Finding Father Christmas, a Hallmark Christmas movie, airs November 13.
This
combination of two previously published Christmas novellas by Gunn is a great way to get into the Christmas spirit.
We
are introduced to Miranda in Finding Father Christmas. An
American, she's taken a Christmas vacation from her work and flown to
a village in England. She's trying to find information about her
father, someone her mother never talked about. The only clue she has
is a photograph of a boy crying while in the lap of an oddly dressed
Santa. She had found the photograph among her mother's things after
her death. The address of the photograph studio on the back of the
photo had led her to this quaint location. What she is about to find
out would change her life forever.
In
the sequel, Engaging Father Christmas, Miranda has returned to
England for Christmas a year later. She's met by Ian, a close friend
of her newly discovered family. Miranda's dream of an idyllic
Christmas with the man she deeply loves is marred by the
hospitalization of Ian's father. There is also the tension radiating
from some in her new family. Will grace and peace from Christ heal
the fractures in Miranda's life?
I
thoroughly enjoyed these stories. Gunn knows how to tug at our heart
strings. The characters she develops in the stories pull at our
emotions. Since these are short stories, the only well developed
character is Miranda. She has scars from being raised by a single
parent, an actress, who died when Miranda was still young. Her
longing to find the other half of her family is well portrayed. On
the English side, we have some typically reserved characters as well
as some surprisingly welcoming ones. I really liked Miranda's newly
discovered niece and nephew. Those youngsters had good insight into
expressing the love of Christ.
I
liked the setting of a small English village at Christmas. I enjoyed
the tradition of villagers presenting an adaptation of The
Christmas Carol. I liked how the villagers coped with their main
character in hospital.
I
recommend this combination of two stories to those who would enjoy a
heartwarming Christmas in England with the true spirit of the season
revealed. There are very good Reading Group Guides at the end of each
novella. This would be a good choice for a reading group to read
during the Christmas season.
Finding
Father Christmas is going to be a Hallmark Christmas movie, airing
November 13 on the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Channel.
My
rating: 4/5 stars.
Robin Jones Gunn is the bestselling author of more than 90 books with five
million copies sold worldwide. She and her husband have two grown
daughters and live in Hawaii. You can find out more at
www.robingunn.com.
FaithWords,
352.
I
received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. My
comments are an independent and honest review.
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