Advent Calendar Book Review: The Orpheum Miracle by Pat Henshaw

We will review the Dreamspinner Press advent calendar one review a day. At the end of the month THREE winners will be picked to receive some great prizes!

First prize is 10 books from your Dreamspinner wishlist .

Second prize is 5 books from your Dreamspinner wishlist.

Third prize is 3 books from your Dreamspinner wishlist.

December 14th

Reviewed by Dan

TITLE: The Orpheum Miracle

SERIES: 2016 Dreamspinner Press Advent Calendar – Bah Humbug

AUTHOR: Pat Henshaw

PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press

LENGTH: 28 Pages

RELEASE DATE: December 1, 2016

BLURB:

Christmas joy is a matter of perspective. For some, it’s the happiest time of the year. For others, not so much.

Twenty-nine-year-old Mick, the son of crack addicts, isn’t exactly a dyed-in-the-wool Scrooge. Mick’s been on his own from childhood. As a teen, he lived in a shelter, where for a short time he had a boyfriend. After the boyfriend left, Mick moved to the Orpheum Theater. While squatting there and taking care of the grand old building, Mick watched others celebrate the holidays from a distance, never able to share in their merriment.

Only his Technicolor dreams liven his dull, mechanical life until one day the world around him begins to change. Mick is surprised when a man named Jim buys the vintage Orpheum and plans to restore it. Something about Jim makes Mick think they’ve met before. In fact, Jim rekindles Mick’s longing for a better life and a little holiday magic for himself.

A story from the Dreamspinner Press 2016 Advent Calendar “Bah Humbug.”

REVIEW:

I really liked this one. It tugged at the heartstrings in places. Especially one section.

“You forgot that not everyone was a child of kindness and wealth?

You forgot that Christmas is just a season of too much buying and too little love?

You forgot that some of us aren’t worthy of love?

You forgot that a child’s wonder doesn’t get to happen to every child, just select ones?”

Don’t those lines just make you put it in perspective? The M/C of this story is a young man who grew up hard. His mother was a crack addict and his father was gone. He grew up in a crack house, where I think bad things happened. It kind of referenced them in an aside, so I’m not sure, but regardless, he ended up in a shelter as a teen living on the street. He had a boyfriend for a short time, but the boy disappeared and no one ever knew where he went. He was rumored to be dead.

Since then his life hasn’t improved much. He is still homeless, but now lives in the theater he works in. It is a secret, but there is a new owner, who might not be as understanding.

This is nice little story. I really liked it and I would highly recommend it!

RATING: