Christmas Bells by Jennifer Chiaverini seemed like the perfect holiday read. It was a slow go but mostly because the holidays didn't allow me much reading time. As is popular now, it was a story comprised of multiple story lines involving lots of characters but it was primarily about the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow family Christmas and modern day Sophia and Lucas. The stories become entwined when Sophia choses a carol set to a Longfellow poem for the annual Christmas program.
There are several other story lines going on -- Father Ryan and his brother Liam, Camille, Sister Winifred, Charlotte, Alex and their mother, the Civil War -- there was a LOT going on.
All of these story lines came together at the end to make sense but for the better part of the book it all seemed scattered and hectic and I didn't think it flowed well. I was a bit disappointed in this book because Chiaverini's books generally flow well but this one was just more halting and, at times I felt a bit contrived like she was really having to work to make it work.
With all that said, however, Jennifer Chiaverini is one of my favorite authors and I will continue to read her works with pleasure.
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