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The Christmas Tales of Bob Comenole
This edition brings together the Christmas tales Mr. Comenole has published serially in newspapers since 2007. There are tales of European immigrants, adventurous children, mystical fishermen, homecoming veterans, and many others. The stories, shaped in the tradition of magical realism, are just the sort of thing to put you in the mood for old time mystical Christmas literature.
342 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 8, 2011
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January 3, 2026
I loved reading The Christmas Tales of Bob Comenole this Christmas season. The book added an extra air of magic to the cold, winter days that are made for reading.
The three novellas: Watchman, Tell Me of the Night, By the River Christmas, and Four Floors in Old Baltimore (my favorite) are stories from days gone by. Richly developed characters and settings populated pictures in my mind. Each contains magical realism baked in to the storyline, giving an otherworldly feeling.
By the River is an entirely unique and unexpected story that made me happy for the innate and inescapable goodness of humankind, even in surprising circumstances. Four Floors has elements of A Christmas Carol. Clement Craggogre wishes not to have people around him and he tosses tenants out of his buildings on Christmas Eve to achieve it. His misadventures begin in one of the now empty apartments, where he’s taking a nap and is visited by visions of the families and their relatives celebrating the holidays. His experiences continue in mysterious ways until he’s so lonely for another human being, he’s forever changed. Other characters, especially two children, play central roles as they hide away following a fire at the orphanage. They are avoiding people and life, the way Craggogre was. Circumstances have them meet and their lives intertwine in beautiful, healing ways.
The three novellas: Watchman, Tell Me of the Night, By the River Christmas, and Four Floors in Old Baltimore (my favorite) are stories from days gone by. Richly developed characters and settings populated pictures in my mind. Each contains magical realism baked in to the storyline, giving an otherworldly feeling.
By the River is an entirely unique and unexpected story that made me happy for the innate and inescapable goodness of humankind, even in surprising circumstances. Four Floors has elements of A Christmas Carol. Clement Craggogre wishes not to have people around him and he tosses tenants out of his buildings on Christmas Eve to achieve it. His misadventures begin in one of the now empty apartments, where he’s taking a nap and is visited by visions of the families and their relatives celebrating the holidays. His experiences continue in mysterious ways until he’s so lonely for another human being, he’s forever changed. Other characters, especially two children, play central roles as they hide away following a fire at the orphanage. They are avoiding people and life, the way Craggogre was. Circumstances have them meet and their lives intertwine in beautiful, healing ways.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 of 1 review