Customer Reviews

Home for Christmas

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

 

 

As a former student of Mr. Bahr, I was thrilled to find and order his book at Amazon.com. As soon as it arrived, I sat down and read the entire book in less than 20 minutes. It is a charing tale of two small children finding some happiness and a new home during the difficult Post-Civil war days. This is a story, I will enjoy sharing with my daughter for years to come.

Howard Bahr has written an absolutely charming, heartbreaking and heartwarming little novel. It's the winter of 1865 with Christmas just a few days away. Recently freed from slavery, Isaiah has taken the two orphaned children of his former master to live with their Uncle. In a mere 49 pages, the lives of four people are completely changed and each must come to terms with these changes as they struggle to prepare the Christmas celebration they so desperately need. The two men establish a guarded relationship, each recognizing their own sense of duty to these children. The girl begins to take on the nesting responsibilities learned from her mother. Only the boy cannot reconcile, insisting that he's going "home for Christmas." Read it and weep.

A beautifullly rich yet simply written little story. I am ordering several copies to give as Christmas gifts.

'Home for Christmas' is a good story, yet I was somewhat disappointed because of its brevity. It is by all means appropriate for older children. I had to spend some time explaining background info about the setting, time period, etc, to my 8-year old; but that is a good thing. She found the story touching, and it gave us some family time in preparation for the holidays.