After enjoying Christmas at Harrington’s last year, I gladly accepted the chance to review The Christmas Shoppe. I was disappointed, however.
Parrish Springs, a small town facing hard economic times, was gearing up for the Christmas shopping season when Matilda Honeycutt, a newcomer, bought a building on Main Street. Curiosity ran rampant as she cleaned up the building and set up her Christmas Shoppe behind papered windows. Councilman Snider, who had wanted to buy the building himself, made sure negative rumors floated around. Matilda, with her long grey hair, bare feet, and long flowing skirts, did nothing to stop the rumors or deflect troublemakers. Smiling sweetly, she welcomed her customers, suggesting that they should just look around and take their time until they found what they came for.
Tommy the newspaper man, Helen his assistant and second mother, Susanna the city manager, and even Councilman Snider visited the shop, the latter to attack her and the rest to help her. Afterward they were never the same, and, indeed, the entire town was changed.
Although interesting, The Christmas Shoppe is based on such a farfetched idea that it is essentially a fantasy. The author means well and, yes, we are all ‘looking for something,’ but only God can meet our deepest yearnings. Self-help platitudes from The Christmas Shoppe are not the answer.
You can read an excerpt here.
Disclosure: This book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. and is available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
The Christmas Shoppe is my 40th book in the 52 Books in 52 Weeks Challenge, and the second book in my personal NaNoReaMo.