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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Imagine yourself finding a treasure whose value is being discovered with each page turn.
That’s how Lauren finds herself discovering handwritten recipe cards in a secret drawer on an old table bought in a sale yard.
She expects a baby and in this new journey, dreams and hopes are built, as she learns to cook through these recipes.
On the other hand, we know the story of the table, when it was made by John Creighton for his wife, Joan, who was supposed to be ready by Christmas.
And again, the reader walks through the emotions experienced by this other family, in hopes and sorrows, when Joan discovers the cancer.
Two families, two stories that cross over a table and recipes cards, making us think, feel and touch the story through time.
4 stars
The Christmas Table by Donna VanLiere is part of the Christmas Hope series. Lauren’s story started in The Christmas Town and I recommend reading it prior to beginning The Christmas Table. All the books in this series are a delight to read. I thought The Christmas Table was well-written with steady pacing. The characters are realistic and relatable. They have fears, joys, heartaches, and tribulations just like real people. This is a dual timeline novel that takes readers between 1972 and 2012. Joan Creighton along with her husband, John and their two children are looking forward to the holidays. John is determined to build the family a dining room table out of walnut he found in an old barn. While Joan tackles the recipes given to her by her mother. Their lives are upended when Joan is diagnosed with breast cancer. Things begin to look grim for the family when John meets someone who gives him hope. Lauren Mabrey discovers she is pregnant which thrills her and her husband, Travis. She wants to make sure that her child has a warm, loving home to grow up in. Her friends from Glory’s Place begin the makeover under bossy Miriam’s direction. Lauren finds handwritten recipe cards in a dining table that she purchased. They contain detailed instructions along with family memories. Lauren wants to return the recipe cards to their rightful owner and sets out to find them based on clues in the stories. I like how the author tied the two stories together. We see Lauren learning to cook using the cards and enjoying the special tales on each one. The ending was touching. Some of the recipes from the book are included at the end. I am looking forward to trying Aunt Dee Dee’s Peanut Butter Fudge (I have been trying to find the right recipe for years). The Christmas Table would make a charming Christmas movie. I enjoyed reading The Christmas Table which is a heartwarming, faith filled tale.
The Christmas Table is a book for all seasons. We see life through the eyes of John and Joan Creighton and their children Gigi and Christopher from the spring of 1972. John is challenged to complete a kitchen table for Joan from three beautiful slabs of black walnut wood in his little workshop behind the house. Joan would love to have it completed by Thanksgiving or Christmas, but no pressure.
Their tale alternates with that of Travis and Lauren Mabrey beginning in May of 2012. Lauren is barely pregnant with their first child, and Travis takes time out from his job with the county parks department to search in antique stores and garage sales for the perfect table to fill their kitchen with family traditions. By Christmas, they will be parents. Lauren is a clerk in the floral department of Clauson’s Supermarket by morning, and in the afternoon is one of several women responsible for Glory’s Place, a haven for disadvantaged children with meals and after-school programs. In the drawer of the black walnut table that Travis found, is a packet of 3 x 5 recipe cards, each with notes from a loving mother to her newly married daughter, and instructions for completing the dish as would be needed by a new cook. Lauren is inexperienced in the kitchen but she is learning a lot about preparing foods from these little recipe cards, although she is certain that the recipient of the recipes would not have just left them to strangers. Unfortunately, there are no hints as to the names of the recipient nor the sender of the cards, although there are several references to Bud, a dairyman with excellent milk and milk products. Lauren has friends and family trying to find a dairyman named Bud from 30 or more years ago, as he might be able to help her find the rightful owner of these treasures. In the meantime, she has made copies for herself to begin her own recipe collection. Some of the recipes are included in this story – you probably won’t be able to avoid trying them out for yourself. I sure couldn’t.
I received a free electronic ARC of this excellent novel from Netgalley, Donna VanLiere, and St. Martin’s Press. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this novel of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. Donna VanLiere is an author to look for when you need that little lift of faith or hope to be found in the kind eyes of another.
The Christmas Table by Donna VanLiere, published by St. Martin’s Press, is a heart warming, stand alone, romance novel that gave me all the feels and brought me right into the holiday mind. The storyline follows two families in two time tables. It all started in the 1970ties, only to peak in the 2012ths.
The story jumps between the to timelines and it took me a minute to get accosted to, but then , yes I greatly enjoyed this sweet, peaceful, low on drama beautifully thought out, beautifully told and beautifully written read.
