The Romance of a Christmas Card. Kate Douglas Wiggin. 1916. 116 pages. [Source: Bought]
First sentence: It was Christmas Eve and a Saturday night when Mrs. Larrabee, the Beulah minister's wife, opened the door of the study where her husband was deep in the revision of his next day's sermon, and thrust in her comely head framed in a knitted rigolette.
Premise/plot: A minister's wife, Reba Larrabee, pens two Christmas cards; the illustrations she's drawn are inspired by a dear friend--and feature her cottage/home. The verses accompanying the pictures--well, one of them at least--is super sentimental and inspirational. (The other is more commercial and is more being pushed on her than true to her). The theme of this one is prodigal 'sons' returning home.
My thoughts: I found the story a bit confusing at times. I'm not sure if the fault is in the writing--so many characters being introduced in tricky ways--or my own for possibly being distracted while reading. But the theme is that of 'lost' or 'wayward' souls finding their way back home to friends and family. There are two men--David and Dick--who make their way home to this community of Beulah during the Christmas season as a result of these TWO different cards. Dick is the minister's son; David is the brother of Letty, the woman featured in the card. He's left behind TWO children that have been cared for by their aunt since their birth.
© 2020 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
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