Some books have the power to leave you completely puzzled, and this one is no exception.

To state that it reads like a biography is actually a form of praise for the author. This is because he has managed to make the character of Mr Ives so incredibly real. However, it's a bit of a back-handed compliment in the sense that the very device that usually brings fiction to life - dialogue - is almost entirely absent. This means that the entire narrative is all about 'telling'. Logically, it shouldn't have the ability to grip you, but somehow it does. Only a truly excellent writer could pull off such a trick.

Simply put, the novel is a deep study of Ives' arduous struggle to maintain his religious belief after the tragic murder of his son. But this description makes it sound rather dry and fails to do justice to a novel that is far more complex. It's the exploration of an ordinary man who is leading an ordinary life until one extraordinary event occurs, causing him to have doubts. He's a good man, and he's constantly striving to be even better. The ending is deliberately ambiguous, leaving it up to the reader to decide.

By the way, I really admire the author's decision to omit a second's' in the title and place the apostrophe at the end of 'Ives'. But I can't help but think that if Hijuelos had given his character another name, he wouldn't have found himself in this dilemma. It just goes to show that some authors make rather strange choices.

This book was truly outstandingly written.

Hijuelos is indeed a master of description, painting vivid pictures in the readers' minds. It delves deep into the exploration of various profound themes such as faith, grief, forgiveness, and love.

I firmly believe that many people would perceive Mr. Ives' journey as a hopeful and highly realistic one. However, for me, it was mostly a source of depression.

After reading it, it left me with a lingering feeling of sadness. This is precisely the reason why I can only rate it 3 stars.

Despite its literary merits, the overall tone and emotional impact of the story did not resonate positively with me.

Perhaps others will have a different experience and find more inspiration and upliftment in its pages.

Nevertheless, for me, the book's somber nature outweighed its other qualities.

The beauty of this novel truly lies in its exquisitely detailed and deeply affectionate descriptions. It not only brings the characters to life in the most vivid way but also paints a captivating picture of the city of New York from approximately 1940 to 1960.

I thoroughly enjoyed the process of reading it. However, as I reached the end, I found myself in a bit of a quandary. I wasn't entirely certain what the author intended for me to take away from this literary journey.

Mr Ives, the protagonist, seems to have more or less come to terms with the sorrows that have plagued his life, particularly the tragic death of his son. But much like real life, the story appears to simply fade away rather than reach a conclusion that provides a sense of satisfaction.

Perhaps, though, this is precisely the author's intention. Maybe it is a commentary on the nature of life itself, where not everything is neatly wrapped up with a bow. Instead, we are left to grapple with the ambiguities and uncertainties, much like Mr Ives and the readers of this novel.

In the end, this novel may not offer the traditional sense of closure that we often seek in literature, but it does leave us with a lot to think about and a new perspective on the messiness and beauty of life.

This 1995 short novel penned by Oscar Hijuelos vividly narrates the life journey of Edward Ives.

Edward was adopted at a tender age by a man who had already adopted three other children. He knows absolutely nothing about his birth parents. With his dark Mediterranean appearance, he often faces discrimination in New York City, where he spends his entire life.

Ives is a highly skilled artist and embarks on a long and successful career as an illustrator in the advertising industry. He marries Annie MacGuire, an Irish American woman.

He is a deeply religious man and a devout Catholic. His best friend is Ramirez, a Cuban immigrant who works as a bartender at the Biltmore. Ives studies Spanish and has numerous Latino friends. He resides in upper Manhattan with his wife and two children. Early in the book, we learn that his eldest son, Robert, tragically passes away as a teenager.

Ives' life is a tale of faith, loss, grief, and the profound exploration of what forgiveness truly means. It is a melancholy read, yet not overly depressing. Hijuelos masterfully paints a portrait of New York, spanning from the Depression years through the later decades of the 20th century. Many significant changes occur during this time, including the closure of numerous New York landmarks, especially department stores. Ives finds that life in the city becomes increasingly difficult as the years pass by, and his wife eventually gives up teaching high school in NY due to the growingly harrowing environment.

Although not a typical Christmas read, it is a book that I wholeheartedly recommend.

The sadness and grief of the main character truly permeate the pages of this "Christmas" novel.

It is a work that delves deep into the complex emotions and experiences of its protagonist during the Christmas season.

Although religion is a main topic explored within the story, it is important to note that this isn't a typical, sweet Christmas story filled with only joy and merriment.

Instead, it presents a more nuanced and perhaps even darker side of the holiday.

The author skillfully weaves together elements of sadness, grief, and religious exploration to create a narrative that is both thought-provoking and emotionally impactful.

Readers will find themselves drawn into the main character's world, sharing in their pain and perhaps even gaining a new perspective on the true meaning of Christmas.

This novel challenges the traditional notions of a happy Christmas and invites us to consider the deeper emotions and struggles that can often lurk beneath the surface during this time of year.

It is a unique and powerful work that will leave a lasting impression on those who take the time to read it.

