Lost souls, found again. Manhattan librarian Catherine Tierney has avoided Christmas in the three years since her husband's untimely death: the familiar rituals only intensify her loneliness. She no longer volunteers at the soup kitchen where Brian worked, leaving that to Lizzie, her close friend, a hat-maker and proprietress of an eccentric teashop. Kindhearted Lizzie hopes that Catherine will find the happiness she lost someday soon--perhaps with Christopher Byrne: a Christmas-tree seller, and brawny Nova Scotian, who heads for New York every December. Christine and Christopher have met, and he seems smitten: When he looks into her eyes, he can't quite get through his practiced spiel about the northern starlight caught in the branches of his trees. A widower, Christopher suffered another loss when his teenaged son, Danny, ran away to New York City one winter; after a fight (which Catherine witnessed), he refused to return to Canada with his father and 12-year-old sister, Bridget. Danny is now homeless, living under a different name somewhere on the streets of the city. Catherine, though, has kept in contact with the boy and, in her way, rescued him. An emotional reunion awaits--and a most romantic resolution. Lyrical and lovely: a standout Christmas story. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

A widower, Christy Byrne makes his living growing Christmas trees in Nova Scotia and selling them in Manhattan. One day, the unthinkable happens. Christy gets into an argument with his son, Danny. The police are called in, and as Christy is handcuffed, Danny runs away. Widow Catherine Tierney sees the fight, takes Danny under her wing, and gives him access to the private library where she works. A year passes, and Christy returns to New York City to sell his trees. He and Catherine are interested in each other, but she faces a quandary: does she tell the father about Danny and break the boy's trust, or does she betray Christy by keeping the boy's whereabouts a secret? Rice has written a prodigal son parable and a heartwarming holiday treat, and thanks to her lyrical voice and elegant writing style, this story is special. Readers who enjoy such distinctive writers as Mary Alice Monroe or Patricia Gaffney will add Rice to their list of favorites. --Shelley Mosley Copyright 2004 Booklist

A Christmas tree farmer from Nova Scotia and a lonely New York widow come together in this Christmas weepie by bestseller Rice (Beach Girls, etc.). Catherine Tierney, a corporate librarian who lives in a 19th-century townhouse on a quaint street in the Manhattan neighborhood of Chelsea, used to love Christmas until her husband, Brian, died of cancer. Each year, she awaits a sign from him that'll let her know he's watching over her. Christy Byrne, a widower from Nova Scotia, is in Manhattan with his 12-year-old daughter, Bridget, to sell his Christmas trees. Every night he leaves his boarding house in Chelsea to go looking for his estranged 16-year-old son, Danny, who ran off the year before. When Danny resurfaces and it's revealed that he's been living on the streets with the help of Catherine and her friend Lizzie, they all realize that their paths have crossed many times, and that they've touched each other's lives more than they could imagine. Thrown together in their shared concern for Danny, Christy and Catherine help each other forget their troubled pasts and move toward the future together. Rice's romanticized vision of Manhattan is sharpened by local detail, and her heartwarming Christmas story will please readers who like a nice dose of pathos with their holiday fare. Agent, Andrea Cirillo at the Rotrosen Agency. (Nov.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Can a Canadian Christmas tree farmer and a sweet librarian find true love in New York at Christmas? You bet. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.