And The Greatest Of These Is Love
The Christmas Sisters by Sarah Morgan is a delightful heartfelt contemporary read that will tug at your emotions and leave you with a smile on your face and hope in your heart.
The novel deals with loss – a loss that is still felt twenty five years down the line. “Wounds heal, but they still leave scars.” Scars are not always visible but a traumatic loss left imprints on many hearts.
In order to protect oneself from hurt, we may build walls and hide who we really are. “Camouflaging her real self was a big part of her life.” Walls built to protect serve only to distance and isolate us from the world. It is a myth to believe that if we do not give our heart away, we cannot get hurt. Being isolated hurts us daily.
Motherhood is a theme that runs throughout. No matter how old our children get, we never stop being a mother. A mother of young children in the novel loses sight of who she is. “Although I am an expert at cutting up children’s food, that is not my only skill.” She fears being seen as ‘just a mother.’
We all have dreams. Sometimes our dreams are on our doorstep, at other times they are further afield.
When we look at others, we see ‘perfect’ lives. We see what others project but not necessarily the truth. Three sisters in the novel have three very different lives. Whilst there is love, there is also envy but all that glitters is not necessarily gold. The sisters have a wonderful bond. “I’m your sister. I am a barrier between you and the world.” What a wonderful relationship.
There is a beautiful welcoming family atmosphere that pervades the whole novel. The close knit family drew together through a tragedy and the bonds formed in adversity will not break. They all love, nurture and care for each other.
The Christmas Sisters is a warm novel that is light hearted and peppered with humour and witty lines. It is a delightful novel from Sarah Morgan but despite its light surface there is an underlying serious message – to survive a tragedy one must love. Love is the glue that holds the relationships together. A family that loves together will be able to survive whatever life throws at them.
An absolutely wonderful offering, perfect for any time of year.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.
JULIA WILSON
