Thomas Kinkade (1958–2012)

This was lovely. If someone could take a feeling of peace and contentment, package it, and share it with the world, it may look something like this book. This book is as warm and soothing as a gentle sigh. The pictures are lovely, of course, and the essays ground the book and are quite informative. The inspirational quotes are, well, inspiring, and I mean that. Books with wise and pithy sayings may be a bit formulaic, but this one still was deeply moving, and it gave me much to think about. show more Emily Dickinson wrote a poem once in which a character affirmed that truth and beauty are one. After reading this book and taking in the artwork, I understand that sentiment. show less

Cape Light is a small, very connected, and generally religious New England village. In this first book of 20 (so far), we are introduced to some of the inhabitants of the village--the mayor and her family, who are still somewhat reeling from a scandal in the past; the local diner owner who is very set in his ways and has designs on unseating the mayor in the next election; the reverend and his wife, whose joyful news is overshadowed by a wayward family member. Characters are established and show more at least one romance blooms, in this book that covers a summer in Cape Light.

Though there are a lot of characters to keep straight, I found that it wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be. I had a few moments that needed clarity, but I followed it well enough. And for the first half of the book, I was interested in the lives and backstories of these people. In fact, I never stopped being interested in that. But what seriously detracted from it was the plight of the main character and her romantic entanglement.

Jessica Warwick, the mayor's sister, has recently moved back from not-too-far-away Boston, and she intends to return as soon as she can. She's only in town to help her ailing mother, who is starting to recover well. She has a life back in Boston, and a sort-of boyfriend. Enter Sam Morgan, whom she is immediately taken by, though she refuses to acknowledge it for a long time. But when her boyfriend conveniently gets really busy, she starts dating Sam, even while making it clear that she's moving back to Boston at the end of the summer. What follows is a ridiculously drama-filled mess that could have easily been solved in multiple ways. I don't know which of these two irritated me more--the woman who dated a guy in town while knowing that she wasn't done with the previous boyfriend yet and continued a relationship with a man who was clearly falling for her hard, despite her warning about there being no future, or the man who ignored her warning about there being no future because he held out hope that he could change her mind.

While romance novels are always pretty obvious, in that the two leads are going to end up together, I prefer those that are more in the backdrop to an interesting plot. There was little in the way of plot involving Jessica and Sam that wasn't directly related to their relationship. The situations that occurred just to make them fall in love and/or add drama to their relationship were so much more obviously contrived than I prefer. By the end, I just wanted the book to be done already, which makes me sad, because I did enjoy unraveling the lives of the others in town.

The Christianity in the book was weirdly both shallow and heavily permeating. Apparently a large amount of the village's inhabitants go to the same church, and many of them have a strong faith. Several others are seeking, and a lot of the same advice is given by different people. The series starts with 4 not-specifically-holiday books, but apparently by book 5, it continued as a Christmas series, which is what brought it to my attention at this time of year in the first place.

The writing was a bit pedestrian, but it only bothered me at times. I am going to give the series another chance, because just about every plot arc that was started in this book was left hanging, and I really do want to see what happens. Since the main thing that bothered me about this book should take a back seat in the future, I am hopeful about continuing. With proper planning, I can be ready for the first of the Christmas books by November or December. show less

Thomas Kinkade - or more accurately, Thomas Kinkade Studios - provide the artwork for this picture-book presentation of the beloved Christmas carol, Away in a Manger. The illustrations, which look to be done in oil paint, alternate between what looks like a (highly idealized) Victorian English country village, and the ancient Holy Land, where the Nativity Story occurs...

After perusing and enjoying the picture-book presentation of this carol done by Mike Jaroszko in 2008, I picked up the show more Kinkade version, done in 2005, with some interest. I was familiar with Kinkade previously - he apparently trademarked the moniker "The Painter of Light" - but mostly associated his work with greeting cards, and with the paintings sold at his stores in various shopping malls here in the states. I was not aware that he (or his studio) did picture-books, until searching for versions of this carol. I'm glad I tracked it down - Christmas carol picture-books are a pet project of mine - but unfortunately, I didn't find the book itself very appealing. The artwork sometimes looked garish, with the over-use of whites and yellows to create the impression of light. The Victorian (I think?) scenes felt somehow fake, and I didn't care for the blurriness of the paintings, which prevents the reader from appreciating any little detail. I know Kinkade has his fans, but I infinitely preferred the version done by Jaroszko, and recommend it, rather than this, to those seeking picture-book presentations of Away in a Manger. show less

Thirteen-year-old Lizabeth Merchant comes from the richest family in Cape Light and, as such, leads a very privileged life. Her biggest worry is that she might not be crowned Strawberry Queen in Cape Light's upcoming Strawberry Festival. She has little patience for her four-year-old sister, Tracy, who often seeks Lizabeth's attention.

Lizabeth is sent to stay with her cousin Kat's family when Tracy contracts scarlet fever. For Lizabeth, who is used to servants doing all the work in her own show more home, seeing Kat's entire family pitch in to maintain the lighthouse is an eye-opening experience.

Lizabeth worries that she won't be allowed to go back to her home before the Strawberry Festival. Her dress for the festival is still in her room and the house is under quarantine. Lizabeth sneaks out of Kat's bedroom one evening and returns to her home for the dress. While she's there, she checks on Tracy and is startled to see how sick her young sister has become. Suddenly the Strawberry Festival doesn't seem so important any more. The events that follow Tracy's illness will drastically change Lizabeth's view of herself and the people around her.

In the previous Lighthouse Lane books, Lizabeth was the character I liked least, but her story turned out to be my favorite of the series. She's a very self-centered character, but also a very insecure one. She doesn't feel that she has anything to offer beyond her good looks and privileged upbringing, but her sister's illness teaches her a difficult lesson. She realizes that money and material possessions cannot bring her happiness or prevent bad things from happening, and she's a better person for this realization. show less