A Christmas Read...

The Christmas Pearl
Dorothea Benton Frank

Genre: Fiction, Christmas Novella, southern
Pages: 139, plus recipes
Favorite quote: "My poor dumbbells!"
Rating: ****

As I have mentioned before I am a Christmas Novella junkie.  I walk down the isles of the library, looking at book jackets, and these cute little books just jump out at me.  Not all of them are good but most are sweet with a side of morals on the side.  The Christmas Pearl is both.

The Christmas Pearl is set at Christmas in South Carolina. (Extra points for being southern!)  Theodora is the 90 something matriarch of a batch of misguided offspring.  She is distraught over their lack of interest in a traditional Christmas as well as their interest in hurting one another.  Her heart is breaking over her "knuckleheads".  Then in the most unexpected ways her prayers for a real Christmas with a loving family are answered.

I loved this book.  I loved the sweet Theodora as she tried to deal with her crazy family.  I loved reading about how Christmas was celebrated with such expectation and vigor in Theodora's youth.  I wanted to be at her house for the entire month of December.  Her childhood Christmas is classic Christmas.  Several foods of her youth are those of mine.  It was heaven.  But the jewel int he crown is Pearl.  The cook, and much more, of Theodora's youth was the fabric that held her family together.  She was a force of nature.  This force is bold, kind, and pure magic on the page.  I couldn't wait to read more about how Pearl was going to save the family from self destruction. 

This was a great read.  I enjoyed every minute of it.  I highly recommend it.


- Caren