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6 of 6 found the following review helpful:
 Historian Richard Bartlett's Latest Fiction Is Much More Than Just A Holiday Tale Jun 03, 2008
By B. D. Morris
Award-winning author Richard Bartlett may be best known for his non-fiction works about the American West, Yellowstone National Park, and most recently, the World of Ham Radio. However, Bartlett's latest book, a fiction entitled First Christmas at Muddy Creek, is a beautifully drafted blend of rich, historically precise depictions of the hard lives and even harder times of a group of truly unique characters who find themselves drawn together to celebrate Christmas Mass in an old west boom town's saloon and dance hall.
Bartlett's mixture of hand-crafted roles, authentic dialogue, and solid storytelling gives First Christmas at Muddy Creek a breadth beyond the contextual confines of your typical Christmas tale or western novella. It's a chronicle of intersecting lives set within a false-fronted mining town of the 1860's, with streets of muck, stories of fortunes lost and found, and wandering souls seeking more from life than what they've been originally dealt.
There is much more to this book than its classical theme of Christmastime redemption. The key is Richard Bartlett's vast knowledge of the true historical aspects of his narrative and the detailed descriptive accounts of how and why his characters behave (and misbehave) the way they do in his story. Bartlett's treatment of each of his characters presents a vivid and satisfying fullness to these individuals, as well as a craving to read this wonderful account of the First Christmas at Muddy Creek more than once.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
"I remember cresting the ridge overlooking Muddy Creek... on Christmas Eve, 1865" Oct 05, 2008
By take403
When I read First Christmas At Muddy Creek, I found it hard to put down. Richard Bartlett does a great job at both character analysis and adding historical references to make the story more believable. His history of the Wild West shows in the narrative and his emphasis on surroundings is not unlike John Steinbeck.
Father Demitrius DeMara, a young Jesuit priest emigrated from Italy, is assigned out to the Rocky Mountains during the days of the Wild West, the same year President Lincoln outlawed slavery. On Christmas Eve, he finds himself in Muddy Creek, a fictitious boomtown in Montana. Not too successful in winning converts, he plans to celebrate Midnight Mass in Muddy Creek. There are no churches in Muddy Creek but plenty of action (and not good action). For example, Father DeMara witnesses a shootout and must stick around to bury the loser. His major concern is to find a place to celebrate mass and enough people to come to it. Little by little, the town is asked not only to partake in the mass, but to help plan it and set it up. Jack Langford, owner of Reece's saloon, is asked to loan his building. Little by little, the townspeople are invited not only to participate but to share ideas and turn the pub into a church for the night.
Each character has his/her own personal history and reason for being in Muddy Creek. There's Barry Millard, a former geology student from upstate New York, Gunter Schroeder, a woodscrafter from Germany, Julie Montgomery a dancer from Indiana, 3 friends from Ireland who work in a minesfield, Teague Cosgrove, Boyd O'Connor and Pat Shanahan, Big Mike Mitchell from Buffalo, NY who's a friend to the trio of Irish immigrants, furniture store owner Jesse Tinsley who left his wife and daughters to seek life out West, carpenter Ebenezer Cotton from New England, Titian Reynolds, an artist from Pennsylvania, Sang Lee, a laundry worker from China and many others.
First Christmas At Muddy Creek is a time period story with a strong spiritual message that anyone can change for the better, good virtue is rewarded and though sin is to be despised, the sinner is still loved. With a little strong language, violence and some innuendo (though shown as realistic, with consequences to follow if any of God's commandments are broken), it's for mature audiences. However, none of it spoils the story since this is a story symbolizing the love God has for all people.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Sweet Oct 15, 2008
By C. Smith
This is an enjoyable book, that tells of the problems Jesuit Father Demetrius faces when he comes to the mining cap of Muddy Creek on Christmas Eve and goes in search of a place to hold Midnight Christmas Mass. He is the first priest out there and while his presence does cause some surprise, it also causes some joy and starts off a ripple effect (of good will) that spreads throughout the entire mining camp. We are introduced to everyone from the talented Alcoholic painter, and the Chinese man who runs the Laundry, to the town Taxi Dancer, and the towns' Undertaker/Carpenter. All of whom have something to give of themselves to make this Christmas special and perfect.
While the plot is somewhat predictable, the ending it a bit pat, and there were times the flow of the book seemed a little strained it was quite enjoyable to read and left the reader with the feeling of true Christmas Spirit. I would recommend this book to anyone who like Christmas stories, as this is a nice one.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
A Great Story for Anytime of the Year Oct 06, 2008
By Amy Leemon
When Father Demetrius de Mara arrives in Muddy Creek on Christmas Eve he has only a few hours to turn his dream of having a midnight mass into reality. Muddy Creek lives up to its name. It's dirty, dreary and made up of a sad community of misfits from all over the world. In fact, his first experience when he arrives in town is to be a witness to a shootout outside Reece's Music Hall & Liquor Emporium - a fancy name for a rundown saloon and dancehall!
How he manages to achieve his goal with help from some very unlikely characters makes for a great story. And the characters each have stories of their own of how they ended up at Muddy Creek and how they each can contribute to a very special Christmas Eve - including providing a confessional from a surprising source.
And who knows? Maybe a story very similar to this actually took place in our history. It seems possible to me. See what you think.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
With faith all things are possible Oct 04, 2008
By M. Yeazle
"llamasr4me"
This is a wonderful Christmas story about a Jesuit missionary in 1865 who arrives in Muddy Creek, Montana on Christmas Eve. As Father de Mara travels about the mining town in search of someplace to perform his midnight mass, he is turned down repeatedly. He retains his faith and meets many people who help him on his quest. The author does a wonderful job of describing the people and their backgrounds of how they came to Muddy Creek without going off on a tangent and losing the point of the story. I enjoyed the fact that the author wrote the dialoge of some of the characters (those that it applied to)with accents, as many people were immigrants. The book was lighthearted and entertaining, yet kept the meaning of Christmas as its theme. A perfect story to curl up on the sofa with a cup of hot chocolate and a blanket.
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