Tin Can Serenade

by Amanda Dykes (Editor)

Two homes in the mountains
Snowed in for winter’s keep;
A river in between them,
A rope tight o’er the deep.

A mother and her daughter,
A father and his son,
A cottage and a cabin,
A story yet unspun

But time did freeze a tin can
Dangling from that rope
A messenger from days gone by,
Echoing long lost hope.

Until a cold November day
Saw decades fall away;
Young hands inscribed a folded scrap,
A missive sent to say…
_________________

So begins the plucky correspondence of Timothy and Genevieve, two children about to uncover a story long-buried... one filled with love, with loss, and with hope. An enchanting Christmas story laced with joy, God's healing hand in the broken places of life weaves through each letter passed over the river in that tin-can strung from the rusted pulley.

Enter into a simpler time in this petite tale, written to be just long enough to tuck into a stolen moment as you rest your feet and quiet your heart in the bustle of a busy season.

Genres: Christmas, Historical Fiction, Christian Fiction, Short Stories, Romance, Fiction, Adult Fiction

24 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 1, 2013

About the author

Amanda Dykes is a drinker of tea, dweller of redemption, and spinner of hope-filled tales who spends most days chasing wonder and words with her family. She's the winner of the 2020 Christy Award Book of the Year, a Booklist 2019 Top Ten title, and the winner of an INSPY award for her debut novel, Whose Waves These Are. She’s also the author of Set the Stars Alight (a Christy Award finalist), Yours is the Night (recipient of the Kipp Award), All the Lost Places (starred reviews from Booklist, Library Journal, and Foreword), and three novellas. Find her online at amandadykes.com.

Reviews

[Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sooo sweet. A nice little read. It was fun to piece the story together just by reading letters exchanged between a boy and a girl. If it had been a normal length novel I would have found it irritating, but the length and the story was simply lovely :)

[Kaitlyn Krispense · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always adore Dykes books, and this one was no exception! I don't, however, generally like stories in epistolary format, so I can't that this was my favorite, but it was super sweet. I did enjoy putting together the backstory through two childrens' letters, and may I just say, this love story was honestly one of the sweetest ever.

[Heather Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfectly sweet little story

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Four stars for enjoyment level alone, five stars for sweetness, but the pacing has some lumps and there are several editing errors that pulled me out of the story, as well as the boy's POV that was at least a decade too modern for the time frame; a time frame that wasn't set easily at the beginning of the tale; and an abrupt ending.
Worth a read!

[Virginia Henderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first read by Amanda Dykes, but it certainly won't be my last.

Likes:
I thoroughly enjoyed watching as the story progressed from a chance friendship to past lovers. The formatting- letters passed back and forth via a tin can- told the story in a simple and engaging way. Through their letters, I was able to get a slight glimpse at the characters through tone and voice. Great Christian themes!

Dislikes:
I did have trouble getting started and I felt the opening wasn't very clear. I did find myself wondering about the ages of Timothy and Genevieve and how long Timothy and his father had lived across the river.

Overall:
4 stars! I'm so glad I ran across this, and I'll be reading more by this author. A great read for Christmas and the whole winter season!

[Joleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seldom do I use the word enchanting. But if I could borrow it for a moment to use on this enchanting little book, it would be perfect.

Two children separated by a river with no boat to cross use a tin can on a pulley to communicate with notes. Their friendship extends to their parents through the notes, and what surprises and what joy this old rusted tin can brings.

Beginning and ending with delightful little poems, the ending is worth closing your eyes and letting out a satisfied sigh.

Now, isn’t that worth the use of that word?

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this so much!!
This was an epistolary short story told in notes between two kids. I adored the format so much.
The story was so sweet. It was short but Dykes packed so much into it. It told a story of redemption, second chances, and sweet love.

[Miriam Simut · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. How can such a short, 30-page story pack such an emotional punch? This was PRECIOUS!!

[Andrea Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

by Andrea Renee Cox

A delightful tale in exchanged letters, Tin Can Serenade is a Christmas short story to cherish. A couple of typos and a bit of a slow start are why I docked a star, but I thoroughly enjoyed this e-Short once I caught on to the darling children's method of communication. The setting came alive so vividly, I nearly thought I saw my breath puff out from the chill in the air. I love it when books pull me in like that, where I feel like I'm right there experiencing everything with the characters I'm reading about. Well done, Ms. Dykes!

I was not compensated for my honest review.

[Malia Saldaña · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful,short story! I enjoyed how they wrote letters back and forth. That was fun to read about. The way Amanda Dykes writes stories is just absolutely beautiful. Oh,that ending! I loved this book,and I highly recommend it! That cover is so cute too.

[Rochelle Saldaña · Rating 5 out of 5]

A most delightful, short story for Christmas! The words are lovely. The children are precious. The love story perfectly sweet. I’ll be reading this every Christmas.

