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soniapage's review
2.0
It seems odd for a "Christmas" book to be a murder mystery, being investigated by two young girls. The Christmas connection, a nativity re-enactment in the very last pages with talk of Christ, seemed forced and out of sync with the rest of the book. This is a relatively short book but it was tediously repetitive. It seems like it should have been a children's book but then the subject matter is too frightening. Very odd.
tobyyy's review
4.0
Yay! I’m definitely getting in the mood for Christmas stories, even though it’s still November and Thanksgiving has not yet happened. I don’t care; 2020 has been rough so I will start celebrating my favorite season early if I want to.
This was a lovely little historical mystery featuring Gracie, a 13-year-old girl, and Minnie Maude, an 8-year-old girl, trying to solve the death of Minnie Maude’s uncle and disappearance of her uncle’s donkey Charlie.
Please note — Perry’s Christmas novellas are not dopey or sentimental. They are very gritty, realistic, and very similar to her novels. So if you’re coming to her books expecting a lighthearted, cozy story — don’t. That’s not what she writes.
The grittiness took me aback when I first started reading these novellas around the holiday season — but now I expect the grit. The endings, though, are consistently beautiful and heart wrenching and generally filled with holiday cheer (love, joy, hope, peace, happiness) — which is honestly the part of the book that I love the most. Seeing how she wraps up the story in all of its raw pain & struggle and ends it gracefully & beautifully.
This was a lovely little historical mystery featuring Gracie, a 13-year-old girl, and Minnie Maude, an 8-year-old girl, trying to solve the death of Minnie Maude’s uncle and disappearance of her uncle’s donkey Charlie.
Please note — Perry’s Christmas novellas are not dopey or sentimental. They are very gritty, realistic, and very similar to her novels. So if you’re coming to her books expecting a lighthearted, cozy story — don’t. That’s not what she writes.
The grittiness took me aback when I first started reading these novellas around the holiday season — but now I expect the grit. The endings, though, are consistently beautiful and heart wrenching and generally filled with holiday cheer (love, joy, hope, peace, happiness) — which is honestly the part of the book that I love the most. Seeing how she wraps up the story in all of its raw pain & struggle and ends it gracefully & beautifully.
bak8382's review
4.0
I like Perry's Christmas stories because they extend the story of secondary characters from her other series. This one does as well delving into it goes into Gracie 's life before becoming the Pitt's maid.
It's a quick read, but still full of historical details and authentic dialect and dialogue. The mystery of a missing donkey is intriguing and the resolution strikes just the right note.
It's a quick read, but still full of historical details and authentic dialect and dialogue. The mystery of a missing donkey is intriguing and the resolution strikes just the right note.
judyward's review
2.0
This is the 7th in the series of Christmas novels written by Anne Perry and probably the last holiday novel of hers that I will read. A quite pleasant story revolving around 13 year old Gracie Phipps meeting 8 year old Minnie Maude Mudway (I know)and helping her look for her murdered uncle's donkey, Charlie in Victorian London just before Christmas. However, that being said, the plot was thin and unbelievable and the writing seemed as if it was completed quickly to meet the holiday publishing deadline.
rmslinger's review
1.0
I always look forward to Perry's Christmas series, but was very disappointed. Cockney dialogue was too distracting, I didn't want to finish the book after losing interest.
lizjane's review
1.0
So every year I think to myself, "I should read a Christmas novel to get myself in the holiday spirit." And, almost without fail, they suck. 'A Christmas Promise' by Anne Perry is no exception. I am really going to try to remember this for next year.
If you need to read something to get into a holiday mood, I recommend 'Holidays on Ice' by David Sedaris. He is very funny and cynical. A good combination.
If you need to read something to get into a holiday mood, I recommend 'Holidays on Ice' by David Sedaris. He is very funny and cynical. A good combination.
kintara81's review against another edition
3.5
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Review: This Victorian story wrapped up in 160 pages had me gripped from page one. I did find the dialogue hard to understand in the beginning. However by the end of the story this added to the atmosphere of the novella. Yes she does find out who did it and has another mystery to solve along the way.
