From Donna VanLiere, the New York Times bestselling author of The Christmas Hope series comes another heartwarming, inspirational story for the holidays, The Christmas Table. In June 1972, John Creighton determines to build his wife Joan a kitchen table. His largest project to date had been picture frames but he promises to have the table ready for Thanksgiving dinner. Inspired to put something … dinner. Inspired to put something delicious on the table, Joan turns to her mother’s recipes she had given to Joan when she and John married.
In June 2012, Lauren Mabrey discovers she’s pregnant. Gloria, Miriam, and the rest of her friends at Glory’s Place begin to pitch in, helping Lauren prepare their home for the baby. On a visit to the local furniture builder, Lauren finds a table that he bought at a garage sale but has recently refinished. Once home, a drawer is discovered under the table which contains a stack of recipe cards. Growing up in one foster home after another, Lauren never learned to cook and is fascinated as she reads through the cards. Personal notes have been written on each one from the mother to her daughter and time and again Lauren wonders where they lived, when they lived, and in a strange way, she feels connected to this mother and her daughter and wants to make the mother proud.
The story continues to from 1972 to 2012 as Joan battles breast cancer and Lauren learns to cook, preparing for the baby’s arrival. As Christmas nears, can Lauren unlock the mystery of the table, and find the peace she’s always longed for?
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4.5* Hope and Faith Stars
This was a beautiful heartfelt Christian story about two women, Joan and Lauren set in different time periods. Joan’s story begins in 1972 where we are introduced to her and her close-knit family and newly married Lauren in 2012 where she is about to begin a family.
Both women are surrounded by caring families, strong friendships and an abundance of love. Their journey towards each other starts with a Kitchen Table that was painstaking built by Joan’s husband John for her as she battled breast cancer. 40 years later the table has made its way into the home of Lauren and her husband Travis. When a secret drawer is discovered a stack of recipe cards are found, all handwritten and personalised to a loved one, Lauren is inspired to cook using them and feels a strong desire to return them to their rightful owner. As Laurens search begins, new friends are made, and life lessons are learnt.
The ending of the book was so perfect and beautiful, I felt so happy and content.
The Christmas Table by Donna VanLiere is an excellent holiday romance that weaves between 1972 and 2012. Two families that at first couldn’t be more different, a generation apart, yet more in common then realized and forever tied together by love, compassion, heart, loss, friendship, forgiveness, and a beautiful black walnut table.
This book was heartwarming, heartbreaking, enjoyable, and memorable. I loved the plot, the cast of characters, and I loved the ending. It could not be more perfect. I will leave the specifics of the plot to the reader to unwrap and enjoy themselves. It is truly special.
5/5 stars enthusiastically
Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.
Christmas in July – reading The Christmas Table was like the Hallmark Channel in a book, and not at all in a bad way. This was a lovely read full of small town charm and good feelings. It’s set in two time periods, 40 years apart – in 1972 John is attempting to build a dining table for his wife, Joan. In 2012 newlywed Lauren finds a great deal on a table that’s been recently refinished. When she gets it home, she finds a stash of handwritten recipes with notes from a mother to a daughter. She enjoys learning to cook from the recipe cards, but also feels compelled to try to find the daughter who she’s sure would want to have those cards. There’s a cast of supporting characters from the town in both stories. I haven’t read the other books in this series, and as I came across those supporting characters I had that “there’s a backstory there” feeling, but not in a way that kept me from enjoying the story at hand. As a nice bonus – while reading about all the dishes Lauren was learning to cook, I began to wish the recipes were actually in the book. Eventually I took a peek ahead and sure enough – at the end of the book, the recipes are there!
Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing a copy for an unbiased review.
What a sweet, warm fuzzy kind of story! Telling events in both 1972 (incidentally, that was the year my parents were married) and present day, we learn the history of a table made with great love in a time of great distress, and the joy of finding that same table, some 40 years later, during a time of great joy. The table itself brings people together in the strangest of circumstances and it’s lovely to see how it continues bringing people together decades later. I very much enjoyed it! I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and was under no obligation to write a review.
I loved this book. The way the two stories worked together and the ending was simply perfect. It was such an uplifting love story all the way around. I can’t recommend this beautiful book enough.
This was a special holiday novel! The story alternates between a family in the past and a family in the present time. The characters were wonderful! The story had its serious moments but also so much fun humor. The surprises throughout the story were so good also.
What an emotional journey The Christmas Table turned out to be for me.
Told in two different timeframes, by two different women facing far different lives – still, the connections they will share through the recipes discovered in the drawer of a refurbished kitchen table will pierce your heart one moment and bring a smile the very next.
Since the Cover Description Blurb already tells you much of this story I don’t really want to go into any more details. I’m simply going to say that although I’ve read and enjoyed other books in the Christmas Hope series, this one will stay with me long, long after I closed that final page. Joan and Lauren became very alive, flesh women to me as I got lost in their story. They and their emotions, their difficulties, and their joys mattered – and I enjoyed every moment spent with them. Vague? Yes, but you should discover the details first-hand.
I enjoyed The Christmas Table immensely and will be re-reading it again in my yearly Christmas stories collection re-read marathon.
