Theodora is the matriarch of a family that has grown into a bunch of truculent knuckleheads. While she's finally gotten them all together in South Carolina to celebrate, this Christmas looks nothing like the extravagant, homey holidays of her childhood.

What happened to the days when Christmas meant tables groaning with home-cooked goodies, over-the-top decorations, and long chats in front of the fire with Pearl, her grandmother's beloved housekeeper and closest confidante?

Luckily for Theodora, a special someone who heard her plea for help arrives, with pockets full of enough Gullah magic and common sense to make Theodora's Christmas the love-filled miracle it's meant to be.

Customer Rating:
Summary: Ghost of Christmas Past, Makes A Better Christmas Present
Comment: Ninety-three-year-old Theodora, matriarch of her family, has gathered her savage, but modern, family together at her South Carolina home to celebrate the holidays. But, she can't stand her family, and this Christmas seems bleak and grey compared to the ones of her childhood. She remembers the over-the-top Christmas decorations, the tables covered with layers of homemade food, and conversations with her grandmother's most trusted housekeeper, Pearl. Theodora's maid gets called away, and the ghost of Pearl, the strict black maid from the 20's that she loved so much, comes to the house to put things in order. She brings back family heirlooms for Christmas, changes the family's attitude, and makes Christmas magical. This book reinvents the meaning of goodwill to all and peace on earth, and will show just how special Christmas with your family should be. Any reader will be blown away by how well written this book is, and how well meaning the story makes out to be.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: I Want A Pearl Too!
Comment: This is a delightful bit of Southern Christmas magic that no one should miss. Theodora is the elderly matriarch of a very messed up family. This Christmas she's finally gotten them all together to celebrate, and all she really wants is a glorious, homespun holiday like when she was a girl. Enter Pearl--the now angel of her beloved childhood friend/nanny/housekeeper. Sassy, fun, and not above a dirty trick or two, these two ladies teach this disjointed family about what it means to love and respect both themselves and each other. I laughed a good deal reading this, and covet a Pearl of my own. There's bonus old Southern holiday recipes included in the book as well--yum!

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Dorothea Benton Frank is the author of seven bestsellers
Comment: Her first was Sullivan's Island (Lowcountry Tales) and her newest is The Land of Mango Sunsets. In her newest The Christmas Pearl she explores the story of a fractured family --- their rivalries, insecurities, secrets, and lies --- and how, through the desperation of Theodora and the magic of Pearl, they rediscover their deep devotion to each other. Pull up a chair to the perfectly set holiday table while Frank shows the grand old house as it breathes and rattles in protest and her characters do the same. But despite all their problems, the truth is: love never dies. This volume includes the recipes that bring Theodora's family together and vintage photographs of winters gone by. It's a classic holiday story, unique because of its Gullah influences, and a contemplation of mysterious things we may never quite understand. And if you missed TIN0'S masterful novel: FATES I'd highly recommend it. I found it at a bookstore and it was great! Fates

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Customer Rating:
Summary: A little holiday magic!
Comment: The Christmas Pearl

Ms Theodora is 93. Her children, their children all live in her childhood home, as is the custom. It is going to be Christmas Eve, but these days nothing is like it used to be. The families fight constantly, and Theodora doesn't know what to do. She gets help in an unexpected way, with a little bit of help from Clean Slate Punch and Reconciliation Eggnog thrown in, we have a short book but the message comes across.

Will everyone find it in themselves to try a bit harder to get along? Read and find out!! I really enjoyed this book. It was short, I read it within an hour. I loved every minute of it and who couldn't love ALL the recipes in the back?? That is a bonus!!!

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Fast read
Comment: This is the smallest book you will read all year. While I wanted to love the story, I thought it lacked real imagination and I never fully cared for any of the characters. I have felt that the last few books by Dorothea Frank have been flat. The last book she wrote was just a re-write of Sullivan's Island. This book is fast and has some good recipes and is a quick read. For that reason alone that I gave it three stars.

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