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8797999's review against another edition
3.0
2023
Although I read this book each Christmas I feel it is time for a revision of my rating and my feelings have altered towards this book.
For a start and I find it more pronounced with this read, despite this being labelled Christmas stories, the stories are not very Christmassy or in the spirit of Christmas. They are all rather bleak and melancholic. They do take place at Christmas but they certainly aren’t festive.
Heartwarming these are not! There is also a lot of forgettable tales in the book. There are some good ones but more misses.
As such I think my rating will be dropped down to a 3/5. I will read selected stories from this next year but not a complete re-read.
That said there are some good stories here but mostly they fall flat in terms of Christmas spirit and it is very American dominated book, where to this British reader the locales and plots is not very appealing. Like a speakeasy bar, ranch and a woman sat on the roof to name a few.
2022
A nice revisit, a couple of stories I didnt remember. As mentioned before some very enjoyable ones but also some Turkeys (most notably the American ones). Nice warm up to Christmas.
Still a good deal for 99p when I purchased it for the Kindle.
Original Review
A mixed bag of stories, some Christmas crackers but also a few turkeys as well. I liked the earlier stories more than the latter ones. It was a nice surprise to read a non-Maigret story by Simenon.
Not a bad pick up for 99p.
Although I read this book each Christmas I feel it is time for a revision of my rating and my feelings have altered towards this book.
For a start and I find it more pronounced with this read, despite this being labelled Christmas stories, the stories are not very Christmassy or in the spirit of Christmas. They are all rather bleak and melancholic. They do take place at Christmas but they certainly aren’t festive.
Heartwarming these are not! There is also a lot of forgettable tales in the book. There are some good ones but more misses.
As such I think my rating will be dropped down to a 3/5. I will read selected stories from this next year but not a complete re-read.
That said there are some good stories here but mostly they fall flat in terms of Christmas spirit and it is very American dominated book, where to this British reader the locales and plots is not very appealing. Like a speakeasy bar, ranch and a woman sat on the roof to name a few.
2022
A nice revisit, a couple of stories I didnt remember. As mentioned before some very enjoyable ones but also some Turkeys (most notably the American ones). Nice warm up to Christmas.
Still a good deal for 99p when I purchased it for the Kindle.
Original Review
A mixed bag of stories, some Christmas crackers but also a few turkeys as well. I liked the earlier stories more than the latter ones. It was a nice surprise to read a non-Maigret story by Simenon.
Not a bad pick up for 99p.
megt's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.75
samae's review against another edition
3.0
*2.5
probably my fault for going into this book thinking I'd feel some Christmas cheer or something
probably my fault for going into this book thinking I'd feel some Christmas cheer or something
toffee_coffee's review against another edition
3.0
*3.5 stars*
The stories in this collection weren’t really what I was expecting. Whilst they are all either set at Christmas or make mention of Christmas, only a couple of them have that “Christmassy” feel. Whilst this isn’t a criticism of the stories themselves - many of them are enjoyable or get you to think about different people’s experiences during Christmas - this collection definitely isn’t one to pick up to get you in the festive mood (as I had hoped they would). Many left me feeling a little sad instead.
The stories in this collection weren’t really what I was expecting. Whilst they are all either set at Christmas or make mention of Christmas, only a couple of them have that “Christmassy” feel. Whilst this isn’t a criticism of the stories themselves - many of them are enjoyable or get you to think about different people’s experiences during Christmas - this collection definitely isn’t one to pick up to get you in the festive mood (as I had hoped they would). Many left me feeling a little sad instead.
marialianou's review
2.0
A solid 2,5* because I enjoyed some of the short stories, and I wouldn't gift it to any of my friends and family members.
rzh's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.25
hozza's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Enjoyable Christmas read with some interesting alternative Christmas stories. I enjoyed the variety of stories but like all collections some great, some good and some I didn’t enjoy
pcmswede's review
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.75
A collection of short stories read during Advent, one each day, added to my enjoyment of the season. So many takes on what the Christmas means. Appreciated the paragraph-long biography of each author at the end of the book which gives context to each story.
brianareads's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0