**Expanded Article**

It is truly a challenge to maintain a religious stance and be merry at every juncture of life. Festivals, however, are like sunlit peaks that rise above the dark valleys, testifying to the eternal radiance. As Clement A. Miles so aptly put it in the epigraph to Mr. Ives' Christmas.

"It is difficult to be religious, impossible to be merry, at every moment of life, and festivals are as sunlit peaks, testifying above dark valleys, to the eternal radiance." Clement A. Miles, epigraph to Mr. Ives' Christmas

A Christmas Carol. The Book of Job. Crime and Punishment. These are just some of the works that Mr. Ives' Christmas channels through Catholic eyes. But I view it as a sort of \\n  The Recognitions\\n lite, yet completely devoid of satire. Instead, we are presented with unabashed earnestness. Like in The Recognitions, a significant portion of the story unfolds during the Christmas season in New York. A small boy loses his mother and is raised to be devout in a religion that shapes his entire worldview. He, Edward Ives, has a passion for drawing and grows up to be an artist. A woman loves him, but she cannot break through the wall he has constructed around himself. Unlike Wyatt, he doesn't abandon the ministry and instead leads an almost saintly life. This book is also filled with countless cultural references, though far less obscure than in some other works. There are mentions of Krazy Kat, comic books, Art Deco, Sant Patricks's Cathedral, Greenich Village, Walt Disney, Albrecht Durer, Raphael, Pitti Palance in Florence, Currier & Ives, John Tenniel, Phiz, Cruichshank, John Singer Sargent, movies about orphans like Little Lord Fauntleroy and Oliver Twist, Betty Grable, Harold Lloyd, and an abundance of books by authors such as Fielding, Smollett, Trollope, Dickens, Zane Grey, Langston Hughes, and more. There's even some Spanish thrown in! The Egyptian sarcophagi at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Hemingway are also part of the mix.

There are elements of child abuse, Santa Clauses, babies, and drunks (reminiscent of Tom Waits' "Ol '55"). There's a suicide that disrupts pedestrians with a loud noise, and an opportunist kid trying to sell roses. The details are horrifying and the seriousness eliminates any hint of irony. Edward Ives' life begins with him being abandoned at the age of three. He is placed in a Catholic foundling home and later adopted by a kind man who himself was an orphan and received the name Ives from a priest who took it from a Currier & Ives print popular in 1870, the year his adoptive father was born.

Edward, or Eduardo as he is sometimes called, is hired as an illustrator for a Madison Avenue advertising agency. He climbs the career ladder, creating commendable ad campaigns like the Imperial Floor Polish housewife. He has his Esme and Esther combined in Annie McGuire, a lover of literature and music, an occasional artist's model, and always in his paintings. Ives, like George Bailey, is exempted from active service in the war due to bad hearing from a swimming accident. He is a force of good in the lives of others, with a strong Catholic faith. The happy Ives family has a son and a daughter, Caroline and Robert. But everything changes when the 17-year-old son is the victim of a random, senseless crime and is shot in the stomach and dies at Christmastime. He was a saintly boy who wanted to join the Franciscan order and had broken up with his girlfriend to do so. The sadness of this event is beyond comprehension. I think of my own daughter, nearly 17, and her dream where she thought she was going to be killed. I wonder how I would bear it if such a thing were to happen. It might make me turn to religion, or perhaps, like Mr. Ives, I would blame God. His belief has been tainted with anger as he blames his son's death on God's "will."

The loss of his son turns Ives' heart to stone. He develops a nervous condition that affects his skin and needs redemption just like the murderer, as they are ultimately connected. The other main characters, Luis and Carmen Ramirez and their son Pablo, are beautifully portrayed. Stylistically, Mr. Ives' Christmas is outstanding. The main event of the crime is revealed early on, and the narration jumps back and forth in time, comparing life before and after. Ives has a vision that has implications throughout the story. The quote about his vision is a sample of the magic that Hijuelos weaves. This novel is one that my goodreads friend Steve has read eleven times, and unfortunately, he can relate to the story on a very personal level. I have read Steve's review numerous times and can't get through it without crying. I think about how life can take sudden turns that leave us stunned. I think about all the wounded people walking around. Right now, I'm sitting outdoors at my laptop on a beautiful Father's Day, thinking about my own father who passed away the previous Easter after a year of misery. I remember the guilt I feel for not fighting harder for him. I think about how a strong man can waste away, and how heavy a lifeless body can seem. I couldn't say all this in person because I'd break down, but I'm writing it here as a thank you to Steve for his courage. I'm sitting in my backyard, listening to the robins sing. Cheers!

I’m ending 2021 with a remarkable book that has the power to both break and warm your heart.

As I delved into the story, my heart truly ached for Annie and Ives. Their journey was filled with sorrow and hardships, yet somehow, within the pages of this sad book, hope managed to shine through.

The most beautiful gift that we receive from this book is the gift of forgiveness. It shows us that even in the face of great pain and loss, forgiveness can bring healing and a new beginning.

And what better time to receive such a precious gift than at Christmas? During this season of love and giving, this book serves as a reminder that forgiveness is a gift we should all strive to give and receive.

