Against the irresistible backdrop of Christmas in New England,
bestselling author Holly Chamberlin creates a heartfelt and memorable
novel--a story of reunited family, new beginnings, and unconditional
love--the best gift of all.
To outsiders, Appleville, New Hampshire, is a storybook small town
complete with a little white church and a gazebo on the village green.
To Gincy Gannon Luongo, it was a place to escape from, as quickly and as
permanently as she could. Since she moved away twenty years ago,
Appleville has been her hometown in name only. But at her brother
Tommy's urging, Gincy is coming back to visit their recently widowed
mother in the weeks leading up to Christmas--and she's bringing her
teenage daughter, Tamsin, with her.
Ellen Gannon, once feisty and strong-willed, is mired in depression six
months after losing her husband. Tommy isn't doing much better. Gincy
starts restoring order to the household in her usual practical way, but
the real issues run much deeper than an empty fridge or an unpaid bill.
Imagined slights and lingering resentments have created chasms between
them all.
With each passing day, Gincy realizes she has seriously undervalued her
mother and underestimated her brother. Only now, with the support of her
husband, daughter, and best friends, is she starting to see how much she
may have missed. For beyond the surface of every family and every
picturesque town is something more complicated but infinitely more
rewarding--a tapestry of those small acts of acceptance, love, and
loyalty that could transform this Christmas into the best Gincy's ever
known.
Praise for the novels of Holly Chamberlin"Chamberlin's latest is a great
summer read but with substance. It will find a wide audience in its
exploration of sisterhood, family, and loss." --Library Journal on
Summer with My Sisters
"Nostalgia over real-life friendships lost and regained pulls readers
into the story." --USA Today on Summer Friends
"A thoughtful social commentary and tender narration of friendship and
loyalty." --Publishers Weekly on Last Summer
"A dramatic and moving portrait of several generations of a family and
each person's place within it." --Booklist on The Family Beach House
