This was the first time I decided to read a Christmas novella, but being a fan of this author, I decided to give it a chance. It is a quick read, and most people will delight in this feel-good story. One lonely widow finds purpose in her life again and another bitter, angry widow is transformed by the spirit of Christmas. The problem with the novella is that the author clearly does not understand widowhood and the nature of grief. It is not treated honorably or with understanding. The "bitter" widow is the antagonist of the story with little compassion for how a person gets there. Some may argue with my review and think, "It's just a novella. There is no room for deep character development." However, that is part of problem. The widows in the book are stereotypes for how society in general views widows and their grief as a problem to get over and done with. I am being generous with the 3 stars because it is a nice enough story that many will enjoy. Christian authors can and should do better in how they portray widows, this spoken as someone who has walked the path of young widowhood for eight years. I received a copy of the book as part of the Revell Reads blogger team.
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