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kraley's review against another edition
2.0
I laughed aloud a few times reading this book. It follows a woman over three Christmas seasons. I didn't really like any of the characters particularly except for the ex-MIL, Pat who cracked me up. I might read another book by this author, but prefer novels to short stories and they is what this felt like. If you're traveling over Christmas and need a read for the flight, this would be perfect.
lisah1058's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I just thought this book was okay. The main character started to get on my nerves and it seemed a little slow.
carolpk's review against another edition
3.0
My holiday read this year jumped into my hands after several of my GoodReads friends mentioned this book. At the end of the page, this was not exactly what I was expecting. Though it does have some lol funny spots, the underlying issues are those most of us experience during the season and often cause us to feel a bit less than jolly. Still, like the female narrator in Comfort & Joy, we somehow take joy in the love and sharing, despite the quirkiness, stress, etc. that too much family can produce.
Not sure why but it reminded me a bit of I Don’t Know How She Does It by Allison Pearson. Perhaps it’s the tone. An adulteress bit brought to mind Bridges of Madison County. Only my good friend LindaS would understand this. An easy read with some choice moments!
Not sure why but it reminded me a bit of I Don’t Know How She Does It by Allison Pearson. Perhaps it’s the tone. An adulteress bit brought to mind Bridges of Madison County. Only my good friend LindaS would understand this. An easy read with some choice moments!
ewg109's review against another edition
2.0
Frothy chick lit that strays towards the preachy a little bit too often.
kathleenww's review against another edition
4.0
I really loved Bridget Jones' Diary, but most other "chick lit" leaves me cold. I usually read A Christmas Carol during the holiday season. But when this popped up on my library's download page, I requested it out of curiosity and it came just in time for Christmas.
I was not expecting to laugh quite as much as I did, nor I was expecting some of the shocking language coming from a female writer/journalist, which I guess may be a double standard on my part, but I just don't read a lot of novels with such excessive swearing in conversation. I was amused though! It was all good!
Clara is a middle aged mother, dealing with a slump in her marriage and self esteem. Her life changes dramatically over a three year period, and we get to see the changes as observers at her annual Christmas party. Fun little book, easy read, very funny and at times, poignant. I may try more of Ms. Knight's writing in the future!
I was not expecting to laugh quite as much as I did, nor I was expecting some of the shocking language coming from a female writer/journalist, which I guess may be a double standard on my part, but I just don't read a lot of novels with such excessive swearing in conversation. I was amused though! It was all good!
Clara is a middle aged mother, dealing with a slump in her marriage and self esteem. Her life changes dramatically over a three year period, and we get to see the changes as observers at her annual Christmas party. Fun little book, easy read, very funny and at times, poignant. I may try more of Ms. Knight's writing in the future!
purrfectpages's review against another edition
2.0
Comfort and Joy's story starts on December 23rd, 2009. In fact, if you're not careful, you might not realize that the book is broken up into different sections: the holiday seasons of 2009, 2010 and 2011, respectively. The cast of characters largely remains the same, but their lots in life change a little bit here and there.
While I typically like books that follow the same characters over the course of time I didn't feel like picking three, consecutive holiday seasons really did justice to our knowing said characters. After all, a lot of us are not ourselves come holiday time, we might be a bit more stressed or a bit more melancholy, etc.
Another hindrance from my fully enjoying this novel was the fast-paced nature in which they spoke. Since you don't see the characters a lot, the reader is forced to dive in to who they are as people, their connections and motivations implied rather than stated explicitly. It was also written in a rather fast-paced nature and with some British humor sprinkled in, required some concentration in certain parts. While there were definite moments of kinship with the writer's reflections, in large part it left me discomforted and searching for joy.
While I typically like books that follow the same characters over the course of time I didn't feel like picking three, consecutive holiday seasons really did justice to our knowing said characters. After all, a lot of us are not ourselves come holiday time, we might be a bit more stressed or a bit more melancholy, etc.
Another hindrance from my fully enjoying this novel was the fast-paced nature in which they spoke. Since you don't see the characters a lot, the reader is forced to dive in to who they are as people, their connections and motivations implied rather than stated explicitly. It was also written in a rather fast-paced nature and with some British humor sprinkled in, required some concentration in certain parts. While there were definite moments of kinship with the writer's reflections, in large part it left me discomforted and searching for joy.
wixojord's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.25
broedo's review against another edition
4.0
I read this in about 24 hrs and laughed hysterically the entire way. Wonderful bit of holiday reading and I almost wish I had left it until December. But who knows, I may just read it again.