The Christmas Blessing [ABRIDGED]

Rating:
Summary: A Fantastic Sequel to 'The Christmas Shoes'
Review: We met young Nathan Andrews in THE CHRISTMAS SHOES, where he met a kind man named Robert Layton, who gave him the money that he needed to buy his dying Mother a pair of sparkly shoes, so she would look nice when she went to Heaven. Now, years later, Nathan has grown up, and is now a third year medical student, having doubts about his future career. He realizes that he still has a lot to learn about blessings, sacrifice, and faith, and when he meets Meghan Sullivan, a track star born with a hole in her heart, he knows that she will be the one to teach him those things. He also knows that he will learn lessons from Meghan's young friend, Charlie, who is wise beyond his years, and also a heart patient. Between the two of them, they will help Nathan to overcome one of the most difficult times in his life.

As sequels are not always as good as the first in a series, I had doubts about buying this book. But now, I couldn't be happier that I purchased it. THE CHRISTMAS BLESSING is just as good, if not better, than THE CHRISTMAS SHOES. VanLiere has made Nathan a kind, and intelligent young man, and Meghan is a fantastic young woman filled with hope and love, who is reminiscent of Nicholas Sparks' Jamie Sullivan (of A WALK TO REMEMBER). Charlie is a young boy, who's illness has forced him to grow up much too fast, but who keeps his head up, and a smile on his face. Fans of VanLiere's last novel THE CHRISTMAS SHOES, or Nicholas Sparks' A WALK TO REMEMBER, will cherish THE CHRISTMAS BLESSING forever, and pass it down from generation to generation. A must-have book for the holiday season, or any other time of the year.

Erika Sorocco

Rating:
Summary: Better than "The Christmas Shoes"
Review: Were you left panting at the end of "The Christmas Shoes" to know more about the 23-year-old medical student Robert Layton met on an icy Christmas Day at the cemetery?

Well... this book is for you.

"The Christmas Blessing" is the sequel to VanLiere's "The Christmas Shoes," and it's a better book overall. The characters are less stereotyped, the plot is somewhat less predictable, and the preachy passages have been toned down. Like the first book, it's also a tear-jerker, so keep the tissues handy.

In this book, we see the eight-year-old, sequin-shoe-buying boy after fifteen years have passed. He is now a medical student coping with life, death, and insecurities on rotation as a medical student in the hospital.

It is not necessary to have read "The Christmas Shoes" to read this book, although I imagine that most readers will take the books in order.

This book is recommended for anyone who enjoyed "The Christmas Shoes," enjoys sappy, romantic stories, or the miraculous nature of everyday family love. It might also be appropriate for students and others who are struggling with whether or not they have made the right choices.