First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros - Winter Street

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros is a weekly meme hosted by Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea every Tuesday. Feel free to join in the fun!

Christmas is less than a month away and I've decided to kick off my December reading with the first book in Hilderbrand's "Winter" series.

Winter Street

 by Elin Hilderbrand

2014 Little, Brown and Company

He thinks nothing of walking into room 10 without knocking. The door is unlocked, and George hasn't checked in yet, anyway. George is due on the eleven-thirty ferry with his 1931 Model A fire engine, a bespoke Santa Claus vehicle, but he was delayed because of snow in the western part of the state. George has gamely brought the fire engine over and donned the red suit every December for the past twelve years. George weighs in at 305 pounds, give or take the five, and is the jolly owner of a full head of white hair and a white goatee (new since his divorce; before, it was a full beard.) Kelley wants George to arrive so that Mitzi will relax. According to Mitzi, no one can possibly replace George, and nothing ruins Christmas like an absent Santa.

What do you think? Would you continue reading?

Comfort and Joy

And the winner is...

Framed!

Send me your snail mail address (I moderate comments, so I'll delete it without posting) and I'll get the book out in the mail on Monday. Hope you enjoy it!

Comfort & Joy by Kristin Hannah
Contemporary Fiction - Holiday
2005 Ballantine Books
Finished on 11/29/08
Rating: 2/5 (Fair)




Product Description

In this modern-day fairy tale, New York Times bestselling author Kristin Hannah gives us a very special gift: the heartwarming story of a woman at a crossroads, caught between two lives, who finds a second chance at happiness.

Joy Candellaro used to love Christmas more than any other time of the year. Now, as the holiday approaches, she finds herself at loose ends. Recently divorced and estranged from her sister, she can’t summon the old enthusiasm for celebrating. So without telling anyone, she buys a ticket and boards a plane bound for the rural Northwest.

Yet Joy’s best-laid plans go terribly awry. The plane crashes deep in the darkness of a forest. Miraculously, Joy and her fellow passengers walk away from the wreckage as the plane explodes. There, amid the towering trees, Joy makes a bold and desperate decision to leave her ordinary life behind and embark on an adventure . . . just for the holidays.

Daniel O’Shea has returned to the small town of Rain Valley, following the death of his ex-wife. Now he is a single father facing his son’s first Christmas without a mother. Six-year-old Bobby isn’t making it easy–the boy has closed himself off from the world, surrounding himself with imaginary friends.

When Joy and Bobby meet, they form an instant bond. Thrown together by fate, these wounded souls will be touched by the true spirit of Christmas and remember what it means to be a family.

Then a dramatic turn of events shows Joy the price of starting over. On a magical Christmas Eve she will come face-to-face with a startling truth. Now she must decide: In a time of impossible dreams and unexpected chances, can she find the faith to reach for the love she has found . . . and the new life only she believes in?

It's been several years since I've read anything by Kristin Hannah, but after reading Beachreader's glowing review of Comfort and Joy a couple of years ago, I decided to add it to my list of possible holiday reads. I didn't get around to reading it last year, so when I spotted it on one of my shelves earlier this month, I decided it was next in line for this holiday season.

In spite of my low rating, I must say I was quickly drawn into the story, eager to see how Joy's situation would play out. Somewhere around the half-way mark, though, I began to feel disappointed in the plot and overall writing. The story is unnecessarily drawn out, dialogue repetitive, and the majority of characters underdeveloped. One must be willing to suspend disbelief to enjoy this fairy tale, yet one of the key plot points (involving Joy's relationship with her sister) was impossible for this reader to buy into.

I'm not a big romance reader and as it turns out, Hannah is apparently a hit-or-miss author with me. I gave up on Between Sisters, endured Angel Falls, yet thoroughly enjoyed Summer Island and Distant Shores. One of the reasons I'm so attracted to her books is the Pacific Northwest settings. She always manages to make me want to put our house on the market and move to Washington or Oregon! So, next time I'm in the mood for a light, fluffy read, I'll probably give her another chance. Anyone interested in giving this one a try? Leave a comment indicating your interest and I'll draw the winning name on December 6th.