And as goody, I found wonderful recipes that I had to try out and all I’m saying is: yummy, yummy.
This is a new-to-me author, and I have to admit that I almost passed on this story. I’m don’t tend to read books from a series unless I have read the previous books. The synopsis of this story really drew me in and, looking back at the previous books, I realized they aren’t actually connected in a way that makes it necessary to read the others first. In fact, after reading this book I can say it read as a true standalone to me.
Let me warn you, this story will make you cry. My tears weren’t all of sadness, there were also tears of joy at times. Joan is such a marvelous mother and wife, and John a virtuous and loving husband and father. The love between these two is a beautiful thing. No matter what life throws in their path, they never waver. When one feels like giving up the fight, the other just fights harder until they are on equal footing again.
The jumping back in forth was done seamlessly and with great skill. I was never confused as to who I was reading about or what era I was in. While I enjoyed the story of John and Joan the most, Lauren’s story helped to bring light when things got dark.
I’ll definitely be checking out the other books in this series. I’m a sucker for a good sentimental Christmas story, and this one checked all the boxes.
**I received an ARC of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely**
Every single book of Donna VanLiere’s Christmas Hope series has touched my heart, and her newest is no different. John Creighton’s hobby is woodworking and now he’s going to attempt his biggest project, a lovely black walnut table for his wife. Joan his wife is busy learning to cook using her mother’s detailed recipes. Turn the clock forward 40 years, and Lauren and Travis Mabrey pick up the table in an antique store. They find a stuck drawer underneath that is filled with amazing recipes that they begin to use. But Lauren is upset that someone has lost these amazing recipes and vows to find the person who lost them.
I loved that the wonderful characters from Glory’s Place once again appeared in this story as they always add a special touch. The dual timelines were heartwarming and real as Joan fights breast cancer and Lauren travels the road of her first pregnancy. It was so easy to get invested in each of their story lines. This story’s them was definitely family, friends, and faith. Love, laughter, kindness, and emotions filled each chapter making this story feel like you were a part of it. You just can’t beat a small town story. This HEA ending made it a perfect read for an early start to the Christmas season. If you have to choose just one Christmas book to read this year, make it The Christmas Table.
**I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions are mine alone. I was not compensated for this review.
I loved this heartwarming novel with characters that jump right out of the book and into your heart and a beautifully written story that seamlessly goes back and forth between 1972 and 2012. This is the first book I have read by Donna VanLiere but it definitely won’t be the last. “The Christmas Table” is a perfect read for this time of year and will inspire you, put a smile on your face, joy in your heart and ready for the holidays. I received an advance reader copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.
I love it when I find a new-to-me author that I really enjoy. This was a not a traditional Christmas story. It was more about the time leading up to it in two different times. We alternate between 1972 and 2012. Two different families connected by a table and recipes. Their lives and hope for a miracle. One with cancer and one with a baby on the way. Two women whose lives are about to change.
The story had all the emotions, I cried sad tears and happy tears.
I love the way the author tied these two stories together and the deeper connection at the end. A beautiful story and wonderful characters. I loved every minute of it.
This book was such a delight to read. It is more than a Christmas story, it is two stories about families that are tied together but just don’t know it….yet. The book flips between 1972 and 2012 and centers around some recipe cards that were found in a table in 2012 that were written by the mom in 1972. Joan in 1972 and Lauren in 2012 learn how to cook with these recipe cards and the notes are very specific. This was a blessing for both women since they knew how to make the basics and these were more complicated recipes (somewhat). I have to say that my mouth was watering while reading the book.
This is the tenth book in a series and some of the other reviews that I have read mentioned that the characters flow from the various books. I think I could tell that in this book by Lauren’s mention of her wedding and other details, but this book can easily be read as a standalone book. The author does a brilliant job of character development and I didn’t feel like I was coming into the second act of a play and missing information.
While the story focuses on the women surrounding Lauren (in 2012) when she discovers she is pregnant and supporting her, there is also a little bit of a mystery on whose table this was that Lauren purchased with the recipe cards. She wants to give them back and a surprise twist will reunite her with the owner. The story in 1972 follows Joan who is battling breast cancer. This hit close to home since I am a breast cancer survivor myself. It also shares her family’s response and you can see the love her husband has for her and wants her to keep fighting. Several members of the community come together to support the family especially spiritually.
All in all, this was a lovely book and I had a hard time putting it down. I will definitely take a look at some of her other books in the near future. We give this book 5 paws up.
