The Christmas Town

By: Donna VanLiere

Narrated by: Donna VanLiere

Length: 4 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's Summary

Lauren Gabriel spent many years of her childhood in foster homes, wishing her mother would come back for her and be the family she needs. Now 20 years old, she still longs for a place that she can truly call home. Her work as a cashier is unfulfilling, and at Christmas it's unbearable, with the songs and carols and chatter of Christmas that she hears throughout the day.

When Lauren ends her shift one night, she finds herself driving aimlessly in order to avoid returning to her lonely apartment. And when she witnesses a car accident, she is suddenly pulled into the small town of Grandon, first as a witness but then as a volunteer for the annual fundraiser for Glory's Place, a center for single mothers and families who need assistance. Could this town and its people be the home she has always longed for?

The New York Times best-selling author of the timeless The Christmas Shoes and The Christmas Hope is back with this moving and uplifting story about finding love, hope, and family in unexpected places.

©2016 Donna VanLiere (P)2016 Macmillan Audio

A story that focuses on how no one is really ever alone

I love listening to Donna VanLiere as she narrates her stories. Her writings always seem to touch my heart and make me laugh as she shares in her stories how none of us are perfect but all have a great gift to give in many ways to others.

Best feel good book out there!

Words cannot express the emotions this book brought out! I laughed, I cried, I laughed then sobbed! Christmas time is a time for hope, caring, grace and good will! These are just a few of the emotions I felt as I listened to this incredibly well narrated story! I will most definitely listen to other books by the author! Thank you for this special Christmas present!!

Welcome Home, Lauren

The Best . . . Period . . . Wrap up in a warm cozy blanket . . . get a cup of hot cocoa, and treat yourself to this listen . . . this is what Christmas is all about . . . loving others . . . a boy with a heart so big that an entire town embraces the simplicity of his smile and lines up in his check out line for him to bag their groceries and to get his notes of encouragement . . . Gloria's Place, a place where kids can go and be accepted, find a warm coat and learn to sing Christmas carols . . . and where two lovely, if crotchety, best friends, Gloria and Miriam are the hands and feet of Jesus . . . I laughed as the two of them bantered . . . Gloria, with her down-home country accent and Miriam with her quirky British sayings, chiding Gloria for reaching out to a Craig's list ad that a stranger placed for a "family" at Christmas . . . this is a perfect listen . . . open up your heart . . . let the hope seep in . . .

Simply lovely

A lovely story for Christmas. The author's narration was delightful. It was simple and inspiring.

Author reads and her British accent is awful

Cute story, a bit predictable and cheesy. May have been better with a legit reader.

Bad writing

The plot sounds great but the execution is awful. The author continually changes tenses making it difficult to follow along.

Nice story, but heavy-handed moralizing

I enjoyed the story, the Christmas miracle, and the loving, if flawed, characters. But instead of letting the story speak for itself, the author felt it necessary to spell out the moral, as though she didn't trust her readers to understand it for ourselves. Until then, I thought I might look for more books by the same author, but I found that condescending and offputting.

The choice of the present tense seemed a bit odd, too, and I never understood the reason for it. Unless maybe it was originally written as a script for a Hallmark movie? It does have that flavor.

The author did do a better job than most authors who read their own novels.

I don't regret having listened to it, but I won't be looking for more books by this author.

LOVE!

This series is so good. It captures the essence of Christmas like none other. Compassion, sharing, love, JESUS with some good hearted giggles along the way. If you love Christmas you will love this series.

Loved it!

I absolutely loved the characters and situations. It was a great almost believable warm hearted and feel good story.

Both humorous and heartwarming story!

Not the typical Christmas love story....which made it one of my favorite Christmas books.

Narrator was great!