“Cozy, sweet and whimsical, Bespoke is everything one would wish for a Christmas story to be. Yet author Amanda Dykes masterfully layers in a quiet and thought-provoking depth that takes the reader by the heart and doesn’t let go, even after the last page is turned."
—JOANNE BISCHOF, award-winning author of This Quiet Sky
“A joyful gem of a story, pulsing with warmth and light, Bespoke has all the ingredients of a first class read – characters of substance, a hint of mystery, heartfelt romance, and gorgeous prose. Encore, Amanda Dykes!”
—LAURA FRANTZ, award-winning author of Love’s Reckoning
“A little story with a big heart, Bespoke captured me with its polished, intelligent prose and characters both winsome and layered, and held me in its spell with a poignant yearning-to uncover the painful secrets of the characters' past and see the unfolding of a future shining with the promise of joy. Amanda Dykes is a fresh and compelling voice in fiction and Bespoke: A Tiny Christmas Tale sings with a timeless song of rebirth.”
—LORI BENTON, award-winning author of Burning Sky and The Pursuit of Tamsen Littlejohn
"A gloriously music-infused fable forged by grace. The experience in its carefully plotted and lyrical pages is not unlike a cup of apple cider as embers dance and shadows fall. I mean to make it an annual seasonal read. I think of this story and my heart-strings tug a little while a smile curves. It is not just a story, it is now a dear friend. "
—RACHEL MCMILLAN, author and reviewer, Breakpoint, Novel Crossing, A Fair Substitute for Heaven
"Aria is what her name suggests, a little bit of music in a world full of chaos. Aria's father is the famous composer and conductor, Giovanni St. John. The man has already composed eight great symphonies. There is a legend suggesting that no great composer will survive after composing their ninth symphony. After all, Beethoven and Schubert only wrote nine symphonies, Schubert's eighth symphony being his unfinished work. So what would happen if St. John composed his ninth symphony? After the stellar performance of his eighth, the composer mysterious disappears for years. When he returns, he conducts his tenth symphony, informing his devoted audience that his ninth will remain a mystery. Year after year, he conducts another new symphony, but never the ninth. Until one day, illness and old age taking its toll, the famous composer and conductor retires to his secret house on the Isle of Espoir, the house that the villagers have called the Silent House.
It wasn't always that way. The village blacksmith, James, remembers a time when, as a child, he and the composer's daughter, Aria, were best friends. A tragedy occurred and the famous composer took his daughter away from his island retreat. Fifteen years later, they have returned and Aria wants to give her father one last gift, one that was silenced years ago by the accident that took away her ability to perform his music. Aria wants James to help her build a bicycle out of all of her brass instruments, the instruments that she can no longer play. She wants to create a way for her to play her father's ninth symphony, before it's too late.
Amanda Dykes has written a delightful and quaint little story about the sounds and the silences of music. Her prose is like music itself, as the plot unravels like a symphony. There is beauty in the silences as well as in the notes that capture the audience. This story is a real treasure. Well done."
Reviewed By Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers’ Favorite
“Beautiful prose, poignant emotions, and encompassing theme of hope out of ashes, will enchant readers as this tender Christmas story unfolds with the whimsy of a fairy tale and the heart of a giant. Truly, Amanda Dykes is an exquisite wordsmith and consummate storyteller, captivating my every thought as Giovanni, Aria, and James tentatively reach for the broken pieces of their lives that seem impossibly and forever fragmented. The spiritual themes are captivating and stirring ~ be prepared to be inspired and moved, more so as you read below and discover there is so much more to this tale than you expect! If you only read one Christmas story this year, ensure it is Bespoke.”
—REL MOLLET, editor/reviewer, RelzReviewz.com, Novel Crossing contributor, Family Fiction correspondent
