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suzanzanzan's review against another edition
challenging
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
cerijones16's review against another edition
4.0
A very powerful and moving collection, which made me reevaluate my relationship with Christmas.
motherbooker's review
3.0
Christmas can mean different things for different people. We normally associate the festive period with joy and merriment. It's a time during which we want to be with the people we love. We're so used to Christmas as a time when we feel safe, loved, and happy. But, for many, Christmas is a difficult time. This collection of writing gives us a look at a variety of different Christmas experiences. Emma Thomspon and Greg Wise have brought together a group of people from all walks of life to discuss their connection with Christmas. These include famous names, refugees, and people associated with Crisis at Christmas. It's a delightful read that is perfect for dipping into throughout the festive period.
The greatest thing about Last Christmas is the range of people who were involved. You get people from all over the world and who have had very different experiences growing up. It's a real snapshot of how Christmas is celebrated or not. And there is a real difference in approach to the writing. Many take a more casual and humorous approach to their tale. They relive childhood celebrations and remember the magic they once felt. They talk about their loved ones and how the season brings them together. Others reflect on how Christmas has changed for them as an adult. How the commercialisation threatens to take away the real meaning of the day. It's all stuff we've heard thousands of times before but the majority of the essays are well-written and engaging.
As a counter to the good cheer, there are plenty of stories of negative experiences. We see the families forcing themselves to come together and people who look back on their difficult childhoods. I think that it was necessary to have this perspective. People like the image of Christmas as a magical and joyful time but that's not the reality. Not included these stories in the book would be like putting your head in the sand. After all, this is a book that is raising money for people without homes. It would be incredibly hypocritical to pretend that Christmas is all about happiness.
Finally, there are stories of people who help others at Christmas. The people who work with Crisis at Christmas and want to give back. These are the most interesting stories. Hearing from those involved with charity work or the people who have experienced Christmas on the streets really gives you a sense of perspective. If I'm honest, I could have done without the brief and forgettable input from Meryl Streep in favour of more of these real-world stories. This book comes to life through the stories of refugees, people who have struggled, and people who have relied on the help of other people. Hearing the first-hand experiences of people who don't get the luxury of a Christmas like you do is far more interesting than hearing even Stephen Fry, a man who I would listen to on any subject, discuss the history of the holiday.
I understand that the famous names were included to draw people in but the majority of these stories don't stand out. It's not that they are not well-written, it's just that they don't offer anything unusual. And, on a personal note, I have to question why Richard Ayoade included an entire chapter from his book Ayoade on Top. It's a fun chapter but it doesn't seem to make sense from a publishing point of view considering it only came out recently. Also, the final line really doesn't make sense out of context so whoever edited this book didn't do a great job. Last Christmas had the potential to be a really charming and lovely book. For the most part, it relied too heavily on the famous names and didn't really care about the content. You can tell that Thompson and Wise wanted to focus more on the "real" people but maybe somebody suggested that it wouldn't sell? This isn't the worst thing you could ask to read over the festive period but you might find yourself dreaming of the book it could have been.
The greatest thing about Last Christmas is the range of people who were involved. You get people from all over the world and who have had very different experiences growing up. It's a real snapshot of how Christmas is celebrated or not. And there is a real difference in approach to the writing. Many take a more casual and humorous approach to their tale. They relive childhood celebrations and remember the magic they once felt. They talk about their loved ones and how the season brings them together. Others reflect on how Christmas has changed for them as an adult. How the commercialisation threatens to take away the real meaning of the day. It's all stuff we've heard thousands of times before but the majority of the essays are well-written and engaging.
As a counter to the good cheer, there are plenty of stories of negative experiences. We see the families forcing themselves to come together and people who look back on their difficult childhoods. I think that it was necessary to have this perspective. People like the image of Christmas as a magical and joyful time but that's not the reality. Not included these stories in the book would be like putting your head in the sand. After all, this is a book that is raising money for people without homes. It would be incredibly hypocritical to pretend that Christmas is all about happiness.
Finally, there are stories of people who help others at Christmas. The people who work with Crisis at Christmas and want to give back. These are the most interesting stories. Hearing from those involved with charity work or the people who have experienced Christmas on the streets really gives you a sense of perspective. If I'm honest, I could have done without the brief and forgettable input from Meryl Streep in favour of more of these real-world stories. This book comes to life through the stories of refugees, people who have struggled, and people who have relied on the help of other people. Hearing the first-hand experiences of people who don't get the luxury of a Christmas like you do is far more interesting than hearing even Stephen Fry, a man who I would listen to on any subject, discuss the history of the holiday.
