This is a book of short stories, all with a Christmas theme. Many were set in England or Ireland and each story follows a few main characters and their relationships over the Christmas period.
JULIA: Julia did not really like the book and did not finish it. She found the stories too short and "you did not find out what happened". There were good moral issues in the stories, although sentimental and predictable. There was only one story she enjoyed.
CONNIE: Connie does not normally like short stories. She felt the stories did not have a beginning or end and they weren't satisfying. She also read Skipping Christmas by John Grisham. She enjoyed this book and found it very amusing. It was a light and easy read about a family who had chosen not to have Christmas as their daughter was overseas. They decided to go on a cruise instead but the pressure from the neighbours to participate produced some amusing results.
KATHY: Kathy was not keen on short stories either. It was "all there" - romance, family problems, affairs etc. but she would have liked to get to know more about the characters.
WENDY: Wendy likes Maeve Binchy but wonders why she always has extramarital affairs coming into the stories. The husbands are always repentant and the wives always take them back. Why? Wendy told us that Maeve Binchy gets her stories from eavesdropping? at bus stops.
PAMELA: Pamela read a"White Christmas" by Wanda Brunstette. She only got to page 47. She said Wanda is one of those writers who does not trust her readers so repeats herself quite often. Her writing is abysmal and there is a paucity of vocabulary. Pamela found it hard to believe anyone would publish the book.
KATE: As Kate was away she did not read the book. Instead she read "Hell West and Crooked" by Tom Cole. She really enjoyed it.
MERILYN: Merilyn is our newest member. At the moment she is reading a book by Ruth Rendell. She said it is "hard going". It is about the early days of the main character Inspector Wexford. He doesn't seem to pick up the clues. She found it better on the television.
JOAN: Joan has been away so she also did not read Maeve Binchy's book. Instead she read "Brooklyn" by Colm Tabin, an Irish writer. It was about the forced emigration of a young Irish girl to America. A priest in Brooklyn says she can come over and they will set her up there. Joan found it a lovely story of love, loss and heartache, having to move to another country and start again. It follows her first Christmas there helping serve lunch to the poor and needy Irishmen who have also made their home in America.
LESLEY: Lesley read "The Christmas Thief" by Mary Higgins Clark. She described it as light and fluffy but very funny. It is a farce about a criminal who steals diamonds by way of a scam. He hides the diamonds in the top of a christmas tree knowing it grows so much each year. Unfortunately the tree is chosen to be cut down and moved. The following attempts to get the diamonds back by the bumbling criminals makes hilarious reading.
JO: Jo read "Knit the Seasons" by Kate Jacobs, an American writer. It is a book about a woman who inherits a shop that sells yarn after her mother dies of cancer. Friends come on Friday nights to knit beanies for people who have lost their hair due to cancer treatment. Jo said it was well written but not her sort of book. It was a bit slow.
KRIS: Maeve Binchy has written some good novels but the short stories in this book do not have a lot of substance. It was good to read at this time of the year when time is so precious.
ANN: Ann only read about five or six stories. She didn't want to continue as she wasn't enjoying it. She also found it sentimental and predictable.
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