The crunch of newly fallen snow, the weight of wartime.
Siblings forging new paths and finding love in three stories, filled with the wonder of Christmas.
Turn back the clock to a different time, listen to Bing Crosby sing of sleigh bells in the snow, as the realities of America’s involvement in the Second World War change the lives of the Turner family in Lafayette, Indiana.
In Cara Putman’s White Christmas, Abigail Turner is holding down the Home Front as a college student and a part-time employee at a one-of-a-kind candy shop. Loss of a beau to the war has Abigail skittish about romantic entanglements—until a hard-working young man with a serious problem needs her help.
Abigail’s brother Pete is a fighter pilot hero returned from the European Theater in Sarah Sundin’s I’ll Be Home for Christmas, trying to recapture the hope and peace his time at war has eroded. But when he encounters a precocious little girl in need of Pete’s friendship, can he convince her widowed mother that he’s no longer the bully she once knew?
In Tricia Goyer’s Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, Meredith Turner, “Merry” to those who know her best, is using her skills as a combat nurse on the frontline in the Netherlands. Halfway around the world from home, Merry never expects to face her deepest betrayal head on, but that’s precisely what God has in mind to redeem her broken heart.
The Turner family believes in God’s providence during such a tumultuous time. Can they absorb the miracle of Christ’s birth and His plan for a future?
Tricia Goyer is the bestselling author of more than 45 books, including fictional tales delighting and entertaining readers and non-fiction titles offering encouragement and hope. She is a two-time Carol Award winner, as well as a Christy and ECPA Award Nominee. A popular blogger, Goyer contributes to a number of homeschooling and Christian parenting sites. She and her husband, John, live in Little Rock, AR, and are the parents of six.
Cara Putman, the award-winning author of 19 books, including Shadowed by Grace, graduated high school at 16, graduated college at 20 and completed her law degree at 27. She is a lecturer on business and employment law to graduate students at Purdue University and also practices law. Putman is currently pursuing her Master’s in Business Administration at Krannert. She lives with her husband and four children in Indiana.
Sarah Sundin is the author of six historical novels, including In Perfect Time (Revell, August 2014). Her novel On Distant Shores was a double finalist for the 2014 Golden Scroll Awards. Sarah lives in northern California with her husband and three children, works on-call as a hospital pharmacist.
My Impressions:
Three authors, three Christmases, three heartwarming and nostalgic stories to add warmth to your holiday reading — that’s what you get in Where Treetops Glisten by Tricia Goyer, Cara Putman and Sarah Sundin. Various members of the Turner family of Lafayette, Indiana face the uncertainty of life in the face of war, both on the homefront and overseas. Through the voices of the three authors, a unique and cohesive story is created. Perfect reading for the cold nights leading up to Christmas.
The Turners of Lafayette, Indiana are a typical wartime family. The three adult children are making their way in life and trying to find the best way to serve their country. Fear, grief and broken hearts are tempered by faith, love and a hope for a future. Each novella in the collection is set during the Christmas season of the war years. The reader gets a glimpse of what it must have been like to live through rationing, Gold Star families and family members far away. All three novellas are good, but I especially connected with the characters in I’ll Be Home for Christmas by Sarah Sundin.
Faith in God to make things new, to overcome our fears with love, to restore and redeem are significant themes in Where Treetops Glisten. The faith message flows naturally in the narratives, but is never preachy. Characters are easy to love and connect with. And the authors did a great job in making the war years and the Greatest Generation come to life. I recommend Where Treetops Glisten — sweet, warm and cozy with spiritual truth, it is a book you’ll savor. Added bonus: the cookie recipes at the back!
Recommended.
Audience: adults.
(Thanks to LitFuse and Waterbrook for a review copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)
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Thank you so much for the wonderful review, Beckie! I’m glad you enjoyed the stories!
Thanks so much for stopping by!
Didn’t think I would put this title on my reading list, but after reading your review I will need to.
Hope you enjoy it Sue!