Comfort & Joy: A Novel

This is a fascinating book. The hard times that the family experienced were hard to read. I was amazed at the resiliency of the mother and daughter but appalled by the mother's devotion to her husband despite his treatment of her. The descriptions of the Alaskan wilderness is beautiful.

Kristin Hannah has never disappointed me, what a great author. When I read her books it’s as if I’m there too. I can not say this about every book I read by other authors. Put me on your list as your number one fan☺️.

A friend gave me this book for Christmas. I read it in one sitting and then gave it back to her to read. Also, I now have it my Kindle to read again next Christmas. Wonderful story in my opinion. You'll have to read it yourself and see if you agree.

This book is amazing, The story line will grab you and you will not be able to put it down. It really touches the heart and allows you to believe that sometimes things happy for the good and even become a blessing. Kristin delivers again and again.

This was a quick read. Very quick. I knew exactly what was gonna happen. I felt like I was reading "I see dead people" book. Not very unique. Should had more of an ending. Kinda just stopped. I gave it three stars cause it did fill a few hours

‘Here, in this strange clearing, hundreds of miles from home, I feel both lost and somehow found.’

I’ve been on a Christmas story roll these days, because ‘tis the season! I purchased this book a while back when it was on sale and after recently reading my first Kristin Hannah book (The Nightingale) I figured I would give this one a shot. I thought that it was a heartwarming story filled with magic that’s sure to leave you feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. You sort of have to suspend reality for a while as you read this book, some of the things that happen (even before the “magical” twist) aren’t entirely plausible but I just went with it and instead clung to the message of hope, forgiveness and pursuing your dreams.

‘These two need help, and it’s Christmas. I may have lost my own holiday spirit, but I can’t watch a little boy lose his. Besides, this is my first real adventure. What kind of adventurer ignores the needs of others?’

High school librarian, Joy Candellaro, is recently divorced and facing the prospect of spending the holiday season alone. She usually is one to only dream of adventures, not actually embark on them. But not wanting to sit around feeling sorry for herself, she decides to purchase a ticket bound for the town of Hope in the Pacific Northwest. However her adventure takes a frightening detour and she ends up lost in the Olympic rainforest. She decides to use this opportunity to leave her old life behind, even if just temporarily. She happens upon the Comfort Fishing Lodge where she meets young Bobby O’Shea and his father Daniel. Bobby recently lost his mother and is having difficulty dealing with the loss. He and Joy form a wonderful friendship and in helping to heal Bobby and Daniel’s relationship she also begins to heal the things broken in her own life. During their time together Joy begins to picture what a beautiful family the three of them could be together. However there’s a big twist that happens that’ll leave Joy second guessing everything she thought she found with the O’Shea family.

I’ll admit that I did not see that twist coming! It totally caught me off guard and made me really want to finish the book so I could see how everything turned out. Once the twist happened however, looking back it helped make sense of several things that I questioned or thought was odd in the events that took place before it. I won’t spoil it for you, but I did like how this huge twist really helped add the magical feel to the story! The story was told in such rich detail, I could envision all of the things Joy describes on her adventure. It’s such a beautiful backdrop to the story, I think it was the perfect setting for this heartwarming tale. If you’re looking for a feel good book, that reads easy and will leave you with that magical holiday feel then check this book out!

‘You can run away from your life and your past, but there’s no way to distance yourself from your own heart.’

Comfort and Joy by Kristin Hannah was a strange book. I listened to it during the holidays because I was in a seasonal mood for reading this type of story. About three quarters through I thought that it was a science fiction book . I continued to listen and although it had a spiritual story line it was unlike any other book I had read of hers.I was a bit disappointed in Hannah's plot and if it had not been on CD would not have finished the book.

This sweet read has you traipsing through the majestic Olympic Rain Forest in search of your heart. Set at Christmas time, Kristin Hannah's novel is well written and abounding in twists. A sure pleaser for all her fans!

Great story
I enjoyed the story telling ,it was very heartbreaking at first about the ordeal of seeing her husband and sister together and her reaction to just leave.the rest was really emotional thanks.

I love Kristin Hannah! I love how she writes. She makes you feel like you are experiencing the plot of her novels. I loved Comfort and Joy because I think we've all been at that place in our lives where we want to run away. This book takes you on a journey expected and unexpected.