The Boat of Dreams (2003) Leave it to a dude who writes about toxic germs for a living ("The Hot Zone") to create a boozy, smelly Santa who's even more… Fiction
The Boat of Dreams | YULE LAUGH, YULE CRY... ''Boat of Dreams'' is a perfect holiday read
YULE LAUGH, YULE CRY... ''Boat of Dreams'' is a perfect holiday read
EW's GRADE
B+

Details Release Date: Nov 01, 2003; Writer: Richard Preston; Genre: Fiction

Leave it to a dude who writes about toxic germs for a living (''The Hot Zone'') to create a boozy, smelly Santa who's even more down-and-out than Jimmy Stewart's George Bailey on the bridge. Nonetheless, the humans in this lovely love story, The Boat of Dreams -- a family in desperate need of yuletide spirit after they hear that their patriarch has been killed in Vietnam -- are absolutely enchanting. Richard Preston's slight, slender, and heartfelt tale succeeds in its holiday aim, bringing both a Christmas tear and Christmas cheer.

Originally posted Dec 19, 2003 Published in issue #742 Dec 19, 2003 Order article reprints