Saturday, December 26, 2015

Christmas Bells by Jennifer Chiaverini FIC Chi

It's that time of year when I like to read books with a Christmas theme.  There are two stories going on within the novel.  What they have in common is the poem "Christmas Bells" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and the Christmas carol "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day".  Longfellow's part of the story is what was going on in his world (the Civil War, a son who insists on joining up, the loss of his wife and his struggle to learn how to live with all of this).  I enjoyed learning about Longfellow because I couldn't have told you anything before I read this book!

The other story line takes place in present-place Boston.  Sophia teaches music in the public schools but her Christmas isn't going to be very merry because she finds out there are budget cuts coming and she will be unemployed at the end of the year.  She still has to maintain some Christmas spirit because she also volunteers at a church and they are practicing for the Christmas Eve concert.  Do you want to guess what they are going to be singing?????

It was an entertaining book and perfect for the season.

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