A Sea View Christmas is an On Devonshire Shores novella penned by Julie Klassen. It is a piece of historical fiction taking place in England and Scotland in the early 1800s. It could be read as a standalone piece because the author spends a great deal of time bringing back a great many characters from previous books and explaining, albeit briefly, how each person relates to the main characters. This story falls short of some of Klassen’s other works when it comes to character development and personality. Novellas do not have to be this way, but this particular one was pretty flat and one dimensional.
The aim of this story seems to be producing a Christmas story that entices readers if they like Klassen’s other stories from the On Devonshire Shores series. Perhaps if the other books have been read, readers will not feel the lack of character’s personality quite so much. A few of the people making their appearance in this story stand out from the blandness of the others. However, it is not quite enough to carry the whole story.
The character of Sarah Summers is a contradiction. She makes a huge fuss over having someone develop an interest in a relationship with her and when he finally decides to move forward, she pretty much gives him a cold shoulder and spends half the book moping about how tough it is to have the man wanting to court her. It feels a little forced. Then, after spending a great deal of time belaboring the relationship qualms Sarah has, the author sprints to tie up the loose end of this relationship.
The brightest spot in the story comes from young Georgiana and her friend Colin. They flit in and out of the pages with a youthful enthusiasm and joy. They bring humor and light heartedness. The book is not a bad read; it just feels a bit different from other stories Klassen has written. The book ends with an unanswered question about Georgiana’s future and the reader is left to wonder…will there be another novella to wrap this up too?
Review of an Advance Reader’s Copy Provided by the Publisher
Content Analysis:
Profanity/Language: None
Violence/Gore: A character refers to a person as being unkind to his spouse, implying physical mistreatment.
Sex/Nudity: A character is pregnant out of wedlock; non-married characters kiss and embrace.
Mature Subject Matter:
Death of a parent.
Drug/Alcohol Use:
None
