Review: The Snow Globe

Summary: 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. -- St. Martin's Press

I am so swamped right now with holiday things -- cleaning, wrapping, shopping, baking, partying, etc. -- that I barely have had a chance to pick up a book the past few days. In fact, I'm becoming quite frustrated that I can't even fit in a few pages! So when THE SNOW GLOBE by Sheila Roberts, arrived in the mail, I thought to myself, "This might be a book that I can fit into my busy schedule."

I'm embarrassed to say that this little book still took me a few days to complete, and it's only 166 pages. However, it is a perfectly fun read for the Christmas season! THE SNOW GLOBE tells the story of three friends whose lives are forever changed once they take possession of a snow globe. This very special snow globe actually has magical qualities. It has been passed down through the generations and has brought miracles to those in need. The possessor of the snow globe is guaranteed a miracle (or at least something that will make their life better), and they are fortunate enough to see what the future will bring every time they shake the globe.

And that's where Kiley, Suzanne and Allison come in. Each woman finds themselves facing the holidays with something missing in their lives until they they end up possessing the special snow globe. The story begins with Kiley, a young woman whose fiance left her for her sister. She desperately wants to find happiness but is afraid of rejection after such an awful (and embarrassing) breakup. Kiley questions her sanity when the inside of the snow globe changes and she sees herself with a man and a toy shop, and she is even more startled to actually find the real store and man one day when she was out with friends. Needless to say, Kiley's visions in the snow globe are coming true and she is well on her way to finding happiness!

Kiley wants everyone she loves to have the same experience with the snow globe that she has had, so she gives it to her good friend Suzanne. Suzanne doesn't buy the magical powers of the snow globe, but she takes it home places it on her mantle. Suzanne is a woman who seems to have it all, a great husband, a beautiful daughter, a success career, etc.; however, she is so caught up in achieving that she misses out on all of her blessings. It appears that the snow globe is doing more damage than good until Suzanne faces a life-changing accident and realizes the important things in life.

Once Suzanne's life is changes for the better, she gives the snow globe to Allison, a sweet woman who is missing her grandmother and dreading spending the holidays with her dysfunctional family. It's pretty obvious by now that the snow globe is going to change Allison's life too -- but it's not clear as to how because Allison sees herself having tea with her dead grandmother.

Suffice it to say, that everything works out well for all three women and the book leaves the reader with a feeling of hope -- and even some question as to whose life the snow globe will touch next. There are some valuable life lessons in THE SNOW GLOBE that are especially meaningful during the holiday season such as the importance of family, friendship, and love. It's just an ideal read for this time of year and it will definitely warm your heart!

Thanks to Newman Communications for providing a copy of this novel.