Jean's Reviews > The Christmas Note

What do a mother of two young children whose husband is in a military hospital in Germany after being seriously wounded and an anti-social divorced woman who works two jobs to make ends meet have in common? Not much, it would seem. Gretchen Daniels has just moved into a condo with her two kids to be closer to her mother. Soon after they get settled, Gretchen must be the bearer of bad news. Melissa McCreary’s mother has passed away, according to the mother’s landlord. Gretchen offers to help her Melissa go through her mother’s things, and she is startled to learn that the woman does not seem sad or upset to receive word of her death. Melissa does, however, relent and allow Gretchen to help her clean out her mother’s shabby apartment. Most of what they find is not worth saving, except for a scribbled note that changes everything for Melissa.

Despite some character flaws and predictability in the plot, I really enjoyed Donna Van Liere’s The Christmas Note. Gretchen is extremely pushy. Instead of giving up and respecting her neighbor’s desire for solitude and privacy, she nags and practically forces her to follow up on the note that she found. And Melissa lets herself be pushed! She has virtually zero social skills, which she always, always, always blames on her late mother, Ramona, for whom there was no love lost, obviously. Somehow, I found myself intrigued by the bond form between these two women and also the connection between Miriam, Gretchen’s mother, and Gloria, Miriam’s best friend. Melissa was welcomed into the group, and I enjoyed watching her come out of her shell.

I felt that the other characters were realistic, for the most part. The two kids, Josh, Mrs. Schweiger – I found them all rather endearing. This story could have been set at any time of year, but the fact that it is set around the Christmas holiday makes it more special. Gretchen is missing her husband Kyle and more than ever wants to see him at Christmas. Everyone gets caught up in the Christmas spirit, but this is a story about friendship, love, transformation, and forgiveness, which could be appropriate for any season.

There are no loose ends in The Christmas Note. Things come together and are nicely packaged and tied up with a pretty bow, just the way I like my Christmas reading to be.

4 stars