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 Heartwarming Stars!!
I’m a sucker for Christmas in July movies and stories and this book is a beautifully written tribute to family, holidays and what love between a mother and daughter means.
I loved how this book switched between 2012 and 1972 showing the dichotomy of families in the forty year time span. Lauren is a woman that doesn’t have a family given that she was in the foster system growing up so her husband and their friends are her family and she discovers these recipe cards in a secret drawer in a table she and her husband bought at a garage sale. I could feel how Lauren connected with these recipes and the little notes that were left on them and the very obvious love between mother and daughter.
This book is beautifully written and heartfelt giving me that warm fuzzy feeling throughout the book. I also am planning on making some of the recipes the Ms. VanLiere provided in the back of the book!!
Reading a Christmas story in the middle of the summer didn’t sound quite right in my mind, but there was all this talking about Christmas in July so I figured I’d give this one a try.
4 decades separates the story of Joan and John and Laura and Travis.
In the past we’ll follow Joan,John their kids, how the Christmas table came to be and a life crisis. In the present we get to know how Laura and Travis starts their life together also with a life altering situation.
And by chance the past and the present get mixed together.
At first I got so confused with all this jumping between the past and the present.
But after a few chapters in the flow of this shory changed for me. I got a clearer picture of what the two part of this story was all about. It was all about connecting the dots and find the clues of how all of this fits together.
By looking at the cover of this book you get a feeling that this is a very Christmasy story, but it really isn’t. The story is heading towards Christmas time. So just the right amount of Christmas at this time of the year.
The Christmas Table by Donna VanLiere
Starts with other works from the author.
Story follows John and Joanne and their kids in 1970’s where he’s challenged her to cook from her mother’s recipes.
She challenges him to make them a table for the holidays. He researches a lot and finds books at the library. Joanne gets her kids to help and often has to call her mother for help…
Story also follows Lauren and Travis and she’s pregnant and she helps out at daycare center and husband works for parks and recreation.
Lauren works for a floral shop and also volunteers at Gloria’s place for daycare for children. They have fundraisers to help with donations of food and supplies.
They bought a table and Travis finds a hidden drawer under filled with recipes. She has a mind to search for the real owner of the table.
Joanne is going through breast cancer and gets help from relatives and friends…
Today is the day-love this phrase know that I know what it means. They start believing in God and have faith.
Love the research Lauren does to find the owner and love the ending, never saw it ending this way.
Recipes are included at the end. Can’t wait to read more from this author.
I received this review book from the publicist from St. Martin’s Press via Net Galley and this is my honest opinion.
With a dual timeline and two sets of main characters, this is a heart-tugging and warm Christmas story about family, friends and finding your purpose in the world. The first timeline is 1972 with John Creighton and his wife Joan. They have two young children and Joan has cancer that she is battling bravely. John wants to do something special for his wife, so he decides to build a kitchen table for the family. Flash forward to 2012 with Lauren Mabrey, a young woman who has just discovered that she is pregnant. She and her husband have just started housekeeping, so they need to establish a special place for their new baby. Lauren gets the assistance of her helpful friends at Glory’s Place to find a new kitchen table and to decorate the baby’s nursery. The table is what draws the two timelines together. I really enjoyed reading Joan’s recipes that she got from her mother and that she is trying to pass down to her own daughter before the horrors of cancer take her away from her family. When Lauren discovers the recipe cards in the Christmas table, she starts learning how to cook, but she is also determined to find the one who wrote the recipes to begin with, knowing that they are a legacy. What a wonderful story this was of hope and love and what we leave behind! The story lines were engaging, and each time I read about Joan and then switched to Lauren, I was eager to go back to the other character, whoever it was at the time, in order to continue their story and discover the end of the story. There was a lot of emotion in each chapter, building to the end that was satisfying and also tear-bringing. Fans of VanLiere’s Christmas tales will find a lot of love within the pages of this book.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The 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 Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”
The Christmas Table is a sweet, heartwarming, Christmas book about faith, friendship, family, love and hope. Families forty years apart are linked by a very special table. This book has wonderful characters and tells a great story. I could not put it down.
The Christmas Table is my first read in the Christmas Hope series. So you can totally read it as a stand alone. I loved everything about this book and it was what I needed during these trying times. It gives you hope and inspiration. I felt the love and humanity. Its about the faith and true family values. It was like a feel good movie but in words. I could not put this book down and it makes me want to put up my Christmas tree in October!
What a wonderful holiday story! The book has two storylines that left me guessing at how they would work out in the end. It has a fantastic ending. I enjoyed every bit of the book even as I had to bring out the Kleenex. It left me feeling good and hopeful. You can’t ask for more! I could read this book over and over! I fully recommend it! I received a copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The Christmas Table is a heartfeels fantastic holiday read. You get several family stories rolled into one that will fill your heart and even bring tears to your eyes. I really loved this one and the magic of this dining table. It gives Lauren a sense of family she didn’t have growing up as she discovers a recipe box written from a mother to her daughter as she learns to cook for her new growing family. It brings people together and heals the past. I love learning the story behind Joan and her husband as she battles cancer and the bond she forms with her children in the kitchen. This book will give you the feels and then some. You will not be able to put it down.
