As a table is being built in 1972 by John for his family, his wife Joan is learning to cook for their young family. She is using recipes that her mother wrote on cards that not only had ingredients, but also life lessons. When the family faces a serious challenge, faith, and the saying “Today’s the day” help get them through each day. With everything the family is facing, can John get the table built before Christmas to surprise his family?

In 2012, Lauren who is newly married and pregnant buys a repurposed table and finds a hidden drawer full of recipe cards written from a mother to a daughter. As Lauren starts cooking and baking using the recipes, she is determined to find the original owner of the table and the recipes. She does not have many clues, only what is written on the recipe cards. Can Lauren find the owner of those precious recipes?

Donna VanLiere did a beautiful job of writing this story, taking the reader on a precious Christmas journey. I loved how the story was told by two families in two moments in time. It was such an inspiring story of faith, family, and friendship. It was so nice to also reconnect with the supporting characters from the previous novels, but it also could be read as a stand a lone novel. I also loved that some of the recipes were also included in the book and I am excited to try them. Thank you so much to the author Donna VanLiere, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an advanced copy of the book to review. It was fabulous! All opinions expressed for this review are unbiased and entirely my own.

I always eagerly await author Donna VanLiere’s latest entry in her Christmas Hope series. The Christmas Table is the tenth book in this inspirational, heartwarming, wonderful series, and it will make you laugh and cry and worry and hope as much as the other books have.

The story alternates between 1972 and 2012. In 2012 we are back at Glory’s Place, with the same wonderful staff from previous books. Lauren grew up in a foster home, so her time volunteering at Glory’s Place is special for her. She’s newly married, not very confident, loving her husband and being married but still searching for peace. When she learns she is pregnant, she and her husband and all their friends are overjoyed, but she still wonders if she can be a good mother. She buys a secondhand table with a drawer filled with recipe cards containing notes from a mother to a daughter. Lauren decides to try these recipes, to learn to cook, to hopefully cook one day with her own children.

Back to 1972 – John is making a table for his wife, Joan. He promised to have it ready for Thanksgiving dinner, so Joan, who never had much interest in cooking, turns to the recipe cards her mother has given her, detailing not just recipe ingredients and instructions but memories about how and where those meals were eaten. When Joan is diagnosed with breast cancer preparing those recipes becomes something of a quest for her – she wants to create happy memories for her own children and inspired by John’s sudden faith determines to fight her disease as hard as she can.

Circumstances and memories may be hard and harsh, but faith and friendship and family and hope play strong roles in both time periods. Although the story may make you sad, it also wraps you in a pleasant, warm feeling of love. There are some guesses you can make about the recipes and the table, but there are a lot of connections and unknowns that are slowly, pleasantly unraveled right up to the very satisfying conclusion.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press for providing an advance copy of The Christmas Table for my honest review. All opinions are my own. This is a story – and series – to be read every Christmas. It captures the spirit and will warm your heart. I recommend it without hesitation.

This was my first by this author and it was really good. I liked that it covered two different time periods. It was a good fast read. Really liked it

Such a sweet Christmas story! very inspirational story of faith and the power of prayer. Two different families decades apart share love, the warmth of holidays as well as recipes when the second family buys the first family's dining table. It heals them and brings them together in a time when they need it the most. A very inspirational story of the power of prayer.

(3.5 rounded up) This was a sweet and heartwarming story about family, friends, faith, hope and second chances. Told in two timelines set in 1972 and 2012. A great cast of characters, and it also includes recipes, something I love in books. I did not realize it was the 10th book in a series but it read fine as a stand-alone. This is my first time reading a book by this author and I'm considering reading more of her Christmas books. It's always good to have a few new Christmas-themed books to read around the holidays. This book reminded me of a Hallmark movie. Perhaps this book series should be made into a movie series.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy.

This book is a bit like a Hallmark movie in the best possible way. It was sweet and entertaining and I knew that everything would work out the way I wanted it to. What makes this even better then a Hallmark movie for me is that I'm so connected to these characters. I love Lauren and Travis, Glory, Miriam, and all the other characters in the community and catching up on them was so sweet. Lauren has had a tough time of it and to see her in the middle of a community is just delightful.

This is a dual timeline story and the format really worked. When Lauren, nervous about life changes and uncertain in her ability to create a home since she has so little experience, finds the recipes she's immediately drawn in and those recipes prove the connection between her and a woman named Joan in 1972. I loved the stories on the recipes and the story of each of the women. As many as you know, my 10 year old son is currently battling Leukemia (which is a much better diagnosis then what poor Joan has and they know so much more now then they did then) and I did struggle a bit with Joan's story. It was handled sensitively and it was overall a story of hope. All of VanLiere's books have a Christian element in them and it seemed especially strong in this one. It fit the storyline and I didn't find it preachy but if that content bothers you then you may want to give this a miss.

