Pretty Paper (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780735211544)

A perfect Christmas gift for music lovers, Pretty Paper is Willie Nelson's inspiring Christmas fable, based on his holiday classic "Pretty Paper."

More than fifty years ago, Willie Nelson's beloved Christmas song "Pretty Paper" first hit the airwaves. And for all these years, Willie has wondered about the real-life Texas street vendor, selling wrappings and ribbons, who inspired his song. Who was this poor soul? What did his painful trials say about our loves, our hopes, our dreams in this holiday season--and in the rest of our lives?

It's the early sixties and Willie Nelson is down and out, barely eking out a living as a singer-songwriter. The week before Christmas, he spots a legless man on a cart, selling wares in front of Leonard's Department Store in Fort Worth, Texas. The humble figure, by the name of Vernon Clay, piques Willie's curiosity, but Vernon is stubbornly private and--despite Willie's charming queries--has no interest in telling his story. Willie is tenacious, though, and he eventually learns that Vernon is a fellow musician, a fine guitarist and singer.

When Vernon disappears, he leaves behind only a diary, which tells an epic tale of life-altering tragedies, broken hearts, and crooked record men, not to mention backroad honky-tonks, down-home cooking, and country songwriting genius. Deeply moved and spurred on by Vernon's pages, Willie aims to give the man one last shot at redemption and a chance to embody the holiday spirit.

Author: Willie Nelson, David Ritz
ISBN-10: 073521154X
ISBN-13: 9780735211544
Publisher: Blue Rider Press
Language: English
Published: 10/25/2016
Pages: 304
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 0.95lbs
Size: 7.60h x 5.40w x 1.20d

Review Citation(s):
Library Journal Prepub Alert 06/01/2016 pg. 67
Library Journal 10/15/2016 pg. 77
Booklist 10/15/2016 pg. 18
Library Journal 06/01/2016