The Christmas Table by Donna VanLiere was a sweet novel that focused on two families, forty years apart, connected by a handmade table. It’s full of hope and faith, something that is definitely needed in our world at this time.
When Lauren finds she’s expecting her first child, she realizes it’s time for her and her new husband to turn his bachelor pad into a family home, but she isn’t sure how to do it. Enlisting the aid of her good friends, one of the items she finds is a handmade table that has been rescued and refinished by a local woodworker/furniture maker. When she finds a hidden drawer containing a stack of recipe cards with special notes, it inspires her to not only learn to cook and bake but find the owner of the cards. Can she do it?
In 1972, Joan is diagnosed with breast cancer and things don’t look good. Her husband is determined to finish his handmade Christmas table in time for the family to have Christmas dinner around it. Joan’s diagnoses is devastating, but John feels that finding faith and hope, will get them through this time, and the Christmas table will be the perfect gift.
When I picked this one up, I didn’t realize that it was part of a series (number 10). When it came to Lauren’s part of the story, I did feel a bit lost, because there were so many characters to keep straight and so much history I had missed. In that respect, with the dual timeline Joan’s story was easier to follow, but luckily when I needed to, I was able to start making the connections. This novel isn’t quite a standalone, but once you get started, you will catch the flow.
THE CHRISTMAS TABLE is perfect for the season and, more so, for this crazy year. It’s a place to go and remember the good in life and the season.
Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for an advanced copy of this novel. All opinions are my own.
#TheChristmasTable #DianeVanLiere #StMartinsPress #ChristmasHope
I cannot say enough good about this book. I love, love, loved it!! It’s about two different families, starting in two different times, but how their stories are brought together is amazing. This is a story of love and faith and loving family and friends. Just what a Christmas story should be. You will laugh out loud at Gloria and Miriam. What a special friendship they have. I hope you’ll take the time to get to know Lauren, Travis, Joan, John, Gigi and the rest of these wonderful folks. I think you’ll be glad you did. I received this book from NetGalley, but my opinion is my own.
This was a surprisingly delightful book. The characters suck you in from the start. At first, I thought that there were too many characters in the 2012 time period. But they don’t play a major role, and it’s easy to keep track of everyone. I love books that deal with different time periods. You wonder how they will ever match up. You’ll find yourself praying that Joan will beat her cancer. The different characters that are introduced in both time periods play an integral part in God’s plan. This book is a prime example that God wastes nothing and uses all for good. So if you’re going through some rough times now, God knows what’s ahead and it will be good.
Newly married Lauren finds several handwritten recipe cards in a hidden drawer of a refinished hand-crafted kitchen table she buys from a local man in 2012. The recipes are sprinkled with family stories and helpful hints from mother to daughter. Lauren and her husband benefit from the delicious recipes and she finds a clue to begin a search for the family that has misplaced the treasure. The story flashes back and forth to 1972 to Joan and John the tables creator and his beloved wife. The best part of the story are the points in time when past meets present.
I enjoyed this wholesome faith based story. It’s a calm and tender read. There isn’t any big conflict, more the struggles of life’s challenges. The characters are people I’d like to know. Be prepared to be hungry after this read, the recipes sound delicious. They are in the back of the book as a delightful bonus.
I always eagerly await author Donna VanLiere’s latest entry in her Christmas Hope series. The Christmas Table is the tenth book in this inspirational, heartwarming, wonderful series, and it will make you laugh and cry and worry and hope as much as the other books have.
The story alternates between 1972 and 2012. In 2012 we are back at Glory’s Place, with the same wonderful staff from previous books. Lauren grew up in a foster home, so her time volunteering at Glory’s Place is special for her. She’s newly married, not very confident, loving her husband and being married but still searching for peace. When she learns she is pregnant, she and her husband and all their friends are overjoyed, but she still wonders if she can be a good mother. She buys a secondhand table with a drawer filled with recipe cards containing notes from a mother to a daughter. Lauren decides to try these recipes, to learn to cook, to hopefully cook one day with her own children.
Back to 1972 – John is making a table for his wife, Joan. He promised to have it ready for Thanksgiving dinner, so Joan, who never had much interest in cooking, turns to the recipe cards her mother has given her, detailing not just recipe ingredients and instructions but memories about how and where those meals were eaten. When Joan is diagnosed with breast cancer preparing those recipes becomes something of a quest for her – she wants to create happy memories for her own children and inspired by John’s sudden faith determines to fight her disease as hard as she can.
