THE CHRISTMAS SINGING

Gideon Beiler and Mattie Eash have been in love with each other since they were children and many assumed they would eventually marry. However, when Gideon gets devastating news he finds an excuse to break up with Mattie. Mattie's heart is broken but she moves on, opening her own cake decorating business and dating Sol Bender. Gideon too has gone on with his life but has never really stopped loving Mattie. Unfortunate circumstances have brought Mattie back home and into Gideon's life - will her return rekindle their romance or is it too late?Set in the Amish community, "The Christmas Singing" is a nicely done, at times poignant, novel about someone who loves his girlfriend so much he is willing to do whatever it takes to save her from hurt, even if it means ending their relationship. This would make an excellent novel for book clubs as Gideon's actions, while noble, are ripe for discussion. Author Cindy Woodsmall does an excellent job of showing just how much not only the reason for Gideon's decision has cost him but how the decision itself has hurt him. Woodsmall also does an excellent job with Mattie's character. She is a bit scatterbrained (at times devastatingly so), a talented cake decorator, and worried about her mother's health. People, including Gideon, seem to want to protect her and don't realize how strong she is - Woodsmall does an excellent job of developing that aspect of her character. Also well done, if a bit sad, are the reasons Mattie is dating Sol. Again, all of this would make a good book for a book club discussion. Finally, having the novel set at Christmas adds a lot of magic to the story."The Christmas Singing" is a nice romance.