First Christmas At Muddy Creek
by Richard A. Bartlett
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Book Summary Information
Author: Richard A. BartlettEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2008-02-22
ISBN: 1419682016
Number of pages: 292
Publisher: BookSurge Publishing
Book Reviews of First Christmas At Muddy Creek
Book Review: Moving Immigrant Tales in the Western, Catholic Traditions
Summary: 4 Stars
In the opening ten pages of `First Christmas at Muddy Creek,' much happens. A shoot out ensues while a town newcomer, Fr. Demetrius de Mara, witnesses in shock as two men are severely wounded. Coming from St. Louis as a missionary, Fr. Demetrius, has already come in dire circumstances. Arriving at the rough fictitious titled mining community, The Padre (as he is most frequently known) already has the daunting task of having to set up midnight mass for Christmas Eve without a church in sight. Surveying the people as a stranger, his labor of love unfolds in the details. Besides finding someone who is willing to give up a store front or livelihood on a brisk, business night, he needs all of the accessories to at least provide a presentable service.
My first impression of the novel was that of an average Western. However, like any good author, it's all in the details. The broad, stereotypical character sketches of rough miners, Irish, German, Hispanic, and Asian immigrants broaden and take a life of their own. We get to know the people even better than The Padre. The tale primarily recalls a single day, twenty-four hours with some significant events. Even within the novel's framework, we are introduced to each major character and given their life stories, each quilted together in an absorbing portrait, interlocking with the main plot. (The most touching scenes reminded me of Upton Sinclair's 'The Jungle (Enriched Classics)'.)
As a Catholic novel, I thought only a few of us would be interested in how the service comes together or falls apart. Here again it's all in the details, and author Richard A. Bartlett, makes the gathering and his writing as ecumenical as possible. The result is a moving work of fiction that relies heavily on historical fact and a compassionate understanding of human nature as, on a turn, sinful, generous, colorful, and drawing us in to root for its redemption.
I tend to watch, rather than read Westerns, but comparing this work to say, Louis L'Amour, I found the characters more absorbing; the resolutions more rewarding; and the intricate details expertly crafted. (There's even an occasional gold mine of humor. When "Big Mike" offers The Padre a swig of liquor to prepare him for his confession, I was in stitches.) Like the Madonna of the Mountains painting, I was surprised at the impact of this excellent Christmas, Catholic, Western novel. (A novel for all seasons.)
Summary of First Christmas At Muddy Creek
Charming, poignant, and wonderfully heartfelt, First Christmas at Muddy Creek by Richard A. Bartlett is a touching tribute to the human spirit and the power of redemption. Mounted on his big black mule, Gabriel, Jesuit Father Demetrius de Mara travels to a boomtown in Montana that is wrought with sin and human degradation, with the hope of hosting a midnight mass on Christmas Eve. Sound easy? The problem is he has just a few hours to find a makeshift church, perform a burial ceremony for a recently departed shoot-out victim, and scare up a few parishioners. It will take dogged determination, a little cooperation, and a lot of luck for the small community of Muddy Creek to convert a saloon into a chapel, but as the clock ticks a bevy of rather odd and unlikely brethren will join Father Demetrius? fray to help bring the Wild West a Christmas to remember.General Books
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