Customer Reviews

Finding Father Christmas (Father Christmas Series #1)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Robin Jones Gunn has authored over 60 published books. A dozen of her novels have appeared on the top of the Christian Booksellers Association
best seller list. All of her regular readers & readers of Christian oriented books will enjoy this latest entry into her ouevre. However, I've never previously read anything by this author & am not a regular reader of Christian centric literature; yet, this book touched my emotions. Thus, anyone can enjoy this book. It is very heartwarming & makes one happy. It's a story which comforts the reader. Being a Christmas novella, it's perfect for this time of year. A young woman in her 20's, Miranda, is the main character. She never knew her father. Her mother died when she was 11. The "Aunt" who raised her died when Miranda was 15 & at that point she raised herself. She has a few clues as to who her father might be, left her by her Mom. She finally decides to make a real search & is led to a quaint English town at Christmas time. This is the English village so many Americans dream about & picture in their mind. Do such villages & such people still exist. Perhaps. In this novella, Miranda is a complete stranger & ends up in a cosy tea shoppe about to close & ends up being invited to the town's Christmas play pageant & then to an after play party & then invited to stay over in the manor home of people she just barely met & then invited to Christmas services at church & so on & so on. Could this really happen? Why not? Anyway it's nice to believe it could. The author has well developed supporting characters & one quickly cares about Miranda & her quest. This book will bring tears to the eyes of all but the most cynical of readers. It's a nice book you'll have enjoyed reading. It's not great literature, but it's a pleasant read.

I have to admit I picked this up due to my 15-year-old daughter. She has just finished reading the Sierra Jensen books and has begun the Christy Miller series, both by this author. She has so much required reading in high school that it has been hard for her to read just for fun, but when she does, this is the author she picks up. Her comment to me was that they are good, light reading but have a strong message in them that makes the books worthwhile. When I combined her endorsement with the fact I am a big sucker for Christmas stories - I was sold ! I actually read this book over the three day period while we were travelling for Christmas this year. It was perfect reading and I'll be reading the second one in the series next year.

Miranda Carson was raised by her single mother, actress Eve Carson. Miranda's father is never really discussed by her mother and when Eve dies while Miranda is still young, there are only a few clues as to his identity. After many years and having many unanswered questions, she follows what clues there are to a small village in England arriving there on Christmas Eve. A picture of a man with a young boy appears to be the key and Miranda has to make decisions about what she should share with the people she encounters in Carlton Heath - what she decided impacts not only her, but them as well.

The book is a good choice for the holiday season since it's strong on atmosphere - you can practically see the snow falling - as well as delivering a significant message with softness and strong storytelling.

Highly recommended for Christmas!

An old photograph of a place in England is all Miranda Carson had that connected her to her past. Armed with that one small clue, Miranda travels at Christmas time to England in search of a father she never knew.

Carlton Heath was a place Miranda hadn't expected. Picturesque and friendly she finds herself gathered up into the folds of two of the local families. Her quest ultimately brings her to the family that never knew of her existence and her fondness for them is agonizing. Should she tell them who she is, or return to the United States with her secret?

The choices Miranda makes will seal her fate and the fate of those she is growing to care for. When a young man, Ian, enters the picture, she knows she has come home.

Robin Jones Gunn's Christmas novella Finding Father Christmas is a heartwarming Christmas tale that connects the season of Christmas with the importance of family and friends. Her flare for tugging the heart strings makes her novels the perfect Christmas read.

Armchair Interviews says: Read Finding Father Christmas and then follow up with the next story in this Christmas series-- Engaging Father Christmas.

I haven't read Christian Romance for years. I was very pleased with these 2 books, a little mystery, a little romance, no vivid adult content, so refreshing. These books would make wonderful Christmas holiday reading. Both were novellas, short and easy to read but very difficult to put down until completely read. Miranda now an orphan goes in search of her biological father and when she meets the family isn't sure whether to go ahead and tell them or not. She was not raised as a Christian but finding the family at Christmas time helps to introduce her to the faith and to see it come out in the lives of the people she meets. The author obviously has theater training because her descriptions are vivid and right on. Miranda although surrounded by other characters is definitely the main character and in fact the attitude of the story is almost biographical. The scenes are warm and cosy, perfect atmosphere for Christmas. The second book in the series is just as good as the first with more character development and an awesome proposal. I would definitely recommend both these books

When Miranda went to England, all she wanted to do was discover her father. All she has is bits and pieces and a photo with a tag from a business no longer in existence. But when she's befriended and taken in for the holidays, Miranda begins a journey of faith and discovery of not only her earthly father, but also her Heavenly one.

