Customer Reviews

The Perfect Love Song: A Holiday Story

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was drawn to read this book because it deals with injured souls who have faced abuse and loss of self-esteem, and recover their true, whole selves through the healing power of love. Callahan Henry explores the myriad ways love offers a creative and healing catalyst for the two brothers, partners in a band. It is written in a very sentimental style, with a narrator's voice inserting wisdom from Irish folklore and storytelling along the way. While it was a little saccharin for my taste, I liked the device of the narrator, which kept the story interesting for me. I also love storytelling and its healing power, which is why I used that style in my own recent novel, The Chakra Diaries.

Jimmy Sullivan writes a beautiful Perfect Love Song for his beloved girlfriend Charlotte Carrington. The lyrics are so well received; he leaves Palmetto Pointe, South Carolina to go on tour with his brother Jack, their band The Unknown Souls and a who's who of country music. He enjoys the glitter of the bright lights, the fame of people remembering his name, and the side benefits of being with the legends.

However, his family and that girlfriend who he wrote his original song for are upset with Jimmy. Indifferent to their pleading, he chooses to perform on Christmas Eve at Radio City Music Hall instead of being the best man at his brother's wedding. Will success spoil Jimmy Sullivan as he wanders alone in Manhattan on Christmas Eve?

The Perfect Love Song is an entertaining character study that modernizes the movie Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? Jimmy is an intriguing lead protagonist who chose career over love so we naive romance fans will feel no empathy for him though logically we understand his opportunity choice. Fans who enjoy a warm relationship drama will want to read Patti Callahan Henry's tender tale.

Harriet Klausner

I loved this book. It was an easy read and perfect for the holidays. I have read every one of this author's books. I am never disappointed. The book came to me in perfect shape. Will probably read it again at Christmas next year.

This is a novella (200 pages) which is written in an unusual and enjoyable style. The narrator (who occasionally adds their own views into the telling of the tale) speaks like a lyrical storyteller with poetic touches.

This is a story about love and how it nearly slips away. It's also apparently a recap of a previous story, a full-length one I assume, of which we hear the salient points in this book. This book supposedly focuses on Jimmy and his fiancée Charlotte, although we also hear a lot about Jimmy's brother James and his wife-to-be Kara. James and Kara are getting married in Ireland but Jimmy has written the perfect love song and his musical career is taking off - it looks as though he won't make the wedding. Will he come to his senses in time and realise what he has with Charlotte and what his family mean to him.

Because this tale is written in a lyrical, almost magical way the author gets away with rather a few plot implausibilities. She talks a lot about love but I didn't feel any of the characters felt fully rounded, the relationship between Jimmy and Charlotte being particularly sparse. But the writing style was good and as this is a short story one can't expect too much depth of character. I enjoyed it!

Originally published for Curled Up With A Good Book © Helen Hancox 2011

I really enjoy this author. Her stories are soothing and easy to read. They are perfect for the end of the day and a great way to relax.

I am not a usual reader of love stories. When in South Carolina I saw this autographed book on sale at a book store. It got me interested so I decided to add it to my Kindle. The story was told with great visual descriptions of all involved and the places it takes you. It made you feel you could see the places & characters. The story itself was heart warming. It is about true love. The ending reminded me a lot of the GIVING TREE but the human flaws of our main character made it impossible to know which decision he would make to find love. I have told several people about this book with the same question....What would you have done if you were Jimmy? Even at the end I had mixed feelings about his decisions even though he made them for the right reasons. I would strongly suggest this book because it will make you think about what is really important in life.

Never read this author before but I love Christmas stories and this one did not dissapoint. Loved the story, loved the plot, the characters, everything I loved!! I didn't want the book to end. Will be reading more from Patti in the future!!

Looking for a Christmas story to help celebrate the holiday season? Look no further than THE PERFECT LOVE SONG. Two of my favorite things about the holidays include the music and the stories. Well, THE PERFECT LOVE SONG combines both of those favorites.

In THE PERFECT LOVE SONG, we meet brothers Jack and Jimmy. They are members of a relatively unknown country band, Unknown Souls. They are on the road most of the time, but when they have free time, they can be found in Palmetto Pointe, South Carolina. Neither brother thought they would ever call the town home again, after their mother packed them up, leaving their alcoholic father behind. But when a childhood friend comes looking for Jack, life changes for both brothers.

Kara volunteered at a nursing home out of duty. But slowly, as she spends time with an elderly woman, Maeve Mahoney, does the true meaning of love hit her. Kara was engaged to a pro golfer, but after listening to Maeve tell stories of her love, Richard, from Ireland, Kara calls it off and goes looking for Jack.