It has left a lasting impression on me and I know it will do the same for anyone who reads it.

It's the opening scene of "It's a Wonderful Life" and those stars/galaxies are engaged in a rather curious conversation.

"Hello, Joseph. Trouble?" one of them asks.

"We asked Clarence to arrange Mr Ive's son getting murdered just before Christmas," Joseph replies.

"That must really have ruined Mr Ive's Christmas. But he's a shit and his son is a really nasty piece of work," another chimes in.

"Yeah? Well Clarence didn't ruin Mr Ive's Christmas. He ruined Mr Ives' Christmas," yet another corrects.

"I don't get it," the first one admits.

"S apostrophe," comes the explanation.

"That would have been ruining Mr Ives's Christmas, surely?" someone else queries.

"Who knows," is the rather unhelpful response.

"Oh dear. Well, let's just hope Mr Ives's son wasn't an amazing Catholic do-gooding priest-in-waiting," one of them says.

"Er....." is the hesitant reply.

"Oh shit. That does it. Strip Clarence of his wings!"

Cut to ZsuZsu and George Bailey.

"Look Daddy! Teacher says every time you don't rewrite a sentence to avoid an uncomfortable "s'/s's" dilemma, an angel loses its wings!" ZsuZsu exclaims.

"Oh shit Clarence..." George Bailey mutters.

I found this whole scenario to be quite bleak and depressing. I had expected it to make me feel good about life during Christmas, but it really didn't.

I really didn't like the idea that all the family "knew" something bad was happening. I'm rather suspicious of that. It makes me sad for those people who come home from work and find their son dead and think "shit I had no idea, I thought Tuesday was going well". Are those people somehow less than all the clairvoyant people in the life of Mr Ives? It's a thought-provoking and rather disturbing concept.

SPEECHLESS

For the second time in my life, I find myself completely speechless. It's not just because of Hijuelos's outstanding book that manages to evoke every conceivable emotion. There are other reasons as well. I just finished reading Steve Sckenda's review, and I am deeply affected by his loss, which strangely resonates with my own. It seems impossible for me to add anything more at this moment. I have a sense of how Steve felt when he discovered his wife had been brutally murdered, and I can only attempt to imagine the daily horror he must endure living with that trauma.

Both Mr. Ives and Steve have similar yet heartbreaking stories in that they both had to deal with the murder of a loved one. My story, on the other hand, involves finding my mother dead, but due to natural causes. The only similarity lies in the shock of coming across her cold, rigid body. That memory has kept replaying in my mind throughout the years.

This book has the power to touch the hearts of anyone who has lost a loved one, especially those who have experienced such a loss through a violent act or a sudden, unexpected death. It serves as a reminder of the pain and grief that accompanies such tragedies.

Rest in peace, Mr. Ives' son, Robert, Steve Sckenda's blonde angel, and my beloved mom. May they all find eternal peace and tranquility.

I read about the first 30 pages of this book.

To my great surprise, it turned out to be extremely explicit.

The content was so inappropriate and vulgar that it really made me feel disgusted.

I have no intention of picking it up again.

Yuck!

This kind of book is not something that I would recommend or want to have any further connection with.

It seems to lack any positive value or meaningful message.

After reading those initial pages, I quickly realized that it was not the kind of literature that I enjoy or that aligns with my personal preferences and values.

I would rather spend my time reading something that is more engaging, thought-provoking, and of a higher quality.

I read this book several years ago, but have circled back and have re-read it several times. The book I know was criticized by some in the Latino literature community because there is not much Latino-ness in the story or the characters. However, I think the book marks an important point in Latino literature. It shows that a Latino can just write a really good story that does not have to be about Latino culture, etc. Hijuelos certainly is a very competent storyteller, and has been called the modern day Dickens by some.

What I enjoyed about the book was how human the characters were, especially Ives himself. Ives has suffered quite a bit after his son, who had such a bright future ahead of him, was gunned down by a street thug. Ives internalizes his hatred for his son's murderer to the point it wears away at his marriage and his soul. The whole issue comes to a head when years later the man who shot Ives' son wants to formally apologize to Ives in person. The raw and real emotions at the end of the book force the reader to face the tough reality of what would you do in the same situation. It makes you think deeply about forgiveness, revenge, and the power of human emotions. The story is not just about the Latino experience, but about the universal experience of loss, pain, and the search for meaning and resolution.

A tender story unfolds, revealing the journey of a truly good man as he navigates through the vale of tears. Set in New York City from the 40's to the early 90's, he finds himself unable to understand the constantly changing moral landscape. The story is beautifully written, exploring how religious belief both does and doesn't hold things together during life's most generous and most painful moments. It is a tale of a life well lived, filled with love, loss, and the search for meaning. Through the protagonist's experiences, we see the power of faith in times of joy and the challenges it faces in times of sorrow. The story reminds us that even in a changing world, the values of kindness, compassion, and love remain constant. It is a testament to the human spirit and the ability to find hope and beauty in the midst of life's trials and tribulations.