Gideon's Gift

September 23, 2002
Kingsbury, a beloved novelist in the CBA market, is known for weepy tales replete with hospital bedside scenes, emotional reunions and miracles. This eager if predictable novella will please her established fans, and may win a few new ones as well, provided they are armed with enough Kleenex. In the story, the Scrooge-like Earl Badgett—a grumpy and aggressive version of the typical widower of CBA fiction—has his Christian faith revived through the efforts of an eight-year-old girl. Pious, mature children who lead adults back to faith were a staple of 19th-century domestic fiction, and remain so in the CBA today; sweet little Gideon Mercer is no exception. And if the novel's emotional quotient weren't high enough, she's even suffering from leukemia. Despite the overwrought stereotypes, Kingsbury writes quite well; her skill with pacing goes a long way toward redeeming this tired and contrived plot.

November 1, 2002
Gideon Mercer, an eight-year-old leukemia patient, is hoping for a huge Christmas miracle. She does not wish that her parents will scrape together $50,000 for a life-saving bone marrow transplant for her. Nor does she want her dream Christmas with a light-filled tree and a truck for her little brother. Instead, Gideon hopes that the belligerent homeless man she met while her family worked in a food kitchen will believe in God. Five years prior, Earl Badgett lost his faith when his wife and daughter were killed in a car accident. Unable to go on, he took to the streets, hoping to die. An unexpected Christmas gift from Gideon brings God back into Earl's life with repercussions for both of them. This pleasantly conventional story will appeal to sentimental readers. Purchase to augment holiday collections.

Copyright 2002 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.