Given how much I enjoyed One Shenandoah Winter (and plenty of other books by this ChristFic author), I jumped into this Christmas tale with no need to check the blurb.

Upon reading, I didn't find this to be the strongest or most well-developed of this author's books, and I didn't connect with the grandmother-granddaughter relationship. I think the read takes a bit longer than necessary to really start getting somewhere, and because Emily handles her story like a big secret, I expected something...more out of it. Maybe something fairly stunning or more complex?

It was the bold involvement of a few American airmen that eventually put some "oomph" into the story for me, getting me to care more about the outcome. And I do have a little soft spot for love stories with disheveled heroes. They don't all have to be dashing!

This small book is easy reading overall with holiday warmth, and I really liked the soft and cozy illustrations. ( )

51029

This was a story of love and of loss and of caring. A grandmother will share her story with her granddaughter, Marissa and the two will discover precious “gifts” during Christmas. These won’t be gifts wrapped under the tree, but true and precious gifts each will give to the other.
Because of health conditions Marissa finds herself having to stay with her widowed Grandmother while her family flies to Hawaii for Christmas vacation. This puts Marissa in a very bad mood until her Grandmother opens up her heart and shares with Marissa her life story of how she met and fell in love with the love of her life, her dear husband Colin who has recently passed away. You will go back in time and travel with Grandma Emily to England right after the war and discover the circumstance that led Emily to her husband Colin and discover a town that is doing everything possible to help the displaced children in a very special orphanage.
I truly enjoyed every minute of this story. It was a tender story of love and of loss but it also brought “tidings of comfort and joy”. A tender Christmas tale. ( )

Tidings Of Comfort And Joy by Davis Bunn
Love this story. Starts out with Marissa and she's bedridden and her family leave for their Hawaii vacation. She's to stay with her grandmother. It's been a year since her grandfather died.
She is recovering what some say is leukemia, some say it's hepatitis. Marissa has had it with tests and needles and her grandmother will protect her. Marissa has lost a Christmas without her family. So has her grandmother and
she tells Marissa the tale of her trip to England in 1945. She tells her the whole story of why she was there and what happened and why it drew her back to church and God and faith. ( )

This bittersweet story of hollow love lost and true love found starts with a storming rage only a teenager can muster. All her life Marissa has dreamed of visiting Hawaii. Now just as she has helped her family organize a Hawaiian Christmas, she has developed hepatitis. Fourteen-year-old Marissa is left with her Gran, despite her raging against beloved family members. Gran herself is a different woman since having lost her husband Colin the previous Christmas. In spite of all the rough and raw edges, Bunn creates a story of how faith and trust in God can turn the worst moments in live into the best gifts. As Marissa’s temper cools, Gran tells her the story of the Christmas she missed in 1945, how she lost her first love, brought Christmas to 300 war orphans, and found her soul mate. Both the storyline and the empathic characters hook the reader and make this small book an even faster read. The leisurely pacing and plausible community-centered story make for a delightful Christmas read. Bunn reminds us not only about the true spirit of Christmas, but also what gifts God gives us and the gifts He wants us to give.

All her life Marissa has dreamed of visiting Hawaii. Now just as she has helped her family organize a Hawaiian Christmas, she has developed hepatitis. Fourteen-year-old Marissa is left with her Gran, despite her raging against beloved family members. In spite of all the rough and raw edges, Bunn creates a story of how faith and trust in God can turn the worst moments in life into the best gifts. As Marissa’s temper cools, Gran tells her the story of the Christmas she missed in 1945, how she lost her first love, brought Christmas to 300 war orphans, and found her soul mate.

Tidings of Comfort and Joy.doc ( )