Circumstances and memories may be hard and harsh, but faith and friendship and family and hope play strong roles in both time periods. Although the story may make you sad, it also wraps you in a pleasant, warm feeling of love. There are some guesses you can make about the recipes and the table, but there are a lot of connections and unknowns that are slowly, pleasantly unraveled right up to the very satisfying conclusion.
Thanks to St. Martin’s Press for providing an advance copy of The Christmas Table for my honest review. All opinions are my own. This is a story – and series – to be read every Christmas. It captures the spirit and will warm your heart. I recommend it without hesitation.
ARC for honest review with no compensation received from St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley 4.5 stars
The Christmas Table is book 10 in the Christmas Hope series by Donna VanLiere and a new to me author. I will certainly be looking for more of her books!
What a heartwarming story that involves two families from 1972 and 2012 about a handmade table with a hidden drawer. This intertwining story will keep you wondering what’s around the corner for each family…tears, laughter, second chances and how this table brings them all together during the holiday season!
I enjoyed coming back to Grandon and Glory’s Place. This book is a continuation of Travis and Lauren’s story. As they prepare to bring a new life into the world, the people that work at Glory’s Place decide to help them make their house a home. Painting, decorating and buying pieces of furniture. In the process they found a box found of recipes. It is then that Lauren begins to teach herself how to cook. How can you be a Mom and not know how to feed your family. Those recipes are so special, that she decides to find the original owner. I also love that this book is told every other chapter to the original owners of the table and recipes. You find out that it is a small world and with faith, it turns out how it was meant to be.
I have never read anything by this author, I saw the cover and totally grabbed it. WOW!!! I could not put it down. This story is what Christmas is all about. This was an amazing read. Yes there are two stories being told but its not hard to keep up with what is going on. Both stories need to be told in order for it all to make sense. I loved Gloria a Mariam the relationship between those two will have you laughing so hard. There really wasn’t a character that I didn’t like. The author keeps this a good clean read and seriously oh so good you can’t go wrong. I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley. I was under no obligation to post a review and have given my honest opinion
This is such an emotional story about love and faith. I really liked the characters and probably gained 10 pounds reading all the recipes. In 1972 Joan battles cancer and tries to give her family memories in case the worse happens. Her husband, John had decided to make a table but it was pushed to the side because of Joan’s cancer. in 2012, Lauren and her husband find out they are having a baby. They haven’t been married long and needed to fix up their house a bit. When they bought a kitchen table, they discovered a pile of recipe cards stuck in a drawer under the table. Lauren just knows that she has to find the previous owner to return the recipes. A really good story.
Wow. I wasn’t sure about the two different time periods in one story but it was SO touching. And amazing. Truly a holiday story that will stay with me holiday season after holiday season.
John’s and Joan’s story broke my heart a bit, with all they had to endure and experience. What got to me was John’s never wavering devotion to Joan. Thru thick and thin, he was there for her – even if in private he doubted his own strength, to give her the love and support he knew she would need; would it be enough? Part of their journey is John’s attempts at making a table…it becomes a strong symbol in the story.
And Lauren and Trravis… They are about to have a baby! Her husband is as strong for her as John is for Joan. Lauren has had a hard childhood and doesn’t know how good of a mother she can be. But her friends at Glory’s Place – who are a hoot, btw – show her how love and faith can get her where she needs to be in life.
Although there was a faith slant to the story, I didn’t think it was heavy-handed. This book got to me; made a lasting impression as most of this author’s stories do. The end was pretty funny, too. Not in a hah-hah way but more of a ‘who woulda thunk?’ I recommend this book for your holiday shopping list to lift your spirits or those of your friends and family. @stmartinspress
A sweet Christmas tale, told in parallel time periods, linking two families to a dining room table.
1970s: Joan’s husband is planning to make her a dining room table, but life and illness get in the way. As she cooks meals with a set of recipe cards, we learn about their life.
2012: Newlywed Lauren is on a tight budget, she finds a dining room table for her home while searching for furniture for the organization where she volunteers. Finding a set of recipe cards in a hidden drawer, she learns to cook and brings in treats for her coworkers.
Lauren is on a quest to find the original owner of the table to reunite the recipe cards which are a treasure. The connection between the families through the cards is a charming story, and the hints along the way have you rooting for Lauren during this quest, and wondering what became of the first family.
Lauren’s pregnancy, along with the search, and miracles happening at Christmas, make this a heartfelt story with all the best of the holiday season.
**Received an ARC from the publisher**