Comfort & Joy: A Fable

I loved reading this story – particularly right before Christmas. It has all of the pieces that make up a good story…Kristin Hannah ‘s flowing words, hope, heartbreaking yet realistic stories and best of all, magic.

I loved this story. I loved the magic of it all. This is now one of my favorites. Kristin Hannah really knows how to draw you into the story. I read it all in one day. I couldn’t put it down.

It was not up to my expectations especially from the author of the autumn, night road and winter garden.

I have become a real fan of author Kristin Hannah. Her books have had a life changing impact on me with her stellar storytelling and impeccable writing style. I’ve become enlightened after reading The Women, Nightingale, and most recently The Four Winds. Comparatively, this story was not quite as absorbing as the others. It has a slower pace overall and became somewhat tedious in the middle of the story. However, the last 35% had me totally enthralled.
I thought I had this story figured out early on, as a kind of “Sixth Sense” theme. But alas, I was not totally correct.
How magical it would be in life if our ill fitting relationships could be re-directed for a second chance at happiness?
Can sisterly love withstand the ultimate betrayal?
These are some of the questions that are addressed and beautifully handled in this thought provoking story.
Let me just say that little Bobby simultaneously broke my heart and warmed my heart. I just loved this boy.
This book IS definitely worth reading. You won’t soon forget this empowering story.

‘Here, in this strange clearing, hundreds of miles from home, I feel both lost and somehow found.’

I’ve been on a Christmas story roll these days, because ‘tis the season! I purchased this book a while back when it was on sale and after recently reading my first Kristin Hannah book (The Nightingale) I figured I would give this one a shot. I thought that it was a heartwarming story filled with magic that’s sure to leave you feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. You sort of have to suspend reality for a while as you read this book, some of the things that happen (even before the “magical” twist) aren’t entirely plausible but I just went with it and instead clung to the message of hope, forgiveness and pursuing your dreams.

‘These two need help, and it’s Christmas. I may have lost my own holiday spirit, but I can’t watch a little boy lose his. Besides, this is my first real adventure. What kind of adventurer ignores the needs of others?’

High school librarian, Joy Candellaro, is recently divorced and facing the prospect of spending the holiday season alone. She usually is one to only dream of adventures, not actually embark on them. But not wanting to sit around feeling sorry for herself, she decides to purchase a ticket bound for the town of Hope in the Pacific Northwest. However her adventure takes a frightening detour and she ends up lost in the Olympic rainforest. She decides to use this opportunity to leave her old life behind, even if just temporarily. She happens upon the Comfort Fishing Lodge where she meets young Bobby O’Shea and his father Daniel. Bobby recently lost his mother and is having difficulty dealing with the loss. He and Joy form a wonderful friendship and in helping to heal Bobby and Daniel’s relationship she also begins to heal the things broken in her own life. During their time together Joy begins to picture what a beautiful family the three of them could be together. However there’s a big twist that happens that’ll leave Joy second guessing everything she thought she found with the O’Shea family.

I’ll admit that I did not see that twist coming! It totally caught me off guard and made me really want to finish the book so I could see how everything turned out. Once the twist happened however, looking back it helped make sense of several things that I questioned or thought was odd in the events that took place before it. I won’t spoil it for you, but I did like how this huge twist really helped add the magical feel to the story! The story was told in such rich detail, I could envision all of the things Joy describes on her adventure. It’s such a beautiful backdrop to the story, I think it was the perfect setting for this heartwarming tale. If you’re looking for a feel good book, that reads easy and will leave you with that magical holiday feel then check this book out!

‘You can run away from your life and your past, but there’s no way to distance yourself from your own heart.’

for true friends and sole mates to analyse and comprehend the twist and turns of life