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Start giftingThe 13th Gift
A True Story of a Christmas Miracle
Narrator
Joanne Huist Smith
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Length
5 hours 24 minutes
Language
English
For readers of Richard Paul Evans and Greg Kincaid comes The 13th Gift, a heartwarming Christmas story about how a random act of kindness transformed one of the bleakest moments in a family's history into a time of strength and love.
After the unexpected death of her husband, Joanne Huist Smith had no idea how she would keep herself together and be strong for her three children--especially with the holiday season approaching. But 12 days before Christmas, presents begin appearing on her doorstep with notes from their "True Friends." As the Smiths came together to solve the mystery of who the gifts were from, they began to thaw out from their grief and come together again as a family. This true story about the power of random acts of kindness will warm the heart, a beautiful reminder of the miracles of Christmas and the gift of family during the holiday season.
Joanne Huist Smith is a native of Dayton, OH. She earned a bachelor's degree in English at Wright State University and worked as a reporter for the Dayton Daily News. She is the mother of three and grandmother of two.
Joanne Huist Smith is a native of Dayton, OH. She earned a bachelor's degree in English at Wright State University and worked as a reporter for the Dayton Daily News. She is the mother of three and grandmother of two.
Reviews
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERA Woman's Day Book Club Pick
"The book's simple prose and profound message will fill even the Grinch-iest hearts with Christmas spirit while affirming the age-old adage, it really is the thought that counts." --USA Today
"A funny, knockout-moving new memoir...Read it, share it, pay it forward." --The Good Life
"[A] touching true story." --Women's Day
"A feel-good story guaranteed to move you." --Good Housekeeping
"Inspiring readers throughout the country and around the world this holiday season." --The Dayton Daily News
“THE 13TH GIFT is the kind of Christmas book whose message is much bigger than the holiday. This memoir is written from the heart and for the heart.” --Jason Wright, New York Times bestselling author of Christmas Jars
“I loved The 13th Gift—a truly heartfelt and intelligent book. Joanne Smith deftly reconciles the difficult terrain that ranges between the Christmas we all want and the tragedies of life that sooner or later beset us all. Highly recommend it to all, but particularly to those that are dealing with recent losses and don’t’ know how or if they will ever find their way back.” –Greg Kincaid, author of the bestselling Christmas with Tucker and A Christmas Home
"The beautiful story told in The 13th Gift reinforces how the most precious gifts at Christmas are when people give unconditional love and support and it proves how compassion and a kind heart can change lives. Acts of kindness can create a legacy that lives on from generation to generation." --Laura Schroff, New York Times bestselling author, An Invisible Thread
“If there ever was a roller-coasterish page-turner of a Christmas book, this would be it. As a veteran devourer of Christmas stories short and long, fictional and true, I mistakenly assumed I'd encountered every conceivable plot variant in the genre. Turns out I was dead-wrong. Joanne Hurst Smith's wondrous story hit me from so many directions, playing on the strings of so many emotions, that it left me limp at the end Quite simply, it is a masterpiece.” --Joe L. Wheeler, Ph.D., author of the bestselling Christmas in My Heart® series
"The 13th Gift has a touch of magic in it. It's a lovely story that proves we can recover from any loss, strengthened by the blessings of others. It's a classic for the Christmas season--and all seasons."--Glenn Plaskin, author of Katie Up And Down The Hall: The True Story Of How One Dog Turned Five Neighbors Into A Family
"For readers of Richard Paul Evans and Greg Kincaid comes The 13th Gift, a heartwarming Christmas memoir about how a random act of kindness transformed one of the bleakest moments in a family's history into a time of strength and love." --Book Reporter.com Expand reviews