[Paula Shreckhise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been a fan of this author for about a year when I read her novella Up From The Sea. Her writing is so lyrical. This short story is no exception. It is a simple story but the message is very deep in symbolism.
A father and son live on one side of a river and a mother and daughter live on the other. The bridge to connect them is out. The children communicate through letters shuttled across the water in an old tin can via a rope.
The daughter, Jenny, reminds me of the verbose Anne of Green Gables or the writing of Jo from Little Women.
I especially liked the description of the waltz at the end. “Marriage must be a waltz. God, You, Me. One, Two, Three.”
She explains how the story came about and it is very touching.
I recommend this short story for an introduction to Amanda Dykes. You will not be disappointed. Then search out her other excellent works and get ready to be amazed at the eloquence of this author.
*I purchased this ebook from Amazon. All opinions are my own.*

[H.S. Kylian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED IT

[Alissa J. Zavalianos · Rating 5 out of 5]

This little story is only 30 pages, but it’s so sweet! Written in letters between two children, readers get a glimpse into lost love, friendship, and second chances. Enchanting, to say the least 💛

[Kailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet

What a sweet little story! I really enjoyed the way that it was written. It was perfect for a quick read.

[Erin Laramore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun and cute short epistolary story about second chances. Can easily be read in one setting and is super sweet. I really enjoyed it!

[Sydney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute short story; perfect if you are looking for a very quick and sweet read. :)

[Abigail Harris]

RTC

[Katja Labonté · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars & 5/10 hearts. What a sweet story! So poetic and just so sweet. I loved the gentle humour, the contrast between Timothy & Jenny, the slowly growing romance, the wintery feel... I love this author’s style more with every book I read.

A Favourite Quote: “He has a whole room full of shelves of books, but he says they never did much for him, and now the only one he reads is his Bible. He says that one keeps him going[.]”
A Favourite Beautiful Quote: “The melody sailed across the trickling river and set our feet to dancing. We couldn’t hear your voices, just the music. Do you think music has some agreement with the water? ... I think it’s just that the music was made for the water, and the water for the music, dancing partners for all time. Pretty soon Mother and I we were spinning each other around, twirling just like the notes, and laughter never tasted so full of hope.”
A Favourite Humorous Quote: “‘I’ve pulled the tin can back over three times now to add these messages. Oh, won’t you ever return? It’s been two days now! Are you lost forever? And with my handkerchief, too. I bet you met a band of pirates in the woods, and had to use it as your white flag of surrender. That’s alright. At least it met an adventurous end. But how shall we save you? Never fear. I’ll think of something.’
“‘We weren’t lost, and if we’d found a band of pirates you can bet they’d be the ones to need help.’”

[Rebekah Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
While this story is told in the form of notes from one side of the river to the other, I was able to picture the setting, the characters, and felt like there had been much more in the story than had actually been written. It was very sweet, and the ending was lovely. I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did.

[A.M. Heath · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was absolutely delightful!!! Short, sweet, charming, and written solely through letters between children. I LOVED it!

[Natalie Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the story! It was very short, but very enjoyable. And the poem at the beginning and end is amazing!

[Loraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an enchanting epistolary short story. A boy and a girl live across the river from each other, and there is no way to reach the opposite sides of the river. The boy has a boat, but it is winter time and the river is starting to freeze. But there is a pulley with a tin bucket that runs across the river, so the two start writing letters to one another. The letters lead from one thing to another until Christmas arrives with a very surprising ending to the story. I loved the poems that began and ended the story as well as the after notes that explained where the author got some of her ideas. BTW I absolutely love the cover.

[Patty · Rating 5 out of 5]

So sweet!

I have started reading some Christmas stories a bit early this year. Two favorite authors had Christmas novellas releasing and I decided to start reading them. After finishing those two, I searched my Kindle for other books with ' Christmas' in the title. I ran across this one, and thoroughly enjoyed it! I believe it was released originally to her newsletter subscribers.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tin can
Serenade.

A short Story.

By Amanda Dykes.

Short but sweet.

Message sent across the river
With the simple tin can.
The Message mean more to most than some know..

Some Messages are are only for the grown-ups but little easier see things sometimes.


Things from the past come to life within the the tin can..


This was a sweet short book I enjoyed....

[Emma Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a sweet little novella. I definitely was not expecting the format, but I suppose for the book length I should have. I have to say as well that I did enjoy the format and layout.

Not as dramatic and inspiring as some of Ms. Dykes’s other books, but I always enjoy the story beneath a story aspect of her novels.

[Blessing Bloodworth (naptimereaders) · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tender and endearing SHORT story! Told solely through short letters sent across a river between two young kids. I love letter books and so this was right up my alley! It also beautifully reflected the importance of faith and the sacrifice it sometimes takes to hold to convictions.

[Kami S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hardly long enough to even rate! Took me all of 20min to read... but it was a super cute read!

[jo ୨୧ · Rating 5 out of 5]

such a sweet story <3

[Elisabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet story of friendship through letters and second chances. The perfect plot for a short story.