Review: This Victorian story wrapped up in 160 pages had me gripped from page one. I did find the dialogue hard to understand in the beginning. However by the end of the story this added to the atmosphere of the novella. Yes she does find out who did it and has another mystery to solve along the way.
bev_reads_mysteries's review
3.0
A Christmas Promise continues Anne Perry's shorter holiday mystery series with the story of thirteen-year-old Gracie Phipps and her new friend Minnie Maude Mudway. Gracie is running errands for her Gran when she runs across Minnie Maude--looking sad and lost. Minnie Maude is an eight-year-old girl on a mission to find Charlie, the beloved donkey that belonged to her Uncle Alf. Uncle Alf has just been found dead...apparently from a fall from his rag and bone cart. But the cart and Charlie have both disappeared and Minnie Maude is worried that the donkey is scared and lost.
Gracie promises Minnie Maude that she will help find the donkey. Not knowing where to go or how to set about it, they wind up consulting Mr. Balthazar, a wise old shopkeeper who warns them that there may be danger in asking too many questions. They soon discover that Uncle Alf was on the wrong route and may have picked up a valuable object that wasn't intended for the junk collector. Did someone kill to get the object back? Will the girls and their ally find the answers before Christmas--so Charlie can be home and safe in time for the holiday? You'll have to read and find out.
This is a very short and straight-forward mystery with just the right amount of Christmas charm. It is a good character study in the Victorian era and it is enjoyable to watch the girls quickly become friends. A bit of suspense and a fast-paced wrap-up make for a very solid Christmas mystery. Three stars.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
Gracie promises Minnie Maude that she will help find the donkey. Not knowing where to go or how to set about it, they wind up consulting Mr. Balthazar, a wise old shopkeeper who warns them that there may be danger in asking too many questions. They soon discover that Uncle Alf was on the wrong route and may have picked up a valuable object that wasn't intended for the junk collector. Did someone kill to get the object back? Will the girls and their ally find the answers before Christmas--so Charlie can be home and safe in time for the holiday? You'll have to read and find out.
This is a very short and straight-forward mystery with just the right amount of Christmas charm. It is a good character study in the Victorian era and it is enjoyable to watch the girls quickly become friends. A bit of suspense and a fast-paced wrap-up make for a very solid Christmas mystery. Three stars.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
sarah1984's review
3.0
8/12 - A simple, unsophisticated historical mystery. I had just finished A Christmas Hope and was expecting this to have some of the same characters, but A Christmas Promise was completely different. This may be considered part of the Christmas Stories series, but only because it's set around the time of Christmas, as far as I can tell it has no other association with other books from the series.
This one features Gracie Phipps and her newly made friend Minnie Maude. Gracie comes across Minnie Maude searching for her lost donkey after her uncle and favourite person has died. Everyone tells Minnie Maude, and eventually Gracie when she starts to help, to forget about Uncle Alf and the lost donkey but Minnie Maude can't ignore the strange events surrounding Alf's death - where have the donkey and Alf's cart gone, exactly how did he die, and why is everyone ignoring these important questions.
Perry's writing evoked the era A Christmas Promise was written in perfectly, I could even hear Minnie Maude and Gracie speaking in my ear, with their dreadful diction and strong accents. It took a little getting used to, reading all that dialogue with so many contractions - 'ow instead of how, 'e instead of he, wot instead of what, and many more - but once I got the flow of it, it became quite fun to listen to (in my head). I look forward to reading the third and final book from this series, which was part of my borrowing splurge.
This one features Gracie Phipps and her newly made friend Minnie Maude. Gracie comes across Minnie Maude searching for her lost donkey after her uncle and favourite person has died. Everyone tells Minnie Maude, and eventually Gracie when she starts to help, to forget about Uncle Alf and the lost donkey but Minnie Maude can't ignore the strange events surrounding Alf's death - where have the donkey and Alf's cart gone, exactly how did he die, and why is everyone ignoring these important questions.
Perry's writing evoked the era A Christmas Promise was written in perfectly, I could even hear Minnie Maude and Gracie speaking in my ear, with their dreadful diction and strong accents. It took a little getting used to, reading all that dialogue with so many contractions - 'ow instead of how, 'e instead of he, wot instead of what, and many more - but once I got the flow of it, it became quite fun to listen to (in my head). I look forward to reading the third and final book from this series, which was part of my borrowing splurge.