Not just epistolary, this novel is archival, told entirely through journals, letters, photos, drawings, notes, and clippings left behind by Nell Doerr, who lived in Lawrence, Kansas, between 1854 and 1889.
“Joyfully riffing on a holiday classic, Tom Averill’s ACarolDickensChristmas is a moving and contemporary tale that, like the work of that other Dickens, focuses on what affects us deeply: judgment and compassion, grief and hope, cruelty and kindness. With a warm and realistic cast of characters, this is a story for people who believe in the magic of the season and—more to the point—in simply caring for each other.”—Laura Moriarty, author of TheChaperone
"Food is the talisman, the metaphor, and the basic aroma of this voluptuous novel . . . The tale is full of recipes, some on the very edge of bizarre but all bursting with flavor and history."--Booklist
"Based on the American folk ballad 'Tennessee Stud,' this novel by the author of Secrets of the Tsil Café is an artistic masterpiece galloping with classic all-American appeal."-- Library Journal, starred review
