Theodora, the 93-year-old matriarch of a Charleston mansion, has all the family members home for Christmas. They seem to have lost the meaning of family and Christmas making Theodora one disappointed and saddened great-grandma. Suddenly, her current maid is called away on an emergency and Theodora's maid from her childhood comes back from the dead to straighten the family out.

I was enjoying learning about the traditions this great-grandma experienced as a child, but then the "ghost" appeared and my interest vanished. (Ha! There was no pun intended there.) Knowing I could handle ghosts (due to my successful reading of The Graveyard Book), I refocused to finish it out. There was too much family drama to be turned into happy-happy joy-joy with just the click of the fingers. It just didn't work for me. Bah humbug. (2.5/5)

Originally posted on: "Thoughts of Joy..." ( )

Theodora is 93 years old and not looking forwards to Christmas. She loved them as a child, but her selfish, argumentative and undisciplined descendents are horrible to be around. Theodora's maid is called away and her no nonsense maid, Pearl, from way back in the 1920's returns as a Christmas ghost to sort the family out.

You would think this type of book would be right up my alley wouldn't you? But I just failed to engage with any of the characters -including Theodora who has to accept some of the blame for her snivelling family instead she was preachy and condescending and didn't even try and change things herself.

The only good thing about the book is that it was very short. ( )

Promising start with an elderly lady reminiscing about Christmases past but went downhill rapidly. It was far too over sentimental for my tastes. Seems to be an attempt to imitate Dickens but fails dismally. My main complaint with the book is the way that the characters changed overnight and forgave each other for all the hurt they had done to each other. I know the underlying message that the author is aiming for is one of love and forgiveness but this story was far too schmaltzy and unbelievable for me.

Its redeeming feature is the mouth-watering recipes at the back of the book. I have yet to try them out but they sound delicious. ( )

Interesting short book by Dorothea Benton Frank and though different from her other books, enjoyable. The main character, Theodora (an interesting twist on the author's name) is the matriarch of a family which has lost its way and is gathering for Christmas. A ghost enters, in the form of Theodora's old housekeeper, Pearl, and things begin to happen. At first it gets worse but as time goes on the the family confronts each other, works though some issues and comes together. I am not one for ghost stories but Pearl is likable and gets things done. Her purpose is to have the family see the truth, a little like Clarence in It's a Wonderful Life.
Frank always paints the South in a vivid way and you see the Southern Christmas traditions and foods with recipes included at the end of the book. A sentimental story, yes, but an enjoyable Christmas read and one that families could read together. ( )

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