Helping To Catch The Wind

The Lodge On Holly Road by Sheila Roberts is the most delightful contemporary festive offering. It is the sixth book in the Life In Icicle Falls series but can be read as a stand-alone.

This really is Christmas in a book. It is warm and welcoming with all the elements of Christmas – snow, cookies, gingerbread, Santa, trees and family. The reader can ‘see’ and experience a traditional Christmas as we enter the world of Icicle Falls for a few hours.

Christmas can be magical – but it can also be hard – we follow a single parent determined to give her two children an unforgettable time. Their wishes to Santa are not of monetary value but of flesh and blood. One wants a dog and the other wants a grandmother for Christmas – but where will we find those?

Two families are facing Christmas with empty seats around the table. We see how hard loss is – whether it was one or ten years ago. “It was spring when I lost George. I’d hear the birds singing and want to shoot them. I love birds.” We can ‘feel’ the pain and empathise with the character. Why does the world still continue when life as we know it, has shattered? “Every morning I wake up and ask myself, ‘Why get up?’ “ Life is hard alone. We need someone to share it with.

All the characters were wonderfully drawn. They were realistic, likable and easy to relate to.

Give yourself a treat this year and visit Icicle Falls for Christmas, you won’t want it to end.

JULIA WILSON