take off on Noni's new beautiful red sled with her name engraved upon it. Thus begins a lasting yet tumultuous friendship between the two. The Last Noel is written quite creatively, as the novel spans 12 different Christmases at various points in Kaye & Noni's lives. At their homes of Clayhome & Heaven's Hill you will meet many lovable characters. The story spans the relationship of Noni & Kaye as they struggle to love one another at the right times and in the right ways. There is also an undercurrent of racial tension, but the heart of the story lies with this loving yet frustrating couple. The Last Noel is a cozy and moving story that will stay with me~

Everything is suddenly coming up Michael Malone. The award-winning writer just took up residence again on ABC's daytime soap opera, "One Life to Live," the site of his former head-writing glory, this time as a consultant.Not only that, but the past few months have seen the addition of another novel to his already impressive gallery (including "Foolscap," "Handling Sin" and a selection of short stories entitled "Red Clay, Blue Cadillac")."The Last Noel" was released in enough time for the holiday spirit, which it invokes to start kicking in.I like Malone. His books are like the equivalent of a warm cup of cocoa on a day in which a massive snowstorm rages outside. You don't care how bad the weather is outside because you're inside, you don't have to go out and you're happy because you have cocoa."Last Noel" is no exception to this precedent. It is the story of the relationship between Noni, a heartstrong Southern belle, and Kaye, the bullheaded grandson of Noni's parents' maid.In a nifty trick, Malone unfolds Noni and Kaye's story as it spans decades by visiting them once every other Christmas or so (12 chapters in all - can you say "partridge in a pear tree?"). We first meet them as 7-year-olds on Christmas morning, when Kaye breaks into Noni's room to tell her that it's snowing outside and he wants to use the sled that's waiting for her under the tree.Next we see them five years later, and catch up on the mutual tragedies that have marked their lives. So it goes. At 15, Kaye rescues Noni from a dance date turned ugly; at 20 she's getting married to the [guy] and Kaye is a little torn over the whole thing; at 28 Noni is divorced and has a child (but is her son really her husband's?), while Kaye, now a successful doctor, seems well on the way to a happy marriage.It's wondrous to see events unfold through these two forever-linked lives, and the storytelling technique Malone has selected lends more than a small element of magic to the proceedings. The characters draw the reader in; they come to feel like family."Last Noel" is a cozy book about friendship and grand passion, told by one of the best authors of our time. Everything that Malone spins out winds up gold (I'm definitely setting my VCR for "One Life to Live") and is told intelligently, sweetly, superbly.Like I said, it's just like an excellent cup of cocoa.With marshmallows on top.

Love has always figured in Michale Malone's fiction, as a steady undercurrent in the whacky comedy Handling Sin, the intellectual mystery Foolscap, or the Savile and Mangum mystery trilogy. The Last Noel however, is a love story, through and through. The story of African-American Kaye and born-to-riches Noni, both of whom have Christmas birthdays, spans forty years. Malone organizes the story in twelve chapters that parallel the twelve days of Christmas, each chapter taking place in a different year. The southern setting creates a built-in tension and certain inevitibility into the story which, ultimately, is the tale of timing gone awry -- everything that should happen happens, but none of it happens at the right moment. And, as is true in life, most of what we do not want to happen, happens at the most inopportune moments. Malone demonstrates the same engaging narrative, detailed and colorful characters (including those on the fringe of the action) and sure-fire ear for dialogue that made his previous novels a joy to read. This time, however, he has stretched in a new direction and brought us a bitter-sweet love story.

I would classify this book as a "skirt book" if pressed but I would also heartily recommend it to anyone. I love Malone's writing and count Handling Sin as one of my all time favorite books so reading this love story was a pleasure. His story isn't anything new. You can find a hundred similar love stories on the shelf. However, his characters and his use of language sets this little book apart. Kaye and Noni are a great pair. At times I wanted to reach in and shake them. Bunny, as the loyal best friend and Tatlock, as the cantankerous Grandfather were also a delight. I did find myself longing for more from some of the supporting characters -- Parker and Shani in particular -- when Kaye and Noni got to be a littel repetitive. Malone also uses the story to show the developing and relaxing tensions of race relations through the course of the story and he does so through Noni's willingness to admit her love for Kaye and Kaye's willingness to accept it. The story ends in a fairly predictable ending but the last sled ride down the hill brought tears to my eyes. I don't usually like these sentimental stories but this one was good with its dash of social commentary. Guys, give it to your wife for Christmas and read it when she is finished. Ladies buy it for yourselves if he doesn't.