The innkeeper she imagines to be a former sailor. She imagines the wise men as an astronomer from Korea (Melchior), a Mongolian military leader (Gaspar) and a learned eunuch slave from Africa (Balthazar). Lofts imagines a backstory for the lesser known characters and fills out the lives of those you may be more familiar with. It’s the story of all the people converging on the nativity - Mary, Joseph, the three wise men, one of the shepherds, even the innkeeper. I have since learned that Lofts was known for the detail in her historical novels and that was one thing I enjoyed about How Far to Bethlehem. Last week, after finishing a book for Kirkus and turning in my final paper before the winter break, I decided it would make a good Advent read. Norah Lofts was not an author I knew of when I picked up How Far to Bethlehem at the Five Colleges Book Sale last spring.
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