This was a sweet Christmas story of hope and community that was just what I needed right now.

I have never read anything by this author, I saw the cover and totally grabbed it. WOW!!! I could not put it down. This story is what Christmas is all about. This was an amazing read. Yes there are two stories being told but its not hard to keep up with what is going on. Both stories need to be told in order for it all to make sense. I loved Gloria a Mariam the relationship between those two will have you laughing so hard. There really wasn't a character that I didn't like. The author keeps this a good clean read and seriously oh so good you can't go wrong. I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley. I was under no obligation to post a review and have given my honest opinion

This is such an emotional story about love and faith. I really liked the characters and probably gained 10 pounds reading all the recipes. In 1972 Joan battles cancer and tries to give her family memories in case the worse happens. Her husband, John had decided to make a table but it was pushed to the side because of Joan's cancer. in 2012, Lauren and her husband find out they are having a baby. They haven't been married long and needed to fix up their house a bit. When they bought a kitchen table, they discovered a pile of recipe cards stuck in a drawer under the table. Lauren just knows that she has to find the previous owner to return the recipes. A really good story.

The Christmas Table is a heartwarming story about love, family and friends. I love small town stories rich in history and family. This book is about two families and how there lives played out around a table. It is a heartfelt story with endearing characters.

For several years I have read a Christmas story by Donna VanLiere. This year she has outdone herself with The Christmas Table. The dual timeline 1972 and 2012 is as interesting as it is poignant concerning a table which is made for one but bring another anther a sense of family too. A heartwarming story that is faith based reminding us all that there are no real coincidences in life. Everything and everyone have a purpose. I especially loved how all is connected by the end. When I began reading the story I did not think it would end so positively lovely.

The recipes at the end are an added bonus!

An ARC of the book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley which I voluntarily chose to read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A sweet Christmas tale, told in parallel time periods, linking two families to a dining room table.

1970s: Joan's husband is planning to make her a dining room table, but life and illness get in the way. As she cooks meals with a set of recipe cards, we learn about their life.

2012: Newlywed Lauren is on a tight budget, she finds a dining room table for her home while searching for furniture for the organization where she volunteers. Finding a set of recipe cards in a hidden drawer, she learns to cook and brings in treats for her coworkers.

Lauren is on a quest to find the original owner of the table to reunite the recipe cards which are a treasure. The connection between the families through the cards is a charming story, and the hints along the way have you rooting for Lauren during this quest, and wondering what became of the first family.

Lauren's pregnancy, along with the search, and miracles happening at Christmas, make this a heartfelt story with all the best of the holiday season.

**Received an ARC from the publisher**

4 Heartwarming Stars!!

I’m a sucker for Christmas in July movies and stories and this book is a beautifully written tribute to family, holidays and what love between a mother and daughter means.

I loved how this book switched between 2012 and 1972 showing the dichotomy of families in the forty year time span. Lauren is a woman that doesn’t have a family given that she was in the foster system growing up so her husband and their friends are her family and she discovers these recipe cards in a secret drawer in a table she and her husband bought at a garage sale. I could feel how Lauren connected with these recipes and the little notes that were left on them and the very obvious love between mother and daughter.

This book is beautifully written and heartfelt giving me that warm fuzzy feeling throughout the book. I also am planning on making some of the recipes the Ms. VanLiere provided in the back of the book!!

I have read several other books in this series. While it is a series, it can absolutely be read stand-alone. The books are lightly interconnected, with backstories of some of the individuals. It took reading a bit of it for me to actually remember the prior books and their plots.

This is a Christmas table that interconnects two times and the struggles that individuals are and have been going through. The tale of the past is woven into that of the present with a set of recipe cards and a handmade table. How the stories converge surprised me and delighted me as well.

The recipes, themselves are lovely and the introductions to them are exceptional reading. I had a wonderful time reading through them and plan to try some myself.

I don’t want to give away the plot, so I will limit myself to how I felt reading the book. It made me want to get to know the people, both now and in the past, because they seemed to be real individuals with struggles just like me.

The author did a great job with her characters and in describing what individuals go through in the midst of health crisis. I have been there myself, repeatedly, over the years. I cried and laughed right along with the individuals whose stories are portrayed.

I will be looking for more of the books in this series to read.

I was provided a digital advance reader copy of this book by the publisher via Netgalley.

Title: The Christmas Table
Author: Donna VanLiere
Publisher: St Martin's Press
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Five
Review:

"The Christmas Table" by Donna VanLiere

My Speculation:

I will say this was one inspirational read that was purely a joy to read. There were good times and some teary ones in how well this author presented the reader with a beautiful read that started in May 1972 and finished up in December 2012. It was interesting how the author brought out several storylines that came together so well at the end that definitely went from the past to the present. I loved how this particular table and hidden recipe cards became so important in this story.

