Holiday praise coming in for Willie Nelson's PRETTY PAPER!
USA TODAY gives PRETTY PAPER 3.5 (out of 4) stars:
This is a touching, well-crafted, hard-knocks tale that earns its bittersweet ending; it stays with you like a mournful melody you can't quite shake.
Pretty Paper has an It's a Wonderful Life quality
-Dallas Morning News
Willie established long ago that he can conjure up a haunting two-minute tale in three-quarter time. But perhaps he should have been writing long-form feel-good fiction as well because Pretty Paper is a good story well told . . . wholesome and heartfelt and rings true in every way . . . the reading experience will feel as if you've sat down with Willie Nelson in his tour bus and listened for a spell as he shared a homespun story from his adventure-filled life.
--David Martindale, The Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Willie Nelson fansyou don't have to go far to find thesewill love it.. . .smooth and insistent prose . . . in the manner that Willie would talk if he were just sitting down with you and telling you the story (and what a treat that would be).
--Larry Thornberry, The American Spectator
In this easy-to-digest book, Nelson and Ritz (who co-wrote the singer's autobiography) have fleshed out the story into a holiday tale, mixing fact with fiction with utterly charming and page-turning results. Houston Press
An inspiring, fictionalized account of the man behind the lyrics. With the help of co-author David Ritz, Nelson spins a fast-paced story that is hard to put down. I literally read it in one evening.
Glenn Dromgoole, Abilene Reporter-News
A warm, witty holiday fable. --Parade
10/15/2016
Singer and songwriter Nelson's fable is based on his classic Christmas song "Pretty Paper," which was inspired by a legless street vendor selling wrapping paper in Fort Worth, TX. Imagining the vendor's life story, the narrative takes readers back to the 1960s when Nelson was just starting his career and barely making ends meet. The salesman, Vernon Clay, turns out to be a musician, too, but tragedy cut his career short. As Nelson and Clay form a tentative friendship, Nelson realizes he may be able to help right the wrongs of the past and forge a new future for Clay. VERDICT This engaging holiday musical treat by a country music star will delight all readers, particularly Nelson's fans. [See Prepub Alert, 5/9/16.]