Nicole Tracy | Literary Columnist
According to the book
synopsis, Starry Night by
Debbie Macomber is “filled
with all the comforts and
joys of Christmastime, and
is a delightful novel of finding
happiness in the most
surprising places.”
Carrie Slayton, a big-city
society-page columnist,
longs to write more serious
news stories. So her editor
hands her a challenge:
She can cover any topic
she wants, but only if she
first scores the paper an
interview with Finn Dalton,
the notoriously reclusive
author.
Living in the remote
Alaskan wilderness, Finn
has written a mega-bestselling
memoir about surviving
in the wild. But he
stubbornly declines to
speak to anyone in the
press, and no one even
knows exactly where he
lives.
Digging deep into Finn’s
past, Carrie develops a theory
on his whereabouts.
It is the holidays, but her
career is at stake, so she
forsakes her family celebrations
and flies out to
snowy Alaska. When she
finally finds Finn, she discovers
a man both more
charismatic and more
stubborn than she even
expected. And soon she
is torn between pursuing
the story of a lifetime and
following her heart.
Filled with all the comforts
and joys of Christmastime,
Starry Night is a
delightful novel of finding
happiness in the most
surprising places.
If one is looking for a
romance set during Christmas
time, this story will fit
the bill. The story line is
rather formulaic. One is introduced
to girl, then guy,
then girl meets guy, sparks
fly between the two characters,
bad things happen
in and to the characters’
relationship, they split
up but then realize they
can not live without each
other – so they rekindle
the relationship and live
happily ever after.
Now, having said that,
when it comes to Macomber’s
stories, that is not a
bad thing. The story works
– largely due to the author’s
ability to structure
the story. The author has
mastered this formula to
the point it comes off completely
natural. It is easy
for one to just get lost in
the story and forget about
what is going on in the real
world for a little while.
It is a fast read, but it
would have been preferred
for the plot to seemingly
slow down just a little bit.
The ending felt slightly
rushed after the build up in
the rest of the story.
If one is looking for a
Christmas time love story
to read this week in any
free time, this, or any of
Macomber’s extensive selection
of Christmas novels
would be an excellent
choice. Lighthearted and
honest enough to make
you believe in the magic
of Christmas time, this
one is worth the read. It
should be said, however,
that Starry Night could
also be read at any other
time of the year, it’s just
that good of a story.
Starry Night is available
at the Howard County Public
Library. Copies are limited,
so if it is unavailable,
ask at the front desk to be
put on a waiting list for it.
