Customer Reviews

The Christmas Promise (Christmas Hope)

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Several years ago I picked up The Christmas Shoes and found myself quickly caught up in the simple, heartwarming story. I couldn't put it down. Every year VanLiere crafts another story that quickly engages the reader and keeps them reading until the last page. The Christmas Promise is another in what has become a series of intersecting Christmas books that are sweet, simple and heartwarming to read. This Christmas we follow Gloria who is almost a one-woman social service agency for the town in which she lives. Weighed down by the loss of a husband and son, she still tries to reach out to others and is the person many turn to when there is no other help. Unfortunately, she is the port in the storm for her judgemental and nosey neighbor Miriam, who has been flooded out of her home. Add a soon to deliver unwed mother and several of the town's homeless and down and outs and she is almost busy enough to forget her losses...almost. This is a sweet and simple story that will bring tears to your eyes (don't read it at your desk at work, like I did). Look for an appearance by Nathan Andrews, one of the continuing threads through all these stories, and if you are like me, you will go back to the first three books in the series to read agian.

I picked this book up at the library at a whim, not hoping for much. The story is beautifully crafted. Its' simplicity brought me to tears. I am so moved that I'm going to read more books by this author. I highly recommend this story for a good rainy/snowy night!

Just when I think Donna cannout outdo herself, she does! The Christmas Promise is an absolutely beautiful story about people who would be the furthest things from friends coming together to create yet another family of happy souls centering around the joy of Christmas. What makes this book even more special are the hidden gems for readers who are familiar with Donna's three other Christmas Shoes books. With each book, she comes full circle again, and the possibilities are endless for us to see these friends of ours in future writings (hint hint, Donna!).

For the last 50 pages of this book, I did not have a dry eye. It was a wonderful release and an exceptional conclustion to a fantastic book. Make sure you re-read the prologue right after finishing the book, and you will recognize another little surprise you probably did not catch when reading it for the first time.

I highly, Highly, HIGHLY recommend this book. Make sure you make The Christmas Promise part of your Christmas celebration!

This is the last book Donna VanLiere wrote for Christmas. This book has it's own surpise twist to it. I was amazed how she did a unique twist to it. Donna VanLiere has great talent for writing, and making her readers feel alive.

Grace and the promise of new beginnings make Donna VanLiere's fourth novel in The Christmas Hope series, THE CHRISTMAS PROMISE, a charmingly poignant seasonal read.

VanLiere tells her story through the characters of the delightful 60-year-old Gloria Bailey and the down-on-his-luck 24-year-old Chaz McConnell. Although tough and practical when it's called for, "Miss Glory" has a heart as soft as a marshmallow for those in need. Assisting others also helps Gloria alleviate her own hurts --- the death of her husband and the disappearance of her teenage son seven years ago. "It's a terrifying thing to give your heart to that small band of people around you, knowing that relationships can be messy and that someday your heart may be broken and you'll come undone." Every year Gloria puts an envelope on the Christmas tree for her husband with a promise inside it that she'll never stop looking for their missing son.

Although she loves helping others, Gloria can't warm up to the person in closest proximity to her --- the irascible widow and next-door-neighbor Miriam. When Miriam's house turns into a disaster area and all the local hotels are booked solid, Gloria offers a room to the woman who repels her the most. How will she survive the holidays with such a bitter, repulsive, sarcastic person?

Meanwhile, Chaz is barely making enough money to get by. He's despaired of turning over a new leaf after a checkered past of drinking and gambling, and when he takes a job at Wilson's Department Store in security, he sees it as only temporary. Drinking is still the high point of his days. When Chaz finds himself beginning to care about a little boy whose mother works at the store and worrying about the homeless man who sleeps outside in the cold, he's afraid of his emotions. Caring about people, he believes, comes at too high of a cost.

VanLiere does a good job portraying the vicious and abusive cycle women can fall into through the character of Carla, a young single mother who Gloria helps. Although her heart is soft, Gloria is clear-eyed and tough when she needs to be, and under no illusions about those she assists. Some of the sub-themes, such as the couple who keeps their Christmas lights on all year round and the unwed pregnant woman estranged from her mother, are guaranteed to melt the hardest heart, while the antics of the mischievous, fatherless boy Donavan will make readers smile.

Themes of forgiveness and unconditional love resonate throughout the novel. It won't take readers long to put two and two together and figure out how the story ends, but even so, they may have to reach for a tissue. The story goes on a little longer than it should, but this will please those who like to have all the loose ends tied up, even if the conclusion seems a bit anticlimactic.

Plenty of humor is scattered throughout the book, and readers will especially enjoy some of the sayings on Gloria's plaques. One favorite is this revision of the "Serenity Prayer": "Grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked anyway, The good fortune to run into the ones I do, And the eyesight to tell the difference." This little quote is going on my refrigerator door.

Readers who made THE CHRISTMAS SHOES, THE CHRISTMAS BLESSING and THE CHRISTMAS HOPE popular holiday reads will be delighted with this fourth installment in the series. Fans of happily-ever-after seasonal fiction should also find THE CHRISTMAS PROMISE exactly to their taste.

--- Reviewed by Cindy Crosby

Excellent just like the first three. Hope there is a fifth! Fun, fast and enjoyable read. Heart warming and full of love.

This series of books make for an excellent collection for the avid reader! Cuddle with a warm blanket by a fire around Christmas time, if you're lucky enough to have the time at the busiest time of year, and you've got yourself some fulfilling downtime.

Once again, Donna makes another hit. My daughter and I love this series and cannot wait to the next one to come.

In each book of this series, one of the charms was that characters from the books before and characters in seperate stories within the book somehow connected with each other's lives. I didn't feel that in this book. The storyline was a bit scattered and no familiar characters entered the story until the end. It was almost like the author realized that and had to stick one in quickly. The first 3 books in the series are amazing and you must start from the beginning to really connect through the books. This is a nice read but lacked some of the extra special feeling of the others.

What a perfect story for the holidays. The Christmas Promise is a wonderfully heartwarming and touching story of promise, miracles and the magic of fate. Gloria, or Miss Glory as she is known to most, is a bit of an angel in disguise. She spends her days helping and collecting items for those less fortunate, always holding a candle of hope within her heart, that one day she will be reunited with her son, that she has not seen for the past seven years.
Throughout the story, she takes in her uppity neighbor whose house has become a flood zone. The relationship between Gloria and Miriam, her neighbor, is one that is rather humorous. In the beginning they bicker and can barely stand one another. However, as time passes and Miriam gets a glimpse in Gloria's life, their friendship begins to blossom.
Chaz is a young man who has seen much trouble in his life and has moved place to place. He has a very low self esteem and can't see himself staying in one place for long. After finding a job at a department story, he meets a young boy, Donovan. The bond between the two grows stronger and it is through Chaz's concern for the little boy that things begin to escalate and the hand of fate steps in.
The Christmas Promise is a beautifully written story with lovable characters and vivid scenes. Donna VanLiere brings the story to life with her amazing talent and I look forward to her next tale.
I would difinately recommend this one to everyone!!