This was my first read by Donna VanLiere and I was very pleasantly surprised. Holiday stories and clean stories are not usually my go-to but I really enjoyed this one immensely. I loved the back and forth between two different time periods and trying in my own mind to find out where and how everything connected. I loved the recipes. I loved the twist when the secret or mystery was revealed. I loved how I cried when the story went a completely different way than I expected. All in all a wonderful holiday story with amazingly lyrical, beautiful writing. I look forward to reading more from this author.
This inspirational book was different because two stories were being told at the same time until they intertwined together. One was about a family in 1972 and the other was the current story from 1972. Everything centered around a kitchen table that John made for his wife, Joan. If that table could talk the stories it would be able to tell about John and Joan and their children, Gigi and Christopher. It could also tell you how they found faith.
In 1972 when Lauren bought the table she discovered a hidden drawer underneath the table and it was filled with family recipes. This prompted her to want to return the recipes after making a copy of each for herself.
This is a touching story about the two different families and how it brought them and many others together to relive events from forty years ago. There are some surprises too that made the story special. There are also some delicious recipes at the end of the book. I received an advance copy of this book and I willingly chose to write an honest review.
This touching heartfelt novel captured my interest from the very beginning.
I loved the past and present connection throughout.
The characters were charming and memorable and especially loved Lauren and how she handled the struggles that she conquered.
I love the warm fuzzy feelings that I got while reading this thought-provoking story.
A special bonus there are many recipes throughout that sound delicious!!!
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for fair and honest review.
Today is the day. Something that seems so simple buy many of us lose sight of in the chaos of daily living. The Christmas Table is a wonderful reminder to look for beauty in the moments, to cherish the memories we make and know that faith and love are powerful. Through Lauren, a woman building a family with her husband Travis, we experience the joy of finding family in unlikely places and something Lauren doesn’t expect based on her childhood experiences. Through Joan, we experience the power of love and faith as their world is tested. I felt every emotion for both of these women that inspired me and lifted my spirits. I voluntarily read an ARC of this book and this is my honest review.
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 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.
I really enjoyed this Christmas in July story & how it’s set in two different times forty years apart. A well written read that was heart warming & the addition of some of the recipes at the end was appreciated. Strong characters & a gentle pace made for a relaxing read
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read
I adore this book. It was a little difficult to read at first. It switched back and forth between 1972 and 2012 rapidly and we were introduced to way too many characters too quickly and without much explanation. This left me feeling like my head was spinning. However, about 15% into the book it calms down and you get a sense of the characters and it starts working. DO NOT let that stop you from reading this book! It’s wonderful!! I cried sad tears and I cried happy tears reading this book, especially at the end. There are wonderful recipes throughout the book, some complete, some not plus other full recipes in the back that made me want to try cooking more just like the characters.
Now, for the story. Joan and John Creighton and their two kids are a loving family in 1972. Joan decides to try to learn to cook because of all her wonderful childhood memories with family meals. John, a newbie woodworker decides to build a kitchen table by Thanksgiving. In 2012, you meet Lauren Mabrey who’s a newlywed that is helpless when it comes to decorating her new home. With the help of her friends from work, the house gets painted, decorated, and they buy a table from a local woodworker. Okay, you think you know where the story’s going, but it’s not quite what you expect, it’s better. There are happy times and tragic times in this book and that’s where the tears come in. There is a cancer diagnosis that mirrored my own mother’s struggle and that hit a little too close to home even though my mom’s been gone for over seven years. I’m not sure if this book is categorized as Christian fiction because I had no idea faith would be mentioned when I decided to read it, but it’s not preachy. In fact, much like the characters saying that the right people said the right thing to them right when they needed it the most; this book did that for me. Hence, more tears. It does have a happy ending overall.
This is a story with all the feels!! From page one, The Christmas Table by Donna VanLiere, book ten in her Christmas Hope series, grabbed me and held me hostage until I turned the last page, finishing the story, wanting more. This is a heartwarming and inspirational holiday story; you might need to keep those tissues nearby.
The story begins in June of 1972 when John Creighton decides to build a kitchen table for his wife Joan. Prior to this decision he had made picture frames, but was determined to have the table ready for Thanksgiving dinner. With this deadline, Joan becomes inspired to cook something delicious for that first meal; turning to the recipes her mother gave her when she married.
