Solid Depression-Era Almost Dickensian Christmas Tale. This is one of those tales that effortlessly blends elements of A Christmas Carol, A Tale Of Two Cities, and The Parent Trap into a concoction uniquely its own and along the way shows two women in particular - and through them, many more people - the magic of Christmas as they see how "the other half" lives.
What McQuestion does particularly well is bringing a high degree of realism into this tale in all aspects - perhaps the only bits that feel weird to at least some in 2024 are when a particularly naive character walks into certain situations and actually comes out *without* being assaulted... but then, that is more on those types of readers as such assaults, while far more common than they should be (that they happen *at all* is too common, to be clear), are not the *actual* norm even in 2024. Far more common, however, are all the heartstrings being pulled - the young ones in the Girl's Home nearly steal every scene they are in, and another encounter in a different situation later - one that starts out seeming like it could go very wrong, very fast, by 2024 standards - ultimately becomes one of the scenes where the room gets the dustiest while trying to read this book. In other words, put your 2024 assumptions in the other room while reading this book and simply enjoy the magic McQuestion creates here. You have my word that nothing actually damaging happens in this tale designed to be an uplifting Christmas story.
Overall a solid realistic, almost Dickensian, Christmas tale that at just under 200 pages is both an excellent read for those pressed for time when family and friends are gathered and you need some "me" time... or for those looking to finish out those annual reading challenges and need a short and quick book to help them meet those goals.
Very much recommended.