Can you believe Christmas is less than two weeks away? Amidst the craziness of the season, sometimes it's nice to sit down with a good book, and Silent Days, Holy Night is the perfect option. At just over 200 pages, it's a quick read, and it's oh so satisfying.
The sounds of Christmases past echo through a silent house...
Everyone in town knows Emerald Crest, the green granite mansion atop the highest hill: the legendary, lavish Christmas festivities that used to light up the nights— and the silence that followed when the parties abruptly stopped many years ago. And everyone has heard whispers about the reclusive, mysterious master of the manor, Henry Lafferty the Second . . .
When eleven-year-old Julia Russell steps into the great house for the first time and meets Mr. Lafferty, the entire course of her life is altered. She meets a man who is nothing at all like the rumors she’s heard from neighbors and classmates. He’s kind and extraordinarily talented—he also happens to be deaf and uses a wheelchair. And when she overhears a secret about him, Julia decides it’s time for the town to bring Christmas back to Emerald Crest—an act that will change them all forever.
Title: Silent Days, Holy Night
Author: Phyllis Clark Nichols
Publisher: Gilead Publishing
Release Date: October 30, 2018
Genre: Contemporary Women’s Fiction/Christmas
When I first started reading Silent Days, Holy Night, I wasn't sure what to think. I struggled to get into the novel, as it felt like the reader had been dropped into the middle of the story. And really, that's basically what happened—the majority of the story is set 16 years in the past, and the book begins with a prologue in the present. (Sometimes I like prologues, and sometimes I don't. In this case, I'm not a fan. Similarly, the epilogue felt unnecessary.)
Once the action flashed back to the past, I still wasn't completely engaged at first. Some of the dialog seemed a little stilted, and Julia's grandmother gave her some advice that I felt was ... misguided at best.
Once Julia really became friends with Mr. Lafferty (H), though, I was completely swept into the story. The relationship that Julia and H formed was so sweet, and I loved watching it develop. And as the book reached its climax, I found myself bawling through my lunch break!
This book is about generosity in the face of prejudice, friendship, and true care for others, and it's such a great Christmas read. Of note is that there is zero romance in these pages, and I loved it anyway—in fact, I think the lack of romance and pure focus on Julia and H's friendship made the book stronger. 4 stars.
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TOUR GIVEAWAY
a print copy of Silent Days, Holy Night by Phyllis Clark Nichols
a print copy of Sleigh Bells Ring by various authors
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Phyllis Clark Nichols’s character-driven Southern fiction explores profound human questions using the imagined residents of small town communities you just know you’ve visited before. With a strong faith and a love for nature, art, music, and ordinary people, she tells redemptive tales of loss and recovery, estrangement and connection, longing and fulfillment . . . often through surprisingly serendipitous events.
Phyllis grew up in the deep shade of magnolia trees in South Georgia. Born during a hurricane, she is no stranger to the winds of change: In addition to her life as a novelist, Phyllis is a seminary graduate, concert pianist, and cofounder of a national cable network with health- and disability-related programming. Regardless of the role she’s playing, Phyllis brings creativity and compelling storytelling.
She frequently appears at conventions, conferences, civic groups, and churches, performing half-hour musical monologues that express her faith, joy, and thoughts about life—all with the homespun humor and gentility of a true Southern woman.
Phyllis currently serves on several nonprofit boards. She lives in the Texas Hill Country with her portrait-artist husband.
CONNECT WITH PHYLLIS: website | Facebook | Twitter
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Thank you for your review on "Silent Days, Holy Night" by Phyllis Clark Nichols and for being part of the book tour.
ReplyDeleteThis book is on my TBR and can't wait for the opportunity to read it. Love the cover - looks like it's inviting me in to read the story.
2clowns at arkansas dot net
The cover is great, isn't it? Thanks for stopping by, Kay!
DeleteBooks sounds good and love the covers.
ReplyDeleteBooks sound great, Thanks for your generosity.
ReplyDelete