The Christmas Table

 

GIVEAWAY

VANLIERE, DONNA

THE CHRISTMAS TABLE

From Donna VanLiere, the New York Times bestselling author of The Christmas Hope series comes another heartwarming, inspirational story for the holidays.

In June 1972, John Creighton determines to build his wife Joan a kitchen table. His largest project to date had been picture frames but he promises to have the table ready for Thanksgiving dinner. Inspired to put something delicious on the table, Joan turns to her mother's recipes she had given to Joan when she and John married.

In June 2012 Lauren Mabrey discovers she's pregnant. Gloria, Miriam and the rest of her friends at Glory's Place begin to pitch in, helping Lauren prepare their home for the baby. On a visit to the local furniture builder, Lauren finds a table that he bought at a garage sale but has recently refinished. Once home, a drawer is discovered under the table which contains a stack of recipe cards. 

Growing up in one foster home after another, Lauren never learned to cook and is fascinated as she reads through the cards. Personal notes have been written one each one from the mother to her daughter and time and again Lauren wonders where they lived, when they lived, and in a strange way, she feels connected to this mother and her daughter and wants to make the mother proud.

The story continues to switch from 1972 to 2012 as Joan battles breast cancer and Lauren learns to cook, preparing for the baby's arrival. As Christmas nears, can Lauren unlock the mystery of the table, and find the peace she's always longed for?

MY REVIEW:

This is my first Donna VanLiere book and I can see I've been missing out on a lot! The Christmas Table is the tenth book in The Christmas Hope series and, while it can definitely be read as a standalone, I did feel a bit overwhelmed at first with all the folks at Glory's Place. I got the distinct impression that their stories have been told in previous books. But I caught on to their quirks pretty quickly and I'm now hungering for more. Luckily, my library has the whole series so I've just put a bunch of them on hold. :-)

This shorter length novel packs an emotional punch as it embraces the true meaning of friendship and love and living in community with one another. And the way faith draws them all together. I got teary at the end.

And I loved the dual timeline aspect and the way the recipes almost write their own story. In fact, the author has included full recipes at the end of the book which is an added bonus.

A heartwarming faith and family feel-good holiday read.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

Please note: this giveaway is for an ebook edition.

If you would like a chance to win an ebook copy of The Christmas Table, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Sunday October 24 2020 . Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!