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3.43 AVERAGE
3.43 AVERAGE
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
As a big Jenny Colgan fan, you’ll not be surprised to know that I loved this one! It was a fabulous sequel and I really enjoyed catching up with Carmen, her sister Sofia and her family, her one-time boyfriend Oke, Mr McCredie and the shop-owners on Victoria Street. I think it is a book that you will get more out of if you’ve read the first book so why not treat yourself to a double helping of Jenny Colgan Christmas cheer if you haven’t already read it?
This book really did feel like a love letter to Edinburgh. I already love my city but this book and the way Jenny Colgan writes about it has made me fall in love with it all over again. Her descriptions of the Grassmarket and Victoria Street with the Castle towering above them made me appreciate once more what a very special place Edinburgh is. This being fiction, the author was able to work her magic and cover it all in a thick blanket of snow too which doesn’t happen very often, although I keep hoping!
Edinburgh does have a bit of a love/hate relationship with tourists and this comes out in the book. Victoria Street used to have a huge variety of shops, including many bookshops, but in the book as in real life, many of them have now become shops to attract tourists rather than to serve locals. Carmen is acutely aware of this and is resisting attempts by dastardly and mega-rich Jackson who seems set on buying up the street. I loved reading about how she uncovered hidden treasures in the bookshop in her efforts to attract more customers. It’s just how I expect these old shops to be. I thought it was a nice touch that one of the shop-owners was called Bobby, which I think was a nod to Robert Cresser’s Brush Shop. This shop was a family owned business in Victoria Street for 131 years until it closed and was replaced by a tourist shop, rather like what happened to Bobby’s shop in the book.
There’s so much more I could say about this book but this review could turn into something of a novel in itself! I haven’t mentioned Carmen’s relationship with her sister Sofia which is as prickly as ever, or how brilliantly she writes the young characters in the book, or just what was going on with Oke or how Jackson discovers that money doesn’t buy you true friends. Really, you just have to read the book yourself.
Midnight at the Christmas Bookshop is another fantastic read from Jenny Colgan. It’s warm (unlike Mr McCredie’s bookshop!), it’s funny, it’s full of festive cheer and is such a heart-warming read. I really recommend you add this to your Christmas reading pile.
This book really did feel like a love letter to Edinburgh. I already love my city but this book and the way Jenny Colgan writes about it has made me fall in love with it all over again. Her descriptions of the Grassmarket and Victoria Street with the Castle towering above them made me appreciate once more what a very special place Edinburgh is. This being fiction, the author was able to work her magic and cover it all in a thick blanket of snow too which doesn’t happen very often, although I keep hoping!
Edinburgh does have a bit of a love/hate relationship with tourists and this comes out in the book. Victoria Street used to have a huge variety of shops, including many bookshops, but in the book as in real life, many of them have now become shops to attract tourists rather than to serve locals. Carmen is acutely aware of this and is resisting attempts by dastardly and mega-rich Jackson who seems set on buying up the street. I loved reading about how she uncovered hidden treasures in the bookshop in her efforts to attract more customers. It’s just how I expect these old shops to be. I thought it was a nice touch that one of the shop-owners was called Bobby, which I think was a nod to Robert Cresser’s Brush Shop. This shop was a family owned business in Victoria Street for 131 years until it closed and was replaced by a tourist shop, rather like what happened to Bobby’s shop in the book.
There’s so much more I could say about this book but this review could turn into something of a novel in itself! I haven’t mentioned Carmen’s relationship with her sister Sofia which is as prickly as ever, or how brilliantly she writes the young characters in the book, or just what was going on with Oke or how Jackson discovers that money doesn’t buy you true friends. Really, you just have to read the book yourself.
Midnight at the Christmas Bookshop is another fantastic read from Jenny Colgan. It’s warm (unlike Mr McCredie’s bookshop!), it’s funny, it’s full of festive cheer and is such a heart-warming read. I really recommend you add this to your Christmas reading pile.
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Great sequel to the Christmas Bookshop. Set in Edinburgh and just so magical. Not a lot of drama though I was just the tiniest bit frustrated by the tension (was it really?) between two characters. All the characters from the first book and all the beautiful scenery of Scotland. I really want to visit at Christmas!
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
lighthearted
medium-paced
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced