The Christmas Gift

Title ~ The Christmas Gift
Author ~ John McDonnell
Publisher ~ John McDonnell
Published ~ 9 December 2009
Genre ~ Historical/Short

My Rating ~ 4 bites out of 5

Constance was the prettiest doll in Miss Emily Hawthorne’s big Philadelphia house. Every Christmas the now grown up Emily had some little girls over for a tea party and it was the only time she got her dolls down out of their cupboard. Constance, as the prettiest, always had the place of honor.

Christmas 1937 was different though. Emily’s housekeeper caught a little girl named Sarah who had snuck into the kitchen and was stealing food. The poor little girl was dirty and obviously starving, so Emily invited her to sit at the table with the other little girls and share tea. When the party was over and Emily was distracted seeing the little girls to the door Sarah rushes off with Constance, leaving her own beat up Raggedy Ann doll behind. Constance goes on a cross country adventure with Sarah and learns many things about life and herself.

I love that this short story is told from the viewpoint of Constance. It’s well-written with a tight plot and well-developed characters. I like the writing style, so I’m off to see what else McDonnell has out there.

*Many thanks to the author for providing me with a review copy. Please see disclaimer page.