Reviewer Andrea Coventry: Andrea is a Montessori child - turned educator. An avid reader and writer, she is published on several websites. Click Here to find a listing of Andrea's sites where you can find many of her writing contributions.
Author: Kat Martin
Publisher:
Vanguard Press, Perseus Books
ISBN: 978-1593155476
Click Here To Purchase The Christmas Clock
The
Christmas Clock is the latest book by bestselling author Kat
Martin. It's the story of a young boy named Teddy Winters, who
at the age of eight lives with his grandmother, Lottie Sparks.
Unbeknownst to him and many others in their small Michigan town,
Lottie is suffering from a very rapidly progressing form of
Alzheimer's disease. She is seeking to find him a permanent
home before she becomes too disabled. At the same time, Teddy
is trying to earn money to by his beloved grandmother a mantel clock
that reminds her of her childhood.
Teddy goes to work doing
odd jobs around the mechanic shop owned by Joe Dixon. Joe has
been trying to rebuild his life after doing time for accidentally
killing a man in a bar fight many years ago. His rage had been
sparked by the love of his life, Sylvia Winters, suddenly taking off,
claiming she had never loved him, which he felt in his heart of
hearts wasn't true.
Sylvia has recently returned to town,
carefully guarding the secret that had caused her to flee all of
those years ago. She is also looking to start over, but is
finding it difficult, as she keeps running into Joe, and realizes
that her feelings haven't changed.
At the same time, Sylvia is
becoming close friends with Doris Culver, her landlord. Doris
and her husband Floyd have been married forever, but lost the spark
years ago. They dance around wanting to revive the
relationship, but neither will be the first to admit it or to make
the first move.
All of these people are interconnected, and
every choice that they make somehow affects all of the others.
Though highly predictable, as most romance novels are, each of these
choices eventually leads to a Christmas miracle of sorts for everyone
involved. A few lessons in life and love can also be gleaned
from these pages if you pause for a second to reflect.
It's an
extremely easy read, designed to allow you to relax for a couple of
hours during this hectic holiday season. It's not written to
change the world, but to entertain. Those with families touched
by Alzheimer's will feel a sort of kinship with the characters
dealing with it, even though Lottie's descent into the depths of
dementia feel a little too fast for reality.
Click Here To Purchase The Christmas Clock