Scan barcode
A review by always_need_more_books
Last Christmas: Memories of Christmases Past and Hopes of Future Ones by Greg Wise, Emma Thompson
4.0
I prefer to read non-fiction alongside fiction as a rule, but this collection was just lovely and I was able to read it as if it were a novel. Best read in the Christmas period, it is a lovely mix of memories, all written in people’s own words describing past Christmas’s and hopes for future ones.
I have a difficult relationship with Christmas, having lost of mum to cancer 5 years ago during the festive period. Add to that my boys are growing up and are harder to surprise with presents and I just find the whole lead up quite stressful. This collection made me realise I am certainly not alone – quite a few of the authors agreed that we lose the magic of Christmas as we get older and maybe don’t have the same people surrounding us.
Some of the memories were funny, most were heart-warming and some were sad. I liked that memories of the homeless and those who work for Crisis (a homeless charity were included) because it is these tales that made me realise how lucky I am. Also, how refugees and asylum seekers cope with Christmas when perhaps they might not have celebrated previously. I also enjoyed reading about Christmas’s from different cultures.
I watched the film, Last Christmas last night, having read the book a few days previously. The film heavily features the issues of homelessness, immigration and refugees so this book is actually a lovely tie-in (it does say that in the blurb but it hadn’t occurred to me that it really is!)
A great stocking filler for Christmas. Money will be donated to Crisis and the Refugee Council for every book sold.
I have a difficult relationship with Christmas, having lost of mum to cancer 5 years ago during the festive period. Add to that my boys are growing up and are harder to surprise with presents and I just find the whole lead up quite stressful. This collection made me realise I am certainly not alone – quite a few of the authors agreed that we lose the magic of Christmas as we get older and maybe don’t have the same people surrounding us.
Some of the memories were funny, most were heart-warming and some were sad. I liked that memories of the homeless and those who work for Crisis (a homeless charity were included) because it is these tales that made me realise how lucky I am. Also, how refugees and asylum seekers cope with Christmas when perhaps they might not have celebrated previously. I also enjoyed reading about Christmas’s from different cultures.
I watched the film, Last Christmas last night, having read the book a few days previously. The film heavily features the issues of homelessness, immigration and refugees so this book is actually a lovely tie-in (it does say that in the blurb but it hadn’t occurred to me that it really is!)
A great stocking filler for Christmas. Money will be donated to Crisis and the Refugee Council for every book sold.