A sweet story that tugs at the heart, drawing the reader to the heart of Christmas--worship. --Carolyn R Scheidies for Author's Choice Reviews [...]

Finding Father Christmas by Robin Jones Gunn is the story of Miranda Carson who has traveled to London on a whim at Christmas time to find her father. The only clue she has is a photograph of a man dressed as Father Christmas with a crying boy on his lap. The photo has the studio's name and address on the back, so Miranda goes thousands of miles and halfway around the world to find a connection to someone she can call her own. First off, let me say that I am not normally a fan of Christmas books. They tend to be treacly and precious, and novellas often try to pack too much story in too few pages. This book shattered all of my preconceived notions about holiday novellas. Gunn creates a charming story with heart and great characters. Miranda wants so much to know the truth, but when she finds it, she tries to run from it. While she comes to know the truth and character about her earthly father, she also recognizes God's hand in her life. The book is the first in what should be an engaging series. The ending isn't too neat; illusions are shattered and lives will never be the same, but just as the message of Christmas is hope, so too is Gunn's book. There is a reading guide in the back, so it would be perfect for book clubs at Christmas.

Miranda Carson, a young American woman, heads to England at Christmastime on an impulsive trip to see whether she can track down the father she's never known. All she has to go on is an old photograph, a possible name, and the address of the photographer's shop in England. The shop, however, is gone, as Miranda finds out when she stops in at Tea Cosy, a cozy (what else?) tea shop on the street where the photographer's shop once did business.

Miranda is invited to a rather liberal interpretation of Dickens's A Christmas Carol at a local theater. Having grown up with a stage-obsessed mother, now deceased, Miranda is somewhat loath to attend. Ultimately, though, she decides to drop in and soon finds herself invited to an impressive manor to join in Christmas Eve festivities. There, she finds another clue to her father's identity, the warmth of an English Christmas, and, somewhat unexpectedly, faith.

Many of the elements here--notably the idea of a stranger embraced by a family at Christmas--are common fare for Christmas stories, but for most of the story, I was happy to accept them. Ultimately, though, I found the ending, including Miranda's dual conversion (to theater and to Christianity) to be slightly forced. Still, I enjoyed the first three-fourths enough to give the sequel, Engaging Father Christmas, a read.

In San Francisco raised by her single mother, Miranda Carson feels profoundly lonely and finds a deep need to meet her biological father, a man she has never met. Her clues as to who he is are somewhat meager. She has an old photograph that she assumes is her father while on its back is stamped a studio in Carlton Heath, England; a birth certificate; and a playbill for The Tempest starring her mother in a Michigan theatre.

With nothing to keep her in the states, Miranda decides to spend Christmas in England in search of her father. From London she goes to Bexley Lane, the address in the photo. There she is treated with warmth and friendship starting with a cup of tea and ending at the community production of A Christmas Carol and the party afterward. Although she feels some guilty for not revealing who she or her mission especially when she realizes her dad is hero to these kind people, Miranda feels at home for the first time in a long time.

The deep characterizations make this Christmas tale a winner. The English family and Miranda seem real as she debates telling these loving people the truth, which mean hurting an image they have of her father. Mindful of While You Were Sleeping, FINDING FATHER CHRISTMAS is a wonderful uplifting Yuletide tale that emphasizes everyone needs to feel welcomed and loved.

Harriet Klausner

A delightful story with a mystery and several surprises along the way. I loved the characters & how the plot unfolds. This is a wonderful book that I will keep & read again. We plan to read it as one of our book club selections this winter (includes discussion questions).

This is the first book in the Father Christmas series. I would highly recommend starting with this one as they are important to read in order to follow the events of the story. This first book, starts off with Miranda's search for her father which takes her from the US to England during Christmas. She finds herself in a cozy tea shop called The Tea Cosy which is just the kind of place I would imagine visiting in England. She finds new friends and the truth that she has been searching for. This is a heartwarming Christmas story that is perfect to read during the Christmas season.