Fast forward 40 years to June 2012 when Lauren Mabrey discovers she is pregnant. With the help of her friends from Glory’s Place, everyone pitches in to help Lauren and Trey prepare their home for the baby. Visiting the local furniture builder, Lauren finds a table that he bought years ago at a garage sale and only recently refinished. Once the table arrives at her home, Lauren discovers a drawer under the table which contains a stack of recipe cards. Growing up in foster homes, Lauren never learned to cook and is fascinated as she reads through the card. Each card has a personal note, written by the mother for her daughter making Lauren wonder where they lived. They also make her feel connected to this mother and daughter and wants to make the mother proud.
Alternating between 1972 and 2012 as Joan battles breast cancer and Lauren learns to cook as she prepares for her baby’s arrival. Along the way, each is blessed by the people, friends and strangers, around them and in their community. As Christmas approaches, Lauren is hopeful to unlock the mystery behind table and bring happiness to the family who loss it.
Ms. VanLiere writes to the soul; the soul of her characters and the soul of her readers. This wonderful, heartwarming story was emotional, moving, tear inducing, filled with wonderful dialogue, and endearing characters that is must read. I highly recommend The Christmas Table to other readers.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
This was my first book by Donna VanLiere. I had read that she did fantastic Christmas stories and wanted to try her. I’m so glad I did!
The Christmas Table is a dual timeline story of two different families. This was really different than any other story I’ve ever read. Part of the time you are in 1972 with Joan and her family and part of the time is 2012 with Lauren and her husband and friends.
Joan is struggling with metastatic cancer and her family is learning the importance of faith and hoping that Joan lives till Christmas. Lauren has her own hopes for Christmas. One is learning to cook from old recipe cards she finds in a table she buys at a garage sale. The precious recipe cards passed down from a mother to daughter send Lauren on a journey to discover the rightful owner of the cards and the memories written on them.
I absolutely adored this book!
A very inspirational story of faith and the power of prayer. Two families decades apart are inspired by the same table and family recipes. It heals heals them and brings them together in a time when they need it the most. Family and friendship is an important cornerstone of the community and what makes everything in life better.
If you want to read a wonderful Christmas book that will tug at your heartstrings, read Donna Van Liere’s The Christmas Table. I can identify with the time frame between 1972 to 2012 as a young mother and then as a grandmother myself who battled breast cancer. Time stands still in those periods of our lives, while it races by for others at a clip that gives you pause to wonder how you got to where you are at the present time!
One handmade table is a constant in this story and if it could talk it would tell you plenty about lives shared around it. Not many tables have drawers so when Lauren discovered the drawer and the recipes it contained the story took off on a new direction of discovery and intrigue. This is a poignant story and worth all the time spent reading it. The characters could be your next door neighbor or a member of your church family. This is one book you want to read for the heartwarming theme and conclusion.
This is my first book by this author. It is a sweet, Inspirational story of two families. One in 1972 and the other in 2012. The first couple is John and Joan Creighton. They are a young couple with two children, the baby Christoper and daughter Gigi. John and Joan make a bet, he is going to make a Table by Thanksgiving from scratch doing all the building himself.She is going to learn to cook so she can make Thanksgiving Dinner for them and their families. Life is good for them till she learns she has breast cancer. As they grow closer and do everything to save her both grow not only in their faith, but to each other . The plans for the table and learning to cook is still being done but on the back burner.
We also follow the story of newly married couple Travis and Lauren Mabrey. They have been married five months . She is still trying to get used to having someone care for her, as she grew up in a number of foster homes. She is more used to being alone and feeling unwanted. She works with a wonderful group of funny, witty women at Glory’s Place. Glory’s was started to help single mother’s and families who are struggling. They help teach kids, watch children so parents can work etc. Lauren starts feeling ill and thinks she has the flu or food poisoning. One of older ladies knows she has something else. They make her go to the Doctor and she learns she is pregnant. Both her and Travis are thrilled and a little scared. As the Ladies help her fix up their house, she founds a table at a used furniture store. In the table she finds recipes cards that a mother wrote for her daughter. The recipe cards are a Hugh part of this story. (and sound really good too)
She learns to cook using these cards. The cards have personal messages from mother to daughter.
She starts searching for the first owner to the table.
This story is so different than what I normal read. The story draws you in and before you know it you can’t put it down. This would make a great Hallmark movie..
If you are looking for a good clean story set at Christmas this is the book for you.
I received a ARC from the author and want to thank her. I am giving my honest opinion voluntarily.
This author never fails to write an enjoyable and inspirational story that touches my heart and puts me in the holiday spirit! The Christmas Table is a sweet, heartwarming read with an interesting storyline and delightfully charming characters.
This novel travels across two different timelines weaving between 1972 and 2012 and I really loved how the author pulled the two storylines together to create a remarkable journey with characters that I was really able to connect with. There is a bit of a faith woven within these pages and as someone who is relatively nonreligious, I did not find it overpowering. The Christmas Table is a well written read that perfectly highlights the power of love, compassion, family, and friendship. This enchanting holiday novel & included recipes would make the perfect gift for a friend or family member and it is a story that will stay with me.