After years abroad, Garrison Brown returns home to Vancouver to build a new life. When his beloved grandmother passes away a few weeks before Christmas, Garrison goes to her house to sort out her belongings, including six cats who need new homes. While Garrison hopes to dispense with the task quickly, his grandmother’s instructions don’t allow for speed. She has left Garrison with some challenging requirements for the future homes of her furry friends–plus a sizeable monetary gift for the new owners. Garrison’s job is to match the cats with the right owners without disclosing the surprise gift. Along the way, he may just meet someone who can make him stay.
Melody Carlson is the award-winning author of over two hundred books, several of them Christmas novellas from Revell, including her much-loved and bestselling book, The Christmas Bus. She also writes many teen books, including Just Another Girl, the Diary of a Teenage Girl series, the True Colors series and the Carter House Girls series. Melody was nominated for a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award in the inspirational market for her books, including the Notes from a Spinning Planet series and Finding Alice, which is in production as a Lifetime Television movie. She and her husband serve on the Young Life adult committee in central Oregon.
My Impressions:
I am a sucker for cats. We have two cat members of our family, and I would probably have more if I didn’t have my husband’s restraining hand and my children’s threats of calling me the crazy cat lady. So Melody Carlson’s latest Christmas offering, The Christmas Cat, really appealed to me. What’s better than a warm Christmas story filled with cats?! A quick read, this book is perfect for cat lovers everywhere.
Garrison is at loose ends since returning to the U.S. following nine years in Uganda. A bit culture-shocked and recovering from malaria, Garrison knows he needs to find his way in his new life, but just can’t seem to find the place to belong. His grandmother’s unexpected death leaves him even more lost, until he has to fulfill her final wishes in finding adoptive homes for her beloved six cats.
The Christmas Cat didn’t have that rushed feeling you sometimes get with a novella. Carlson takes her time developing her characters allowing the reader to connect and care about them. Carlson uses a clever plot device — finding the cats homes using an extensive checklist – to develop the theme of finding a true home and purpose for life. And if you are like Garrison, allergic and a bit phobic about cats, you just may end up wanting a cat friend for yourself after reading this book! Recommended for anyone looking for a heartwarming Christmas read.
Recommended.
Audience: teens to adults.
(Thanks to Revell for my review copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)
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