*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher, St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*
It has been a while since I have read a Donna VanLiere story. The Christmas Table made me feel like I had returned home to a warm, welcoming group of friends who are more like family than friends. Sweet and touching time-slip story with a hint of mystery that wraps up joyfully at the end. This story brings familiar characters like Gloria and Miriam back to the spot-light. Their wit and banter keep the story light even when it touches on difficult and painful subjects. You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. You’ll celebrate at the end when the mystery of The Christmas Table is revealed. Note: This story is full of amazing recipes which the author shares at the end of the book. Prepare to have an appetite and desire to cook when you finish reading this book.
I look forward to Donna VanLiere’s Christmas books every year. While this wasn’t my favorite of her books, I enjoyed this sweet Christmas story.
This is a unique story about a used table that Lauren Mabrey buys from a furniture store. There’s a history that comes with the table. It’s a time split novel that travels from May 1972 ( Joan and John Creighton) to May 2012 ( Lauren and Travis Mabrey). Readers get to know two different families and find out the story and history behind this table.
After bringing the table home Lauren finds a drawer under the table top. Inside she finds some old family recipes. Lauren doesn’t cook and becomes fascinated with following the recipes and learning to put out good meals for Travis. She knows that somewhere someone is missing these recipes and begins a search to return them to their rightful owner.
There’s a lot of heartache and challenges with the Creighton family in 1972. John built the table from scrap wood he found in a barn. He hopes to have it done by October but than circumstances causes him to fall behind schedule. He sets a new goal for Thanksgiving but then moves it to Christmas. His goal is to give it to Joan for Christmas.
It’s a tradition for me to read at least one book by Donna VanLiere every Christmas. This book was different because Christmas came at the end of the book. I loved the way the story led up to Christmas and the spirit of the season is certainly not missing. I got caught up in the story of both these families and thought the ending of the book bought closure.
If your read Christian Fiction and love the Author’s books this story is for you. There are other books in this series that have the same characters. However I feel that the book can be read as a standalone. The meaning of the story will not be lost if read as a stand alone. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did.
I borrowed a copy of this book from my local Library. A review was not requested. All opinions expressed here are my own.
A heartwarming story like my favorite Hallmark Christmas movies I love watching each year! Filled with family, friendship bonds, faith, yummy recipes, all neatly packaged up and tied with a ribbon waiting for the reader to open it. It’s also a dual timeline, going from 1972 to 2012, but the author doesn’t miss a beat and seamlessly weaves together past with present. The ending was my favorite, there were surprises that just made the story even more special!
My first book by Donna VanLiere, who is now a beloved favorite author! I’m definitely seeking out the rest of her books. She has a way of making a story come to life, characters that feel like treasured friends, and a gentle faith thread that speaks truth into your life. A must-read for anyone who loves Christmas stories, Hallmark movies, and tales that tug at your heart!
This book was really cool to read and it didn’t go like I had thought it would which is not a bad thing. It starts off in 1972 with John and his wife and two children. John has decided that he is going to make a dining table for his wife and he hopes to have it finished by Thanksgiving. His wife, Joan, decides that if she is getting a table than she needs to cook better meals, so she starts using her mother’s recipe cards. Her children, Gigi and Christopher love to help her cook and soon they are having a grand time. Then the unthinkable happens and Joan is diagnosed with breast cancer. Soon the table construction is moved to the back burner as John must take care of Joan and the kids. When Joan has her first surgery, John meets a man at the hospital and they bond over their interest in woodworking and the man gets John to thinking about God and how today might be the day that God is doing something grand. We then fast forward to 2012 and meet Lauren, Gloria, Miriam and Andrea. Lauren recently got married and soon learns that she is about to be a mother. Since her house is still in need of some TLC, Gloria, Andrea and Miriam decide to help her decorate. Lauren and Miriam find a lovely table at Larry’s furniture shop. Lauren soon discovers a hidden drawer which contains a collection of recipe cards, each card not only contains the recipe, but also comments and stories from a mother to her daughter. Lauren then decides that she must find the family that these recipes belong to because she just knows that they were never meant to be given away. The story continues going back and forth between Lauren and Joan and I knew at some point that they were going to intersect, but I didn’t know just how much it was all going to overlap. I really enjoyed this book and its reference to God and the way He works in our lives.
Thanks to NetGalley, Donna VanLiere and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read an ARC of this book. This is my freely given review and all thoughts and ideas expressed above are strictly my own.
The Christmas Table is wonderfully poignant and I happily had tears in my eyes throughout most of it. Donna VanLiere is a new-to-me author and her gift at telling a shorter tale that is rich with emotion has me in awe of her writing. The story being told from two timeframes, 4o years apart, flowed beautifully as we get to see the beginnings of a very special Christmas table and the life it led for not one but two families.
She uses the joy of cooking as Joan tries her mother’s special recipes for the first time in 1972, some turning out good, others not so much, as she suffers a health setback and is left wondering if she’ll ever truly master these dishes.
