Friday, September 19, 2014

Nora Bonesteel’s Christmas Past, a ballad novella

Nora Bonesteel’s Christmas Past (Abingdon) is a cozy ballad novella by New York Times best selling author, Sharyn McCrumb. In typical McCrumb style, the reader enters a quaint world in the Tennessee mountains where characters are quirky, endearing and believable.

Two stories that run side by side within this novella and the only relationship between them would seem to be the intrinsic mountain feel. But neither thread highlights biblical faith, as one would have expected given that Abingdon fiction’s motto is “a novel approach to faith.” On the contrary, part of the story, although charming, emphasizes connecting with spirits (or ghosts)—something the Bible clearly prohibits.


Nora Bonesteel is familiar with the mountains of Tennessee where she has lived all her life. She is also familiar with the spirit world and seems to possess an uncanny gift: an ability to connect with the dead. Nora’s gift provides useful in solving a disturbing mystery for the new owners of the beautiful home previously owned by a wonderful family, the Honeycutts. These new owners seem to have stirred up something unseen within the walls of this old home.

Read my full review of this novella in Assist News

Janey DeMeo M.A.

Copyright © September 2014

JaneyDeMeo.com


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