Christmas at Carnton: A Novella

by Tamera Alexander

Overview

“This tender love story between two wounded people whom God brings together for healing is a book readers will enjoy anytime—but especially at Christmas!” —Francine Rivers, New York Times bestselling author of Redeeming Love and A Voice in the Wind

Amid war and the fading dream of the Confederacy, a wounded soldier and a destitute widow discover the true meaning of Christmas—and sacrificial love.

Recently widowed, Aletta Prescott struggles to hold life together for herself and her six-year-old son. With the bank threatening to evict them, she discovers an advertisement for the Women’s Relief Society auction and applies for a position—only to discover it’s been filled. Then a chance meeting with a wounded soldier offers another opportunity—and friendship. But can Aletta trust this man?

Captain Jake Winston, a revered Confederate sharpshooter, suffered a head wound at the Battle of Chickamauga. When doctors deliver their diagnosis, Jake fears losing not only his greatest skill but his very identity. As he heals, Jake is ordered to assist with a local Women’s Relief Society auction. He respectfully objects. Kowtowing to a bunch of “crinolines” isn’t his idea of soldiering. But orders are orders, and he soon discovers this group of ladies—one, in particular—is far more than he bargained for.

Set against the backdrop and history of the Carnton Plantation in Franklin, Tennessee, Christmas at Carnton is a story of hope renewed and faith restored at Christmas.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780310293248
Publisher:	Nelson, Thomas, Inc.
Publication date:	10/03/2017
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	401,265
Product dimensions:	5.51(w) x 8.29(h) x 0.71(d)

About the Author

Tamera Alexander is a USA Today bestselling novelist whose works have been awarded and nominated for numerous industry-leading honors, including the Christy Award (two-time winner, seven-time finalist), the RITA Award (two-time winner, four-time finalist), the Carol Award, the Maggie Award, the Booksellers Best Award, and Library Journal's top distinction, among others. After seventeen years in Colorado, Tamera and her husband now reside in Nashville, Tennessee, where they live a short distance from Belmont Mansion and Belle Meade Plantation, the setting of Tamera’s two USA Today bestselling Southern series.

Editorial Reviews

10/02/2017
Alexander (To Whisper Her Name) opens her fourth cycle of Civil War novels with a novella set in the Christmas season of 1863. Recently widowed Aletta Prescott is pregnant when she loses her job as a seamstress in a factory in Franklin, Tenn. With foreclosure on her home imminent and a six-year-old son to support, she’s desperate for work, and applies for a job cooking at a Christmas event to be held at Carnton Plantation. She doesn’t get the gig but heads to Carnton anyway. There she crosses paths with Capt. Jake Winston, a wounded Confederate sharpshooter who is ordered to assist at an event the Women’s Relief Society planned at the plantation. The story starts slowly but picks up once Jake and Aletta are introduced and romantic tension develops. Minor characters are more functional than fully realized, with the exception of Carnton’s cook, Tempy, who is given personality and a hint of backstory. (She also provides the occasion for recognition of the evil of slavery, though the reflection is brief.) Alexander doesn’t quite knit it all together, but Aletta and Jake will please Alexander’s fan base. Agent: Natasha Kern, Natasha Kern Agency. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

'Christmas at Carnton is a tale of emotional highs and lows that allow readers to experience the joy, sorrow, and hopes of women in a southern town surrounded by war, as well as witnessing the daily struggles of men who must come to grip with life-altering wounds.'

Historical Novels Review

'Alexander brings us yet another amazing read. If you have read her before, this novel does not disappoint...The reader will be sucked into this page-turner and experience the emotion that the characters are feeling. You won't want to miss this novella.'

4 stars RT Book Reviews

'Alexander brings us yet another amazing read. If you have read her before, this novel does not disappoint...The reader will be sucked into this page-turner and experience the emotion that the characters are feeling. You won't want to miss this novella.'--RT Book Reviews, 4 stars

'Christmas at Carnton is a tale of emotional highs and lows that allow readers to experience the joy, sorrow, and hopes of women in a southern town surrounded by war, as well as witnessing the daily struggles of men who must come to grip with life-altering wounds.'--Historical Novels Review

From the Publisher