Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor

Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor is a contemporary romance by Lisa Kleypas published in 2010. It is the first novel in her Friday Harbor series, which features the Nolan family.

Plot

Set in Friday Harbor, the novel opens with a prologue that features six-year-old Holly Nolan’s letter to Santa Claus, asking for a mother for Christmas. Following the death of Holly’s mother, Victoria Nolan, Holly is placed in the care of her uncle, Mark Nolan. Holly does not speak following her mother’s death, until she meets Maggie Conroy, a widow and the owner of a toy store, with whom Holly develops a connection. Mark, who learns of Holly’s Christmas wish, feels the need to find a mother for her. Despite being in a relationship, Mark is attracted to Maggie, while Maggie, despite her attraction to Mark, feels that she does not have enough to give to someone else since her husband’s death. The novel follows the developing relationship between Maggie and Mark, as well as their relationship with Holly, culminating on Christmas Eve.

Characters

• Maggie (Norris) Conroy: Owner of the Magic Mirror, a toy store. Is a widow of two years after losing her husband, Eddie, to cancer.
• Mark Nolan: Holly’s uncle and legal guardian. Owner of a coffee-roasting business. Dating Shelby Daniels.
• Holly Nolan: Six years old. Does not speak following her mother’s death. Wants a mother for Christmas.
• Sam Nolan: Mark’s brother, who helps Mark raise Holly in his home at Rainshadow Vineyard.
• Alex Nolan: Mark and Sam’s brother. Is in real estate. Married to Darcy, but decide to divorce.
• Victoria Nolan: Holly’s mother who died in a car accident. Raised Holly on her own, never revealing Holly’s father.
• Shelby Daniels: Interior decorator. Lives in Seattle. Dating Mark Nolan.

Themes

Magic

The ideas of magic and, in relation, fantasy and imagination are a major theme throughout the book. Whereas Maggie believes that magic, fantasy, and imagination are important for children, Mark feels that he needs to create a boundary between reality and make-believe for Holly. However, he struggles with maintaining this boundary and begins to believe in magic himself.

Family

The idea of family is another theme in the book. While Holly and her uncles constitute a family, Mark also wants to create a family for Holly that includes a mother figure after he learns of Holly’s Christmas wish. Furthermore, Mark comes to view Holly as his own child, even though he is not her biological parent. Family is also brought up, as Maggie grew up in a large and close-knit family, while Mark and his siblings largely went their separate ways as adults, having grown up in a family whose parents had a troubled marriage and used their children as pawns. This affects Mark’s views on how to raise Holly.

Christmas

Christmas is also significant in the story. It is Holly’s wish that makes Mark ponder the idea of getting married, despite his ambivalence. It is also significant, as the Nolan family has not celebrated Christmas since Mark was fourteen, following a parental fight.

Reception

Publishers Weekly called the book a "spritely charmer" that "avoids...all the cheesy holiday miracle cliches." It considered the book to be solid with its strong leads.^[1]

RT (Romantic Times) Book Reviews gave the book a 4.5 star rating, stating that it was "poignant, heartbreaking and deeply satisfying..."^[2]

The novel was nominated in 2010 for an RT Reviewers' Choice Award in the Contemporary Romance category.^[3]

References

1. ↑ Review of Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor, by Lisa Kleypas, Publishers Weekly, September 9, 2010, http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-312-60586-5. Accessed April 7, 2011.
2. ↑ Annette Elton, review of Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor, by Lisa Kleypas, RT Book Reviews, http://www.rtbookreviews.com/book-review/christmas-eve-friday-harbor. Accessed April 7, 2011.
3. ↑ "RT Award Nominees & Winners," RT Book Reviews, http://www.rtbookreviews.com/rt-awards/nominees-and-winners?award_type=book&year=2010. Accessed April 7, 2011.

External links

• Lisa Kleypas official website
• All About Romance interview with Lisa Kleypas
• Publisher site for the book, which includes a reading group guide