A Blue and Gray Christmas by Joan Medlicott: A Book Review

Tuesday 15 December, 2009 by 8 Comments

Title: A Blue and Gray Christmas
Author: Joan Medlicott
Publisher: Pocket
Publication Date: November 10, 2009
Hardcover: 336 pages
ISBN: 978-1416597353
Genre: Fiction

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About the Book:

In this stunning holiday story, a cache of Civil War-era letters and diaries sweeps the ladies of Covington up into a dramatic and heartwarming historical saga that inspires them to plan an unforgettable Christmas for two families forever changed by war.

When a rusty old tin box is unearthed at the Covington Homestead, longtime housemates Grace, Amelia, and Hannah discover that it contains letters and diaries written by two Civil War soldiers, one Union and one Confederate.

The friends are captivated by the drama revealed. The soldiers were found dying on a nearby battlefi eld by an old woman. She nursed them back to health, hiding them from bounty hunters seeking deserters. At the end of the war the men chose to stay in Covington, caring for their rescuer as she grew frail. But while their lives were rich, they still felt homesick and guilty for never contacting the families they’d left behind.

Christmas is coming, and the letters inspire Amelia with a generous impulse. What if she and her friends were to find the two soldiers’ descendants and invite them to Covington to meet? What better holiday gift could there be than the truth about these two heroic men and their dramatic shared fate? With little time left, the ladies spring into action to track down the men’s families in Connecticut and the Carolinas, and to make preparations in Covington for their most memorable, most historic Christmas yet.

My Review:

A Blue and Gray Christmas by Joan Medlicott was the first book I have read in Medlicott’s Covington Series and I found it to be a delightful read. Amelia, Grace and Hannah are vivid and likeable characters. In this novel, the three women are going through a box of letters left for over a hundred years, recently unearthed, from the civil war. The women so touched by the kindness in the letters between two injured men, one from the north the other from the south, Amelia comes up with a plan and soon the three women are decide to spread some Christmas love themselves by planning to make for a memorable Christmas by reuniting the soldiers families. Medlicott’s writing is quite vivid, delightful, and makes for a wonderful read. I cannot compare this novel to the others in the series as I have not yet read them, yet I feel A Blue and Gray Christmas makes for a delightful Christmas story.

About the Author:

Joan Medlicott was born and raised on St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. She lives with her husband in the mountains of North Carolina. Visit her website.

I received a free copy of A Blue and Gray Christmas by Joan Medlicott from the publisher. Receiving a free copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.

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Day 4: 12 Pearls of Christmas: Just God

Tuesday 15 December, 2009 by 4 Comments

A Tangible Reminder
by Mary Byers

Last year I read Me, Myself, & Bob: A True Story About Dreams, God, and Talking Vegetables by Phil Vischer, creator of the Veggie Tales video series. I was interested because my children grew up on Veggie Tales. But I was also interested because somewhere along the way I noticed Phil Vischer was no longer with Big Idea, the company he founded. I knew there must be a story there, so I picked up the book.

Though millions of children can sing the Veggie Tales theme song, Big Idea no longer exists. After expanding too quickly, the company was forced into bankruptcy. Vischer writes about the experience in his book, which is part memoir and part business tutorial. And it’s a touching example of how one man encountered grit and allowed it to be turned into grace.

At the end of the book, Vischer outlines the lessons he learned from the rise and fall of Big Idea. In part, he shares, “I was ready to be done, if that’s what God wanted. To just rest in him and let everything else fall away. At long last, after a lifetime of striving, God was enough. Not God and impact or God and ministry. Just God.”

His words convicted me. As an author and speaker, I realized that I’m often more focused on my deadlines or my next speaking engagement than I am on God. I have it backwards. God first, then everything else will fall into place.

It’s a powerful message for us as women, too. When we focus on God first, we’ll have everything we need to handle whatever is happening in our families and our lives. As Vischer reminds us, God is enough. As we approach Christmas, I’m reminded that this is the time when God shared his Son with us-a tangible reminder of his love for us. And a reminder that when we have him, we have everything we need.

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Mary Byers is the author of Making Work at Home Work: Successfully Growing a Business and a Family Under One Roof. She offers advice and encouragement for moms work from home for profit at www.makingworkathomework.com.

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A three strand pearl necklace will be given away on New Year’s Day. All you need to do to have a chance of winning is leave a comment here. Come back on New Year’s Day to see if you won!

12 Pearls of Christmas Series and contest sponsored by Pearl Girls®. For more information, please visit www.pearlgirls.info

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A Blue and Gray Christmas- Teaser Tuesdays

Tuesday 15 December, 2009 by 18 Comments


Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


“She closed the door behind here and headed for her bedroom. If even romantic Amelia was warning her not to get involved, maybe she should let it be.”

~Page 64 A Blue and Gray Christmas, by Joan Medlicott

My review can be found here.

What are you reading?

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