Christmas Bells: A Novel

Christmas Bells: A Novel

New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Chiaverini celebrates Christmas, past and present, with a wondrous novel inspired by the classic poem â€œChristmas Bells,â€ by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

I heard the bells on Christmas Day/ Their old familiar carols play/ And wild and sweet/ The words repeat/Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
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In 1860, the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow family celebrated Christmas at Craigie House, their home in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The publication of Longfellowâ€™s classic Revolutionary War poem, â€œPaul Revereâ€™s Ride,â€ was less than a month hence, and the countryâ€™s grave political unrest weighed heavily on his mind. Yet with his beloved wife, Fanny, and their five adored children at his side, the delights of the season prevailed.

In present-day Boston, a dedicated teacher in the Watertown public school system is stunned by somber holiday tidings.Â Sophiaâ€™sÂ music program has been sacrificed to budget cuts, and she worries not only about herÂ impending unemployment but also about the consequences to her underprivileged students. At the church where she volunteers as music director, Sophia tries to forget her cares as she leads the childrenâ€™s choir in rehearsal for a Christmas Eve concert. Inspired to honor a local artist, Sophia has chosen a carol set to a poem by Longfellow, moved by the glorious words he penned one Christmas Day long ago, even as he suffered great loss.

Christmas BellsÂ chronicles the events of 1863, when the peace and contentment ofÂ Longfellowâ€™sÂ family circle was suddenly, tragically broken, cutting even deeper than the privations of wartime. Through the pain of profound loss and hardship, Longfellowâ€™s patriotism never failed, nor did the power of his language. â€œChristmas Bells,â€ the poem he wrote that holiday, lives on, spoken as verse and sung as a hymn.Â

Jennifer Chiaveriniâ€™s resonant and heartfelt novel for the season reminds us why we must continue to hear glad tidings, even as we are tested by strife. ReadingÂ Christmas BellsÂ evokes the resplendent joy of a chorus of voices raised in reverent song.
Country USA
Manufacturer Dutton
Binding Kindle Edition
ReleaseDate 2015-10-27
Format Kindle eBook

Country	USA
Manufacturer	Dutton
Binding	Kindle Edition
ReleaseDate	2015-10-27
Format	Kindle eBook

Christmas Bells: A Novel

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