In the Bleak Midwinter

by Catherine R. Guess and Catherine Ritch Guess

To Celia, it was simply another Christmas concert at the private school. It was the first year in their new facility, and reporters were to be on hand. so maybe it would prove to be a special evening. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0971353433
• ISBN13: 9780971353435
• Release Date: November 2003
• Publisher: Crm Books
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.3" x 7.8"

Customer Reviews

Christian Book Previews

A baby cries and an entire town responds. Celia, the successful music teacher in a private school, has decided that this will be her last year. As she directs her final Christmas concert and the boys' choir sings, "Gesu Bambino" in perfect pitch, Celia hears the faint cry of an infant. She attributes it to an emotional moment and waves it off, until she comes face to face with a newborn. Excitement and purpose return to Celia's life as she provides the baby and its destitute parents with food, warmth and shelter during the winter. The students of the town are enlisted to give a new future to this little family during its "bleak midwinter." The author is a composer who not only tells a narrative of characters and events, but also gives subtle and meaningful insights about songs, cantatas, and various other musical selections. The writing style is light, fast-paced, and reader friendly, without heavy vocabulary or deep symbolism. Although set at Christmas, the themes of fellowship, love, outreach, and self-sacrifice are appropriate for year-round reading. This is entertainment with a message. The characters are likeable and well developed, and the author concludes her story with a hint of pending romance. This is an obvious opening to her forthcoming sequel, There's a Song in the Air. The target audience of readers for these books is women ages 18 ? 55, but the involvement of students in the plots make the stories appropriate for children, too. -- Daisy E. Bailey, Christian Book Previews.com

Uplifting Holiday Story

Guess does it again with a marvelous story for the holidays. She captures the hearts of all with this holiday story that will touch your soul. In typical Catherine Guess style, the ending leaves you wanting more. You can't wait until the next book comes out. Catherine is a captivating writer and a fresh new spirit in the world of religious fiction. I look forward to more of her books.