"How Far To Bethlehem"

How Far To Bethlehem by Norah Lofts

This is a fictional account of the events surrounding the birth of Christ. Mary's story is here but most of the book focuses on the three wise men, who they were and how they came to be together at that point in time.

The copy I read is an old, cheap paperback that has a number of typos, which for me can lessen the experience. One or two isn't bad, but when there are a lot of them I end up thinking that if the publisher cared that little, maybe the book isn't worth reading. I know it shouldn't bother me that much but it always has.

I've read several of these fictional accounts over the years and am always amazed at how different the stories are. This one for me was just average. I found myself drifting at times but most of the story was fairly interesting. I was looking for something to inspire me to think more about the reality of Christ's birth and how it affected the lives of all the various people involved in the story, and this book accomplished that for me.

I recommend it, not as great writing, but as a good read for the Christmas season.