Friday, October 18, 2013

"The Christmas Candle" by Max Lucado


About the book:   Glowing bright with a timeless message, The Christmas Candle will warm your heart.

It’s 1864 in Gladstone, England, a tiny village in the Cotswolds. Nothing out of the ordinary ever happens here. Except at Christmas time. This year, Edward Haddington, a lowly candle maker is visited by a mysterious angel. That angel silently imparts a precious gift. The candle maker and his wife, Bea, have to make a difficult choice—who among them most needs a Christmas miracle?

As hope blossoms in wintertime, soon the entire town glows brightly with Christmas joy.


My thoughts:  Prolific author, beloved by his readers, Max Lucado has written a sweet story that begins in 1664 in the cottage of the village candle maker. This sweet story of miracles and enchantment coupled with the miracle of faith has been made into a movie and one of the players is the beloved vocalist Susan Boyle who in her early 40s took the entertainment world by storm or by miracle - you choose. But about the book….


The little village has entered a more modern time and they have lost their beloved pastor. A new reverend has been sent to check out the village church. He is welcomed by virtually everyone and passed along from one delightful individual to another as he learns about them and they learn about him. He does end up preaching to them and they expectantly await their beloved message dealing with their own personal "village Christmas miracle." Anticipating who will be the recipient this time around - and it only occurs every 25 years - has them all in knots.


The village characters will wiggle their way into your heart with their sweetness and their quirky ways.


This story is simply that - a story and it is a tale to delight, but there is no basis for its truth or possibility of being reality in it.  It is akin to the Elves and the Shoemaker in its sweetness and magical qualities. The big difference is that they do find the true source of miracles and find their faith is in their Lord the Saviour who was born in the tiny manger in Bethlehem so many years ago. A delightful story, a quick read, and another lovely Christmas novella.
 
DISCLOSURE: A complimentary copy was provided to me by BookSneeze on behalf of the publisher, Thomas Nelson Publishing and the author, Max Lucado for the purpose of this review. Opinions expressed are solely my own. No compensation was given for this review.

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