Library Journal Review

In 1929, King of Prussia, PA, is hit by a devastating snowstorm. Erick Mueller, a college professor visiting home for the holidays, takes over when his father, the coal man, can't deliver the town's fuel. In the process, he meets Mary Withers, a widow with a young asthmatic daughter, Alexis, and as the weeks pass, they grow closer. Miller (Disarming the Darkness, Zondervan, 1998) balances their romance with the family drama of the Muellers' other son, Otto, who had been disowned for fighting in the Great War against his father's wishes. By Christmas, several crises arise: Mary is unwilling to move on from her first marriage, medication for Alexis's severe asthma attack seems undeliverable owing to the snow, and the Mueller family receives letters that lead them to believe that Otto is back in town. Miller touchingly wraps everything up on Christmas Eve. Anyone who hates old-fashioned sentiment should find a lot to dislike here, but most readers will love this family drama with spiritual overtones. Recommended. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.