A young writer is drawn to a small New England town in search of meaning for her life. Soon, she encounters kindness, romance, and is pulled into a mystery centered on an old, abandoned church and the death of a special girl. Are the images that only she can see in the church's stained-glass windows a warning, or is someone trying to reach her, to help heal this broken community? Manchester Christmas illustrates how God often uses the most unlikely among us to spread grace and healing in a wounded world. Full of love, hope, and forgiveness, this debut novel from an Emmy-winning writer will touch your heart and have you longing for Christmas in Manchester.
| Title: Manchester Christmas: A Novel By: John Gray Format: Hardcover Number of Pages: 224 Vendor: Paraclete Press Publication Date: 2020 | Dimensions: 8.50 X 5.50 (inches) Weight: 13 ounces ISBN: 1640606408 ISBN-13: 9781640606401 Stock No: WW606409 |
"Sweet, romantic, and suspenseful, Manchester Christmas is an unexpected gift." —Richard Paul Evans, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author of The Christmas Box
"Stuffed to the seams with wholesome holiday cheer, Manchester Christmas is an adorable Christian romance set in a snow globe-worthy small town in Vermont. At the beginning of the fall, Chase, a cute-as-a-button writer, drives her convertible from Seattle to Manchester with her adorable dog, hoping to fulfill her deep yearning for pastoral life. Within moments of arriving, Chase is embroiled in a love triangle with two of the town’s most eligible bachelors: Owen, a widowed real estate agent and single parent to a boy on the autistic spectrum, and Gavin, a hunky farmer with a master’s degree. Their tight-knit community doesn’t believe in privacy, and soon, Chase’s love life is the talk of the town. Then she rents a rehabbed church and discovers that its rare Tiffany glass windows have the ability to communicate with her. As she grows to trust the windows’ messages, Chase enters a new relationship with a God, who has her best interests at heart. For all of its crisp maple leaves, perfect waffles, aww-shucks dialogue, and shabby chic descriptions, Manchester Christmas also takes on serious questions about what "home" means to Chase. She’s depicted as independent, sassy, and in search of a sense of belonging; one of the novel’s most satisfying turns is in her budding bond to the god she sees in the church windows. This is an apple-pie-sweet Christian romance, complete with tender kisses, fireflies, and just the right amount of conflict, as well as a distinctive cast of supporting characters who nudge Chase along as she figures out what she wants, and who she’s living for. Manchester Christmas is a seasonal fantasy that doesn’t worry too much about reality as its characters find new ways and reasons to rub noses in the snow." —Foreword Review
