CHRISTMAS LIGHTS

Author: Christine Pisera Naman ISBN: 9780385522458 11/2007 FICTION Publisher: DOUBLEDAY

In separate vignettes, we meet Katherine, who is taking care of her ailing husband; Julianna, juggling with construction paper, scissors, and rubber cement in a room full of high-spirited four-year-olds; Adrianna, struggling with the difficulties of marriage; Cassandra, the busy mother of toddlers; Victoria, searching for a love to call her own; Alexandra, a young woman waiting for word from her doctor about an uncertain diagnosis; and Isabella, discovering the gift of motherhood. The lives of all the women come together in a moving conclusion that perfectly captures the heart and soul of the holiday spirit. Alternately laugh-out-loud funny and poignant, Christmas Lights celebrates the most significant aspects of the season. Small, beautifully designed, and full of festive cheer, it is the ideal gift for anyone longing to rediscover the magic of Christmas.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

What an absolute gem of a book CHRISTMAS LIGHTS is. If you're looking for something special to give this season, then this is definitely a book you should consider. At 120 pages it's a quick read, and yet this small treasure packs as much wallop as a book three times its size.

Alternately humorous, emotional and inspirational, the title refers to six sisters—Isabella, Alexandra, Victoria, Cassandra, Adrianna and Juliana. Including their mother, Katherine, each has a vignette devoted to an event that happens in their life that has an association with the season. Each is as compellingly told as the other, with all converging in an ending piece that left me uplifted, smiling and completely satisfied.

The book begins with Katherine's visit to her husband who is in a nursing home and suffers from Alzheimer's disease. It moves from there to the lives of Katherine's daughters. One struggles with an unrequited crush on a boy; another is dealing with discord in her marriage and the inability to stand up for herself. The most poignant and emotional story pertains to the loss of a child, while another daughter ponders an unsure future as she awaits the results of a medical test. Finally, there's the two single sisters, both who face seemingly lonely futures, and yet in the end find two totally different kinds of love—one filled with promise, the other a love at first sight.

I adored this book. I can't tell you the last time such a small offering gave me so much joy. It's so well written, the characters so well-shaped and emotionally drawn, that even though their parts only last for a few pages each, I felt I knew each character intimately.

What a great, great keeper and gift for any avid reader CHRISTMAS LIGHTS is. It's a lovely keepsake about sharing, caring, loving and faith that I just can't recommend highly enough.

Nancy Davis