Welcome to Thornwaite, a quaint village tucked up in England's beautiful but rainy Lake District... where homecomings happen and surprises are in store for the four Holley sisters. Anna Holley, the third of four sisters, has always felt a little bit forgotten. A family tragedy when she was a child had her retreating deep into shyness, and social anxiety kept her on the fringes of the cozy chaos of the busy vicarage. After several years away from home, Anna returns for Christmas... and an important announcement from her father. As much as she once loved the village, coming back is hard and puts Anna's social capabilities to the test.
Imagine my joy when I began reading A Vicarage Christmas and discovered that it was set in the Lake District in England, where Bubby and I spent a few idyllic days last year. We loved it so much there that we could pick up and move right now, if that were a possibility.
We went to many fabulous places on our UK adventure, but the Lake District was a highlight for me too. I could totally picture the village of Thornthwaite and I wish I could be there! In fact, I think we might have driven through it...
Something wholly unexpected happened when I read A Vicarage Christmas. I don't know if I was hormonal or it was just because I had a cold, but I loved Anna's story and even cried.
What? YOU cried? I'm supposed to be the Weepy Wendy around here. I didn't cry when I read A Vicarage Christmas, although I really loved the story too.
I also cried watching Dancing With the Stars that day, so there was possibly something going on. But regardless, I finished the book thinking it was utterly delightful.
I felt so bad for Anna that she felt unnoticed in her family and carried blame for a tragedy that totally wasn't her fault. I wanted to give her a big hug and a cookie and tell her everything would be fine. And everything IS fine, eventually. Really, families need to talk more, don't you think, Sissy?
Yes! Even the best of families have issues that need to be regularly addressed. Everyone needs to sit down and have a great chat and let all the stuff out in a secure environment. In Anna's case, that turned out to be a real possibility. I know that in other families, unfortunately, that might not be a safe thing to do.
I'm glad that you and I can talk about all the things. Anna and her family, with a little help from a new friend, end up working through most things, but I'm really interested for the rest of the books in the series. They will focus on Anna's other sisters, two older and one younger. Their troubles are alluded to in A Vicarage Christmas, but I want to know more!
The love story was yummy and the setting of an English village at Christmas, with all the various vicarage activities, made me want to hop on a plane and spend the hols in the Lake District. Maybe next year...
We've not read anything by Kate Hewitt before, but we will now! A Vicarage Christmas has excellent characters that feel like your own friends, great story with realistic family highs and lows and a setting that can't be beat. Christmas has come early this year! Let's rejoice! And don't forget to enter the rafflecopter contest HERE for a chance to win an Amazon gift card.
Click to buy A Vicarage Christmas by Kate Hewitt
