THE CHRISTMAS SHOES by Donna VanLiere

Robert is a successful attorney who has everything in life -- and nothing at all. Focused on professional achievement and material rewards, Robert is on the brink of losing his marriage. He has lost sight of his wife, Kate, their two daughters, and ultimately himself. Eight year old Nathan has a beloved mother, Maggie, whom he is losing to cancer. But Nathan and his family are building a simple yet full life, and struggling to hold onto every moment they have together. A chance meeting on Christmas Even brings Robert and Nathan together-he is shopping for a family he hardly knows and Nathan is shopping for a mother he is soon to lose. In this one encounter, their lives are forever altered as Robert learns an important lesson: sometimes the smallest things can make all the difference. The Christmas Shoes is a universal story of the deeper meaning of serendipity, a tale of our shared humanity, and of how a power greater than ourselves can shape, and even save, our lives.




Rating: G
S: None
V: None
L: None


I have to confess...I didn't finish this book. I just couldn't. I enjoyed the storyline but not the way it was written. I wanted to finish it just to see how everyones lives got better.
I have another confession...I like the Christmas song this book is based on. Also, I don't mind the movie. But reading it wasn't the experience I hoped it would be.


Page 69 test:
""Mom, wait," she begged. "I didn't know that would upset you."
Evelyn patted her daughter's hand.
"I'm not upset. I just want to make sure Jack's had enough to eat." She attempted to make her getaway again.
"Mom, come on. Look at me, I can't chase you down. What's wrong?"
Evelyn sighed, trying her best to maintain control.
"It's just one of those things that I never imagined I'd ever have to think about," she said slowly. "I wish that Rachel would wear your dress. I wish that she'd want to wear it." Evelyn felt her emotions swelling, but she held them back. Jack leaned on the stove. This was a moment he knew would come, but he was not prepared for talking about the reality of Maggie not being with them for track races or football games, cheerleading tryouts or senior proms, graduations or wedding days. he braced himself as he walked into the living room and sat on the chair next to Maggie.
"Listen," Maggie started, looking at Jack and her mother. "We all know that Rachel's too young to remember me." A tear rolled slowly down Evelyn's face. "It's true, Mom. She is. But my things aren't going to make me alive to her. I want her to know things about my personality. I want her to know why I fell in love with her daddy. I want her to know that I would nearly burst into tears when I'd carry her through Ferguson's and..."