Let's talk about the descriptive characters and secondary, where we find each one had a little something that kept your attention in what was going on at that time in this heartfelt story.

Lastly, I want to mention the interactions with those recipes and how they related so well in the story. I really enjoyed how that situation was brought out so well in the novel. And at the end of the story, we are given some wonderful recipes...'A Christmas Table Full of Recipes' that I do plan on trying.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

What a delightful heartwarming story about two different families and how their lives interconnect into each other. I found it an emotional (in a good way) story about faith and believing can give us strength that we didn’t know we had. Also that other people come into our lives at the exact moment they are needed. I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press and this is my honest review.

Donna Van Liere’s Christmas series is such a pleasure to read. In her latest installment, The Christmas Table, we are treated to a dual timeline story involving two families who are connected by a kitchen table made in 1972. This table has a hidden surprise that is discovered by the next family who owns it in the present day. As I said, this was a pleasure to read, especially with all that is going on in our world today. I am so glad I had the opportunity to read a faith centered, but not preachy, book to brighten my day. I highly recommend this and of course the previous Christmas books by Ms. Van Liere.
Many thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy in return for an honest review.

Reading a Christmas story in the middle of the summer didn't sound quite right in my mind, but there was all this talking about Christmas in July so I figured I'd give this one a try.
Thanks to @stmartinspress and @netgalley for providing me with an advanced readers copy of "The Christmas table" by Donna VanLiere.

4 decades separates the story of Joan and John and Laura and Travis.
In the past we'll follow Joan,John their kids, how the Christmas table came to be and a life crisis. In the present we get to know how Laura and Travis starts their life together also with a life altering situation.
And by chance the past and the present get mixed together.

At first I got so confused with all this jumping between the past and the present.
But after a few chapters in the flow of this shory changed for me. I got a clearer picture of what the two part of this story was all about. It was all about connecting the dots and find the clues of how all of this fits together.
By looking at the cover of this book you get a feeling that this is a very Christmasy story, but it really isn't. The story is heading towards Christmas time. So just the right amount of Christmas at this time of the year.

What a beautiful way to blend two stories together from 1972 all the way to 2012. This book with make you really think about what you will leave behind in your life. It will inspire you to do more for your family and for yourself and everyone hopes for love like John had for Joan. I love the idea of the handwritten card especially since everything is digital now... how lovely it would be to pass down handwritten recipe cards. Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy.

In June 1972, John Creighton builds his wife Joan a kitchen table. In June 2012, Lauren Mabrey discovers that she's pregnant and buys a table that had been refinished after purchase at a garage sale. Lauren discovers recipe cards in the table's drawer, complete with annotations. She feels connected to the mother and daughter that had used the cards and tries to discover who they were as she learns how to cook.

We have the dual timelines that cut back and forth, and I have to admit I assumed the worst when Joan is diagnosed with breast cancer soon after John starts to build the kitchen table. She is just learning to cook and gets the recipe cards from her mother Alice and involves her two children as much as possible to make memories with them.

Lauren, who had grown up in the foster system and now has a wonderful husband and a warm found family at the child care center where she volunteers, learns to cook from the same recipe cards. They're annotated with Joan's family stories as well as hints and tricks to make each meal turn out the best, but no names are mentioned of the family itself. With her desire to be a good Mom and prepare for her unborn baby, she feels a connection to those stories and the obvious love in them. This starts the search for the Creightons forty years later.

As with many small towns, people can be characters and know about the histories of people from years ago. Some people in small towns can be standoffish and keep to themselves, while others are natural at welcoming others in. Gloria is one such character, who really helped create that family feeling for Lauren to be part of. Her bickering is with such love, and a lot of fun to read. You can tell she does it out of fun, and the friendship that Lauren develops with the other ladies is a great thing to read about. We never really learn definitively what happened to her mother, but these women all step in and become mothers of sorts, as well as the mother in the cards. Each friendship is a joy to read, and I loved how they all came together to help Lauren with her pregnancy as the story progressed.

The Christmas Table is a heartwarming novel, complete with different kinds of family and faith, and the communities that help bring these women through their troubled times. It takes a village to raise a child, and it certainly also takes a village to keep those mothers protected and safe.

This was my first book by Donna VanLiere. I had read that she did fantastic Christmas stories and wanted to try her. I'm so glad I did!
The Christmas Table is a dual timeline story of two different families. This was really different than any other story I've ever read. Part of the time you are in 1972 with Joan and her family and part of the time is 2012 with Lauren and her husband and friends.
Joan is struggling with metastatic cancer and her family is learning the importance of faith and hoping that Joan lives till Christmas. Lauren has her own hopes for Christmas. One is learning to cook from old recipe cards she finds in a table she buys at a garage sale. The precious recipe cards passed down from a mother to daughter send Lauren on a journey to discover the rightful owner of the cards and the memories written on them.
I absolutely adored this book!