Thursday, February 24, 2011

Review: Comfort and Joy by Kristin Hannah


Here is a summary of Comfort and Joy from Kristin Hannah's website:

In this modern-day fairy tale, New York Times bestselling author Kristin Hannah gives us a very special gift: the heartwarming story of a woman at a crossroads, caught between two lives, who finds a second chance at happiness.

Joy Candellaro used to love Christmas more than any other time of the year. Now, as the holiday approaches, she finds herself at loose ends. Recently divorced and estranged from her sister, she can't summon the old enthusiasm for celebrating. So without telling anyone, she buys a ticket and boards a plane bound for the rural Northwest.

Yet Joy's best-laid plans go terribly awry. The plane crashes deep in the darkness of a forest. Miraculously, Joy and her fellow passengers walk away from the wreckage as the plane explodes. There, amid the towering trees, Joy makes a bold and desperate decision to leave her ordinary life behind and embark on an adventure…just for the holidays.

Daniel O'Shea has returned to the small town of Rain Valley, following the death of his ex-wife. Now he is a single father facing his son's first Christmas without a mother. Six-year-old Bobby isn't making it easy-the boy has closed himself off from the world, surrounding himself with imaginary friends.

When Joy and Bobby meet, they form an instant bond. Thrown together by fate, these wounded souls will be touched by the true spirit of Christmas and remember what it means to be a family.

Then a dramatic turn of events shows Joy the price of starting over. On a magical Christmas Eve she will come face-to-face with a startling truth. Now she must decide: In a time of impossible dreams and unexpected chances, can she find the faith to reach for the love she has found…and the new life only she believes in? 

My Review:
I know the Holiday season is over but you might want to keep this one in mind for next year!  The only Holiday themed book that I seem to read during the Christmas season is the one that is selected by my book club.  This genre has been hit or miss with our group so after reading one holiday book I am usually ready to move onto something that offers more intellectual stimulation.  So you can imagine how pleasantly surprised I was to find that I absolutely loved this book!

Life hasn't been very good for Joy considering that her sister is marrying her ex-husband.  When Joy decides that she just can't take any more she flees the world she knows before she can receive more bad news, by hopping on the next plane out of town.  Little does she know that this plane ride will impact her life even more.

When events take a life-threatening turn, Joy finds herself plunged into the lives of a young boy and his father that appear to be just as lost in this world as she is.  Could it be that she needs this father and son as much as they need her so they can all move on with their lives?

I really don't want to give any more of this book away as it was such a magical Christmas story that reached deep in my heart.  I can honestly tell you that it was thoroughly enjoyed by all of the ladies in my book club, and that doesn't happen often!  With themes of love, forgiveness, believing, and Christmas miracles, I highly recommend this Holiday themed book.

My Rating:  5/5

Disclosure:  I purchased this e-book from Amazon and read it as a book club selection for my own entertainment.

4 comments:

Julie P said...

Great review! I am going to add this one to my TBR list....

bermudaonion said...

That does sound fabulous - I will keep it in mind for next year. I've found holiday books don't work well for me outside of the holiday season.

Lisa (Southern Girl Reads) said...

Terrific review! I've only read one other KH book and I don't typically read Christmas themed books to much during the holidays, but I think I will keep this one in mind for this year.

I've posted my review of The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom today and I'd love for you to stop by and check it out. Have a wonderful Sunday!

stacybuckeye said...

I read this one and liked it, but not as much as you. It did have that magical holiday feel though.