If Mary Jane was motivated by a spirit of independence and the quest for truth in the first novel of the trilogy, Madeleine and Esmeralda are driven by purposes quite different in the second. For both girls it is the embracing of hope - of salvation for Madeleine, and illumination for Esmeralda - that propels them along their parallel paths.

Madeleine, a daughter of the Magian line, is bequeathed calinda al emeris magis - the rare "gift of the fourth king" - which enables her to perceive what others cannot. But, as with many gifts, there are prices to pay for such things. The bloom of a rose, or the fruit of a tree, does not come without the promise of a thorn, or the threat of a blight.

For Esmeralda, the fortuneteller who once read Tarot cards for Mary Jane on First Night, the journey forward is impeded by that affliction which haunts everyone who call Christmasville home: memory - the multiple perforations of memory, which prevent her from summoning images of her long lost father, her mother, her brother, Oscar...and of what became of them all.

As readers follow Madeleine and Esmeralda in their quests, they discover the origin and dynamics of the colossal clock tower, the functions of the giant transformers that generate much more than heat and light for the idyllic town of Christmasville, the "secret of lightning" and the remarkable phenomenon of "thin places." But for the astute reader - the reader who discovered in Christmasville a confirmation of that sometimes elusive, though always enduring virtue of faith - Finding Christmasville will be a journey of illumination, an epiphany, a celebration in that most wondrous and fragile of human aspirations: hope.

Chapter Titles

Prologue:     Pink Depression Glass    

  • Chapter 1:     Infrared, Ultraviolet...Variations on the Spectrum of Illumination

  • Chapter 2:     The Sounds of Water

  • Chapter 3:     Blue Lightning

  • Chapter 4:     Thin Places and Places Thick

  • Chapter 5:     The Cross in the Trees

  • Chapter 6:     Shadows and Whispers of Things

  • Chapter 7:     The Bounds of Expectation

  • Chapter 8:     A Letter to Santa

  • Chapter 9:     Adventures with the Nutcracker

  • Chapter 10:   The Spark in the Dark

  • Chapter 11:    Agnesium

  • Chapter 12:    The Bridge to December

Epilogue:     An Empty Box of Everything

 Reviews:

“I liked the strong female characters [and] the descriptive language…I enjoyed this book so much, I’m going to find the first in the series.”

IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards

“Dutton writes…three ongoing points of view and he does it very well. Each woman has her own voice and those voices are compelling. ..Dutton brilliantly sets up the final chapter of Madeleine’s story.”

J. Peter Bergman, the Berkshire Eagle

“The word building is layered and evocative…An engrossing fantasy novel…The story’s balance between Christmasville and the outer world generates intrigue.”

Foreword Clarion Review

“Author Michael Dutton has created an imaginative and charming world in Christmasville. The town comes to life in great detail, through well-constructed descriptions. In both timelines, the story and characters offer a lot of charm and gentle humor.

Blueink Review