(Review) The Snow Globe

TITLE: The Snow Globe
AUTHOR: Sheila Roberts
PUB DATE: October 2010
PUBLISHER: St Martin’s Press
PAGES: 176

SOURCE: Received from publisher

ABOUT THE BOOK:
Discover an unforgettable holiday treasure in Sheila Roberts’ heartwarming tale of love and laughter, magic and miracles, friendship and coming home…
On a blustery afternoon, Kylie Gray wanders into an antique shop and buys an enchanting snow globe. “There’s a story behind that snow globe,” the antique dealer tells her. The original owner, he explains, was a German toymaker who lost his wife and son right before Christmas. When the grieving widower received the handcrafted snow globe as a Christmas gift, he saw the image of a beautiful woman beneath the glass—a woman who would come into his life, mend his broken heart and bring him back to the world of the living. For years, the snow globe has passed from generation to generation, somehow always landing in the hands of a person in special need of a Christmas miracle.

Kiley could use a miracle herself. This year, all she wants for Christmas is someone to love. A hopeful shake leads her on an adventure that makes a believer out of her. When Kylie shares the story of the snow globe with her best friends—two women with problems of their own—they don’t believe it. But they’re about to discover that at Christmastime, sometimes the impossible becomes possible and miracles really do come true.

MY THOUGHTS:
This is the first time I have read Sheila Roberts and I have to say that after reading this book I am planning on checking out her other books. She is the author of five other books.

When I first was contacted to review The Snow Globe I had to accept it. The description of the book sounded really good and it would be a perfect Christmas read.

This was a quick read. Managed to read it within two hours.

The book opens up with three best friends (Kiley, Suzanne and Allison)on a weekend getaway in Fawn Island in the Pacific Northwest. Kiley is getting over her recent job lose and losing her boyfriend to her younger sister. She wonders into an Antique store and is looking around when a snow globe catches her eye. The shops owner procedes to tell her the history of the snow globe. She knows she really shouldn’t buy this snow globe but she does. Hoping that it will bring some kind of miracle her way.

Kiley is going to have to spend thanksgiving with her family and that means her sister and her ex. Which she isn’t looking forward too. I mean could you possibly enjoy thanksgiving dinner sitting across from your very own sister and your ex? I know I couldn’t and I applaud Kiley for going and doing that.

When she shakes the globe again she sees a different image inside. Curious she decides to go to the internet to find it and thankfully she finds it and its a real toy shop. Convincing her friend Allison to go with her in search of this toy shop. Its there that she meets Craig. They go for coffee and so begins a new romance for Kiley.

Kiley decides to bestow the snow globe onto her friend Suzanne who lives the perfect life. She is married with a daughter, Bryn and doing all that she can to live the life she always wanted and will stop and nothing to make sure it happens even if it means working long hours. Suzanne is a neat freak and when her husband suggests they get a dog for Bryn she freaks out and says there will be no dog coming into the house.

Suzanne sees the snow globe as a snow globe and nothing else even though her daughter has shaken it and sees her dog. Suzanne thinks its all in her imaganation and puts the snow globe on the mantel out of the way. But curious about it Bryn climbs on a chair to get to the globe. Suzanne coming into the room sees her daughter reaching for it calls out to her and startles her so she practically jumps across the room to save her daughter, breaking her ankle in the process. Will Suzanne ever believe in the magic of the snow globe?

Suanne passes the globe on to Allison. Allison live isn’t as messy as the others but she knows Allison could use the globe. Allison is going to be spending Christmas with her dysfunctional family (when I say dysfunctional family I mean it) Allison misses her grandmother and how important she was during the Christmas season. Allison shakes the snow globe (like her friends before her did) and the image that comes in the globe is her grandmother of who she thinks is her grandmother. She continues to shake the globe hoping for some kind of message but it never comes and it stays the same.

Thinking that the snow globe’s magic is done the three friends decide to search for the lady who gave the snow globe up in the first place. Its when they go and meet the lady that Allison realizes that the lady in the snow globe is really this lady.

Realizing the snow globe needs to be passed on to another person who is in need of a miracle they decide to leave it on the ferry with a note.

This is a great story to read just before Christmas making you believe miracles really do happen.