As Jack and Kara come together, Jimmy glances Kara's best friend, Charlotte. Jimmy is not the romantic type, but he falls for Charlotte. He can't afford to buy her a Christmas present, but what he can give her is a song. When he sings her his love song, no one could guess how their lives would spiral out of control. Jimmy winds up singing his song spontaneously during a concert set, and it's forever dubbed "The Perfect Christmas Song." Jimmy is asked to join a famous country duo for their Christmas tour the following year.

When Jimmy's tour eventually prevents him from attending Jack and Kara's wedding in Ireland in Maeve's honor, Charlotte and Jimmy have to each come to learn what real love means.

The story is one of love and loss, and ultimately redemption and hope. Charlotte could be bitter and angry with Jimmy's seemingly spoiled attitude, but she holds strong and independent. It was a nice change to see a female character remain true to herself in trying times. If I have any complaints about the story, there would only be one: at the beginning it was hard to keep track of who was who. But don't despair. Quickly the characters all come together and the story becomes embedded in your heart.

Reviewed by: Jaglvr

I thought that this would be a great Christmas gift. It is filled with the miracle of Christmas. I will put it out every year with my other Christmas books. The characters are all filled with love and the main character has to learn the lesson of forgiveness as far as his father is concerned. It is a wonderful read for holiday.

Take one very damaged man who puts his most heartfelt emotions into a song for the woman he loves. What happens when that very song, an expression of his newfound love, becomes the thing that threatens to keep them apart? This is the predicament in which Jimmy Sullivan finds himself.

After fleeing with his mother and younger brother from a home where an "abusive and drunk father hung like a noxious, poisonous cloud over their lives" as a teenager, Jimmy Sullivan never planned on returning to Palmetto Pointe, South Carolina, and wouldn't dream of doing so if it wasn't for his younger brother, Jack. Jimmy is used to feeling unsettled, so his career as a country singer/songwriter suits him just fine. Along with Jack and some friends, Jimmy's band, The Unknown Souls, makes their living touring the country, playing every bar, state fair and roadhouse you can name. But when Jack returns for his childhood girlfriend, Kara, Jimmy tags along and inadvertently finds himself head over heels in love with Charlotte, Kara's best friend.

Jack and Kara's love had a lengthy and arduous path. After a long childhood flirtation with Jack, Kara began dating professional golfer Peyton --- a match that pleased her father. But it took a visit to a local nursing home and a prophetic woman named Mauve Mahoney for Kara to finally realize that she wasn't listening to her heart. Despite the glamorous and comfortable life Peyton could offer, Kara knew deep down that she was still in love with Jack, and wise old Mauve gave her a gentle nudge in the right direction. Hearing the woman's tales of Irish lore and love made Kara see that she could never be happy with anyone but Jack. After professing their love to each other, the couple soon became engaged, and plans for an elaborate wedding in Ireland were in the works.

And for this, Kara would need Charlotte by her side. The pair became good friends after the death of Kara's mom --- a time in their young lives when "a mother's death leaves a hollowed-out hole in the soul." When Jack returns to Palmetto Pointe with his brother and bandmate Jimmy in tow, they find themselves an unlikely foursome. With Jack and Kara busy making plans for a Christmas wedding in Ireland, Jimmy and Charlotte start spending a good amount of time together, and it isn't long before the two are falling for each other. Jimmy has always been a quiet, nomadic soul who has a hard time expressing himself when he's not onstage. So he does what any good musician does --- he pours his heart out in a song. But not just any song; "this was so perfect a song that it almost ruined him."

Jimmy pens "Undeserved" for Charlotte, hoping to encapsulate his deep feelings for her. Charlotte is so moved by his display of true emotion and admits she feels the same. And when Jimmy plays it at a concert, it's clear his song moves a lot of people, including Milton Bartholomew, a high-powered country music impresario who invites Jimmy to sing his powerful ballad on an upcoming Christmas tour headlined by Rusk & Hope, the super-successful husband-and-wife singing duo. But in life, as in love, the course never runs smoothly. Milton only wants Jimmy. He would have to leave behind his brother and bandmates for this once-in-a-lifetime shot at fame. And just as things were getting serious with Charlotte, he'd have to leave for weeks for the tour. How can the one thing --- the manifestation of his love for Charlotte --- now be the wedge that's driving them apart? The holiday tour puts Jimmy in New York City, all alone on Christmas Eve, and there he must make a painful choice between his heart and his career.

Patti Callahan Henry, known for celebrating the Low Country of South Carolina in her novels, puts her well-established charms to work on this holiday tale of life and love, with a little Celtic flavor thrown in for good measure. THE PERFECT LOVE SONG taps into the sappy romantic in all of us. And who doesn't want to believe in love triumphing over all, especially around the holidays? Fans of Fern Michaels, Debbie Macomber and Dorothea Benton Frank will enthusiastically agree. So get your eggnog ready and curl up with this little delightful stocking stuffer of a romance.

--- Reviewed by Bronwyn Miller