I understand that the famous names were included to draw people in but the majority of these stories don't stand out. It's not that they are not well-written, it's just that they don't offer anything unusual. And, on a personal note, I have to question why Richard Ayoade included an entire chapter from his book Ayoade on Top. It's a fun chapter but it doesn't seem to make sense from a publishing point of view considering it only came out recently. Also, the final line really doesn't make sense out of context so whoever edited this book didn't do a great job. Last Christmas had the potential to be a really charming and lovely book. For the most part, it relied too heavily on the famous names and didn't really care about the content. You can tell that Thompson and Wise wanted to focus more on the "real" people but maybe somebody suggested that it wouldn't sell? This isn't the worst thing you could ask to read over the festive period but you might find yourself dreaming of the book it could have been.
toofondofbooks's review
4.0
Last Christmas is such a wonderful collection of essays by such a wide range of people and is perfect for reading at Christmas.
I loved that this book has such a mix of people sharing their thoughts on Christmas. There are some lovely nostalgic recollections mixed in with people who struggle with Christmas, there are people who have been homeless at this time of year and people who volunteer at Crisis. It really serves to show the full experience of Christmas and it’s a reminder to remember those who are find this time of year difficult.
The essay that most connected with me was Emilia Clarke’s. She writes of trying to find the perfect gift for her father. She eventually hits on the most perfect and magical gift for him and it’s so wonderfully received. It ended up being her last Christmas with him and that brought a lump to my throat. We did something similar for my mum in what turned out to be her last Christmas and I often think how much I would have regretted it if we’d waited to do it. It’s such a reminder to do things now with the ones we love, don’t wait!
I dipped in and out of this book over a few days and this was such a lovely way to experience these essays. Some days it made me smile, and others made me pause for thought. Overall the feeling the collection as a whole left me with is to be grateful for who, and what, I have in my life and to make sure to make the best that I can of the festive season. I definitely recommend this book!
This review was originally posted on my blog https://rathertoofondofbooks.com
I loved that this book has such a mix of people sharing their thoughts on Christmas. There are some lovely nostalgic recollections mixed in with people who struggle with Christmas, there are people who have been homeless at this time of year and people who volunteer at Crisis. It really serves to show the full experience of Christmas and it’s a reminder to remember those who are find this time of year difficult.
The essay that most connected with me was Emilia Clarke’s. She writes of trying to find the perfect gift for her father. She eventually hits on the most perfect and magical gift for him and it’s so wonderfully received. It ended up being her last Christmas with him and that brought a lump to my throat. We did something similar for my mum in what turned out to be her last Christmas and I often think how much I would have regretted it if we’d waited to do it. It’s such a reminder to do things now with the ones we love, don’t wait!
I dipped in and out of this book over a few days and this was such a lovely way to experience these essays. Some days it made me smile, and others made me pause for thought. Overall the feeling the collection as a whole left me with is to be grateful for who, and what, I have in my life and to make sure to make the best that I can of the festive season. I definitely recommend this book!
This review was originally posted on my blog https://rathertoofondofbooks.com
amberinbookland's review
3.25
My favourite stories/essays:
Emilia Clarke
Emma Thompson
Seann Walsh
Stanley Tucci
Stephen Fry
Tindyebwa Agaba
Emilia Clarke
Emma Thompson
Seann Walsh
Stanley Tucci
Stephen Fry
Tindyebwa Agaba
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Cancer, Kidnapping, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: War
annarella's review against another edition
5.0
A Christmas read that reminds what Christmas is and how different remember or live this festivity.
It's a perfect Christmas gift, highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
It's a perfect Christmas gift, highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
beckylou123's review
4.0
The stories in this book are happy, sad, reflective, hopeful, funny, heartbreaking and heartwarming. It was lovely to read on wintry nights by the Christmas tree.
roseofoulesfame's review against another edition
3.0
An interesting mix of perspectives. Not always easy to read but finished fairly quickly nonetheless.
claire_sturt's review
5.0
Thoroughly enjoyed this ebook although I would of preferred if the biographies were at the end of each story.
clotimms's review
2.0
A difficult collection to review. It left me feeling a bit glum instead of festive. That's not to say these were all depressing stories of miserable or difficult Christmases, but it veered more to the bleak to the joyous. I did appreciate reading stories of those who have suffered difficult times through homelessness, being a refugee etc, but I was hoping for more amusing stories along the way too. Maybe 2020 was the wrong year to read this kind of collection! Rather than the stories be alphabetical I would have preferred an order that balanced the mood of the essays a bit more.