MARC Record from Library of Congress

LEADER: 03339cam a2200373 i 4500
001 2015009505
003 DLC
005 20151211084222.0
008 150316s2015 nyu b 000 1 eng
010 $a 2015009505
020 $a9780525955245 (hardcover)
040 $aDLC$beng$cDLC$erda$dDLC
042 $apcc
050 00 $aPS3553.H473$bC47 2015
082 00 $a813/.54$223
084 $aFIC014000$aFIC019000$2bisacsh
100 1 $aChiaverini, Jennifer,$eauthor.
245 10 $aChristmas bells :$ba novel /$cJennifer Chiaverini.
264 1 $aNew York, New York :$bDutton,$c[2015]
300 $a317 pages ;$c22 cm
336 $atext$2rdacontent
337 $aunmediated$2rdamedia
338 $avolume$2rdacarrier
520 $a"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"--$cProvided by publisher.
504 $aIncludes bibliographical references (pages 315-316).
600 10 $aLongfellow, Henry Wadsworth,$d1807-1882$vFiction.
650 0 $aWomen teachers$vFiction.
655 0 $aChristmas stories.
650 7 $aFICTION / Historical.$2bisacsh
650 7 $aFICTION / Literary.$2bisacsh
655 7 $aBiographical fiction.$2gsafd
655 7 $aHistorical fiction.$2gsafd
700 12 $aLongfellow, Henry Wadsworth,$d1807-1882.$tChristmas bells.
856 42 $3Cover image$u9780525955245.jpg