Christmas Bells (Paperback) - by Jennifer Chiaverini

About the Book

"In 1860, the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow family celebrated Christmas at Craigie House, their home in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The publication of Longfellow's classic Revolutionary War poem 'Paul Revere's Ride' was less than a month hence, and the country's grave political unrest weighed heavily on his mind. Yet with his beloved wife Fanny and their five adored children at his side, the delights of the season prevailed. In present-day Boston, a dedicated teacher in the Watertown public school system is stunned by somber holiday tidings. Sophia's music program has been sacrificed to budget cuts, and she worries not only about her impending unemployment but also about the consequences to her underprivileged students"--

Book Synopsis

New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Chiaverini celebrates Christmas, past and present, with a wondrous novel inspired by the classic poem "Christmas Bells," by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

I heard the bells on Christmas Day / Their old familiar carols play / And wild and sweet / The words repeat / Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

In 1860, the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow family celebrated Christmas at Craigie House, their home in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The publication of Longfellow's classic Revolutionary War poem, "Paul Revere's Ride," was less than a month hence, and the country's grave political unrest weighed heavily on his mind. Yet with his beloved wife, Fanny, and their five adored children at his side, the delights of the season prevailed.

In present-day Boston, a dedicated teacher in the Watertown public school system is stunned by somber holiday tidings. Sophia's music program has been sacrificed to budget cuts, and she worries not only about her impending unemployment but also about the consequences to her underprivileged students. At the church where she volunteers as music director, Sophia tries to forget her cares as she leads the children's choir in rehearsal for a Christmas Eve concert. Inspired to honor a local artist, Sophia has chosen a carol set to a poem by Longfellow, moved by the glorious words he penned one Christmas Day long ago, even as he suffered great loss.

Christmas Bells chronicles the events of 1863, when the peace and contentment of Longfellow's family circle was suddenly, tragically broken, cutting even deeper than the privations of wartime. Through the pain of profound loss and hardship, Longfellow's patriotism never failed, nor did the power of his language. "Christmas Bells," the poem he wrote that holiday, lives on, spoken as verse and sung as a hymn.

Jennifer Chiaverini's resonant and heartfelt novel for the season reminds us why we must continue to hear glad tidings, even as we are tested by strife. Reading Christmas Bells evokes the resplendent joy of a chorus of voices raised in reverent song.

Review Quotes

Praise for Christmas Bells

"Brings history to life."--Parade

"Chiaverini stitches together a series of lightly interlocking contemporary vignettes in an intriguing way....A gentle exploration of tragedy, hope, the power of Christmas, and the possibility of miracles."--Kirkus Reviews

"Chiaverini...hits all the right emotional notes in this heartwarming story."--Booklist

"Chiaverini writes a heartfelt story of Christmases past and present."--Library Journal

"Both the historical and contemporary stories are moving, with vivid and sympathetic characters, and they mesh together smoothly and naturally."--Historical Novel Society

More Praise for Jennifer Chiaverini

"History--and its colorful characters--come alive."--USA Today

"Jennifer Chiaverini imagines the First Lady's most private affairs through the eyes of an unlikely confidante."--Harper's Bazaar

"[A] must read book...Chiaverini has a knack for finding fascinating, if unheralded, women in history--she favors the Civil War era--and shining a light on them with readable historical novels."--New York Post

"[Chiaverini's] depiction of the essential decency of some of our nation's early leaders is a high point."--Booklist

"In addition to simply being fascinating stories, [Jennifer Chiaverini's] novels go a long way in capturing the texture of life for women, rich and poor, black and white, in those perilous years."--Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

About The Author

Jennifer Chiaverini is the New York Times bestselling author of Enchantress of Numbers, Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker, Fates and Traitors, and other acclaimed works of historical fiction, as well as the beloved Elm Creek Quilts series. She lives with her husband and two sons in Madison, Wisconsin.