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    Christmas Bells
    Christmas Bells
    Christmas Bells
    Audiobook10 hours

    Christmas Bells

    Written by Jennifer Chiaverini

    Narrated by Christina Moore

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    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.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateOct 27, 2015
    ISBN9781490699196
    Christmas Bells
    Author

    Jennifer Chiaverini

    Jennifer Chiaverini is the New York Times bestselling author of thirty-four novels, including critically acclaimed historical fiction and the beloved Elm Creek Quilts series. In 2020, she was awarded an Outstanding Achievement Award from the Wisconsin Library Association for her novel Resistance Women. In 2023, the WLA awarded her the honor of Notable Wisconsin Author for her significant contributions to the state’s literary heritage. Chiaverini earned a BA from the University of Notre Dame and an MA in English Language and Literature from the University of Chicago. She, her husband, and their two sons call Madison, Wisconsin home.

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    Reviews for Christmas Bells

    4/5

    87 ratings10 reviews

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    • 5/5
      This book combines historical fiction about Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and his family with a number of present-day storylines, tying them together with the Christmas carol "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day." I had no idea the lyrics from this song were from Longfellow's poem "Christmas Bells," which was written on Christmas Day in 1863 and inspired by personal tragedy.The present-day storylines involve a Catholic church children's choir in Longfellow's town of Cambridge, Massachusetts, that's going to perform the song. The choir director is also a public school music teacher, about to lose the latter job to budget cuts. Her volunteer accompanist, a civil engineer, is secretly in love with her. Other narrators include two children in the choir, their mom, and the parish priest who is a friend of their soldier dad who is missing in Afghanistan; the widow of a wealthy Senator who's been a benefactor of the parish; and an elderly nun at the parish.I've found Jennifer Chiaverini's strictly historical fiction books about real people (as opposed than those about fictional characters in a particular era) to be rather dry. She does much better with contemporary realistic fiction, and blending the two, as she's done in this book, works well. I also liked the way Chiaverini incorporated O. Henry's classic "The Gift of the Magi" into this story. It's a book written for the holiday season, so the ending is positive and hopeful, as it should be.
    • 3/5
      I chose this title for bookclub based on what I read on the back cover. Sounded quite good. Unfortunately, I felt the novel fell short. It was a bit preachy in spot, it seemed like the author tried to hard to make things turn out right for EVERYONE. That is not life and I don't enjoy reading books like that. The book did not really prompt much discussion for our group. Quite a disappointment.
    • 4/5
      Christmas bells by Chiaverini, Jennifer Have read many of the author's other quilting works. This one starts out with Sophia music program and there is no money and it's suffering from budget cuts and her underprivileged students.She leads the choir into the practices by a 1863 poem from Longfellow.Story goes back in time with alternating chapters from 1860 to the present as we learn the details of the time when the poem was written.The past of Sophia comes to light also so we can understand why she didn't end up in Chicago...Book is like having two different stories told and how they entwine with one another.I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).
    • 4/5
      I'm often disappointed in Christmas themed books but [Christmas Bells] is a welcome exception. There are two story lines, one contemporary and one historical that takes place between 1860 and 1864. The historical story is about Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and why he wrote the poem I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day in 1863. In the contemporary storyline a children's choir is practicing and performing the poem (it was set to music in 1872) for Christmas Eve mass. There are troubled characters at the rehersals including the choir director who has been told she will lose her paying teaching job due to budget cuts, the pianist who is secretly in love with her, the mother of two children in the choir whose husband has become lost in Afghanistan, a newly widowed wife of a popular Senator, and a young priest who has become estranged from his brother. Chiaverini brings all of these characters together and their problems to resolution in a satisfying way. In the historical storyline Longfellow is grieving due to the death of his wife, and the fact that his eldest but young son has joined the army and gone to war. The fact that the Civil War plays a major part in the historical story causes it to be more serious than the contempory, but it ends on a note of hope, for both Longfellow's family and his country.
    • 5/5
      Wonderful! I did not know the story of this poem, but very poignant what with the world in such turmoil.
    • 4/5
      I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The two different timelines make a fascinating story and the author does a wonderful job of bringing both to life. It is an enjoyable read that I highly recommend.
    • 4/5
      This tale is two stories entwined. A modern day Boston music teacher loses her school teaching job due to budget cuts at the same time she is preparing her church children's choir for the Christmas services. She is and has been unlucky in love, but the young man who is the choir piano accompanist has a secret crush on her. He just cannot get out the words. The plot alternately switches to the 1860's, to the lives of the family of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, who experiences major tragedy with the death of his wife by fire and the determination of his eldest son to enlist in the military during the Civil War years. Longfellow experiences a dry spell in his writing due to his emotional state. The poem, "Christmas Bells," is the result. We know this poem as the hymn or Christmas Carol, "I heard the bells on Christmas day." This is the song being taught by the Boston choir mistress to her charges. A most wonderful medley of the two stories. My thanks to the author and the Penguin First to Read program for a complimentary copy of this work.
    • 5/5
      Oh how I love being back in Willow Ridge and being with and catching up with old friends, and don’t worry if this is your first book, as soon as a new person arrives they are introduced to the community and are told about these individuals, so you will not be lost, but do yourself and awesome favor and read the other books, you won’t be disappointed.As I finished this book with most of my questions answered I had a feeling of loss, and I wanted more, not that I didn’t have a fair idea of what was happening, but because I felt the loss of some dear friends and didn’t want to let them go.The book spans decades and with Longfellow’s beautiful I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day, and how this poem spans the decades touching lives. We are spanning yearss from when Henry conceived this beautiful verse to present day when it is still touching and influencing lives.You will see the heart break in Longfellow’s life and how much he loved his family, from his time he marries, until with thoughts of his wife he creates these beautiful words. His church St Margaret’s is the setting for most of this book, and love how it touches the lives of so many people.You won’t go wrong by picking this one up, as I previously stated I loved reading this one, and it will be with me for a long time.I received this book through Edelweiss and the Publisher Dutton, and was not required to give a positive review.
    • 4/5
      This has been one of my favorite books by Jennifer Chiaverini. I loved how she went back and forth between the two time periods. I am not usually fond of this type of writing but this was very well done. I loved all the characters and loved how the poem was worked in to both storylines. I received a copy of this ebook from Firsttoread for a fair and honest opinion.
    • 4/5
      3.75 StarsAn inspirational holiday novel with two storylines; one set in the 1860s, and the other in contemporary times. The Civil War era timeline revolves around Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and his family after a tragedy and during the war. There's definitely some historical research that went into this part of the book. The contemporary story arc focuses on a church choir and intertwining perspectives from multiple POVs. Although there is little to connect the two storylines, other than the poem, it's a lovely story and a quick and easy read. I thoroughly enjoyed Sister Winifred's character. Recommended to Chiaverini fans and inspirational fiction readers.Penguin First to Read Galley