In the meantime, in 2012, Lauren has a wonderful husband and lives in a small town where everyone helps each other daily. Needing to furnish her new home, she stumbles upon a refurbished table that would be perfect for her kitchen. A secret drawer reveals a stack of recipes with handwritten notes from a mother to her daughter and the utter joy felt by Lauren as she feels a sudden closeness to this long ago relationship has her mastering each dish and eventually wanting to find the rightful owner of these culinary treats.
The way the author weaves in and out of each story, allowing the two worlds to intersect after some luck and perseverance give it a realness I couldn’t resist. The characters had me laughing out loud one minute and sniffling the next. And each and every person in both years were special and appreciated.
There is a slight bit of spirituality that is used later in the story but it was perfectly placed and never felt preachy nor over the top. I saw it as necessary when things seem at their most dire and together with perhaps a bit of God’s help and fate, getting to see how all of these characters’ actions led them to a truly extraordinary conclusion, was just beautiful.
I look forward to exploring more of the author’s work and in the meantime give The Christmas Table 5 heartfelt stars!
This is a delightful holiday story.
The story takes place in two different years, 1972 and 2012. The situation in each on is very different. They are both incredibly easy to immerse yourself in. The characters in both years were easy to connect with. At times throughout the book my heart broke for what was going on. Other times I was filled with joy.
The story makes we wish I lived in a small town like Grandon. It is wonderful how everyone works together to help whoever needs it.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher, through NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All of the opinions expressed are my own.
Disclaimer: *Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a copy of this book for free in the hope that I would mention or review it on my blog. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion – which I have done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*
The Christmas Table is a split time story taking place in 1972 and 2012. Was it a coincidence that two men met in the hospital waiting room where their wives are receiving cancer treatment in 1972 and Larry told John “All I know is God is big enough and powerful enough to create a tree and a seed and big enough to restructure a damaged heart and get rid of cancer cells. I don’t know why that happens for some people and not others. But when people are sick, I pray for them because that’s what I can do. I leave the rest to God and however He sees fit to heal…or not heal here on earth.” John is working to make a kitchen table by Thanksgiving. You will admire the deep commitment between John and Joan and how they strive to make happy memories for their children. One way Joan does this is by learning to cook recipes her mother sends her.
In 2012 Lauren and her husband learn she is pregnant. Lauren who grew up in foster care worries that she won’t be a good mother. Is it a coincidence that she finds a collection of recipe cards in a drawer under an old table she buys. Lauren feels the recipes need to be given to the family who had them originally and seeks to find their origin. You will love this sweet story and the surprise ending. I received an advance e-copy of The Christmas Table from the author and NetGalley. This is my honest opinion.
First let me start off by saying that I’m going to have to get the first nine books because I love this book so very much. It really touches most of your emotions and shows you the true meaning of Christmas. Thanks for a great book Donna!
The Christmas Table is the third novel set in Donna VanLiere’s fictional Christmas town of Grandon. As with the first in these books, the character of focus is Lauren Gabrielle Mabrey. Recently married to civil servant Travis Mabrey, when the young couple discovers they are expecting, Lauren’s surrogate mothers, Gloria and Vivian, instigate the refurbishing of the couple’s small home. This includes shopping for needed furniture. One of the first items for the home is the purchase of a table for their kitchen. They find a beautifully refinished maple table in local woodworker Larry’s shop with a special surprise when it is in place. There is a hidden drawer beneath the table containing a collection of lovingly handwritten recipe cards from mother to daughter.
When Lauren discovers these recipes she takes their messages to heart and begins a journey of learning to cook, which she shares with Travis. She also begins a search to find the rightful heir to these recipes, which takes her on a wonderful journey. Lauren, a product of the foster system, instinctively knows that she must return these messages to the person for which they were meant.
Again, we have a delightful Christmas tale that highlights the meaning of family and that, too often, family is chosen, not hereditary. In the search for the rightful owner, we also learn the story of Joan and John and their children, transversing between 1972 and 2012. This is another heartwarming Christmas story from Ms, VanLiere. I very much enjoyed this book and certainly do recommend it!
A heartwarming, emotional and sweetly thrilling journey filled with witty and engaging charters, memorable dialog, heart racing twists and exciting turns all centered around an intriguing plot. An edge of your seat, highly entertaining read.
I have only read a few of the books in this series. I don’t think it made a difference, though I am glad that I read the previous book (The Christmas Star). This was a wonderful sequel and I believe that it made The Christmas Table a pleasure to read because of the information I learned in The Christmas Star.
This was such a warm and cozy book filled with love, family, faith, hope, and recipes. Ahhh! So delicious recipes! The dual timeline flowed smoothly and pulls you into the story and has you invested in the lives of the characters. The simple kitchen table will bring together family and friends and enrich their lives in many ways. Such wonderful blessings are shared throughout the pages. Your heart will be warmed and your spirit lifted as you experience the love between themen and women who become part of the story.
I am definitely going back and reading the earlier books in the series and will continue to follow them as the author hopefully continues the Christmas Hope series.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
A very sweet, well-written Christmas tale about two families in two different time periods and the Christmas table they have in common.
Highly recommend.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. My thoughts and opinions are my own and without bias or favor.