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zuzubaloo's review against another edition
3.0
The Holroyd family started planning for Christmas in August, as insisted by the mother of the family, Mary. Christmas Day comes along and the family is rocked by the discovery that Fred, the father, has been having an affair with Lilian Mountjoy. Fred and Mary’s marriage falls apart which horrifies their children.
The eldest, Beth, has a perfect life, on the surface... The house, the husband, the children. When there are staff changes at the publishing house she does picture books for, she’s horrified to discover that her new art director is an old boyfriend from nearly 20 years ago. Is Beth willing to give up everything she has for a fantasy she’s allowing herself to live?
Lou believes her parents are too old-fashioned to accept her ways. She’s childless, single and always jumping from one relationship to the next, unable to seem to settle down. Nobody has ever met any of Lou’s partners, and nobody knows why... What is Lou hiding?
Ged, the golden boy of the family, is always on a permanent gap year and seems unlikely to settle down until he rocks up at his parent’s house on Christmas Day with his new, pregnant girlfriend. Will his girlfriend tame the wild Ged? Or is she just another fling?
There’s so much I want to say about this book... Mainly I started this in December ‘21 and didn’t finish it until November ‘22. Most people would have given up by now, knowing that the book wasn’t drawing them to it, but I was determined to persevere.
The cover implies it is a Christmas book... The only Christmas theme is chapter one starts on Christmas Day and the end of the book finishes on Christmas Day the following year. The rest of the book follows the lives of three characters and the family throughout the year through the eyes of Beth, her sister Lou and her husband Daniel.
I couldn’t connect with the characters. They didn’t seem to have any dimension to them, they felt boring and quite flat. Every chapter has a part from Beth, Lou and Daniel but only Daniel’s section referred to him in the third person, Beth and Lou’s were in the first. I didn't understand why that was. It kind of threw me off for a few chapters.
Poor Lou hides to her family who she's in love with thinking that they won't accept her for who she is. If you didn't already guess, Lou is a Out of all of the characters, despite them not being very easy to connect with, care about or get to know in a more in-depth way, Lou was the one I was hoping would eventually have the universe change for her and give her some happiness in her life.
Why is everything aimed at the American audience? Beth at one point is told to change her book for the American audience, despite living in the U.K. Not everything needs to revolve around the Americans. Just a quick rant hah.
I was intrigued by if this was a real reflection of teenagers. The teenagers found it funny that Grandad was having an affair, at his age. It’s a bit of a weird thing to find amusing. Then throughout it’s often said by everybody that he should stay with his wife and that finding new love in your 70s isn’t the done thing.
Beth was a huge hypocrite. She wasn't the most pleasant about her dad, acting all holier-than-thou, believing a bit of light flirting wouldn't hurt, with an old boyfriend... I'm sure her dad thought similarly, ex aside when he met Lilian... And then Beth nearly did the same thing. The kicker was she even had the nerve to try to blame it on her husband. She was the most annoying character in the book, followed closely by her mother who insisted on putting so much emphasis on her failed marriage because of how many years they were married. I don't agree with just breaking up/divorcing for trivial reasons, but neither of them was happy.
The ending with the version of Beth’s finished book was a nice touch. You get snippets of it throughout at the start of each section where she discusses it with Vanessa, but the finished version in its glory puts those snippets all together.
Overall, however, if a light-hearted Christmas read is what you're looking for, this may not be for you as Christmas isn't the main theme of the book. Not, did I particularly find it much of a light-hearted easy read. At times it felt more like a chore to read rather than reading for enjoyment.
The eldest, Beth, has a perfect life, on the surface... The house, the husband, the children. When there are staff changes at the publishing house she does picture books for, she’s horrified to discover that her new art director is an old boyfriend from nearly 20 years ago. Is Beth willing to give up everything she has for a fantasy she’s allowing herself to live?
Lou believes her parents are too old-fashioned to accept her ways. She’s childless, single and always jumping from one relationship to the next, unable to seem to settle down. Nobody has ever met any of Lou’s partners, and nobody knows why... What is Lou hiding?
Ged, the golden boy of the family, is always on a permanent gap year and seems unlikely to settle down until he rocks up at his parent’s house on Christmas Day with his new, pregnant girlfriend. Will his girlfriend tame the wild Ged? Or is she just another fling?
There’s so much I want to say about this book... Mainly I started this in December ‘21 and didn’t finish it until November ‘22. Most people would have given up by now, knowing that the book wasn’t drawing them to it, but I was determined to persevere.
The cover implies it is a Christmas book... The only Christmas theme is chapter one starts on Christmas Day and the end of the book finishes on Christmas Day the following year. The rest of the book follows the lives of three characters and the family throughout the year through the eyes of Beth, her sister Lou and her husband Daniel.
I couldn’t connect with the characters. They didn’t seem to have any dimension to them, they felt boring and quite flat. Every chapter has a part from Beth, Lou and Daniel but only Daniel’s section referred to him in the third person, Beth and Lou’s were in the first. I didn't understand why that was. It kind of threw me off for a few chapters.
Poor Lou hides to her family who she's in love with thinking that they won't accept her for who she is. If you didn't already guess, Lou is a
Spoiler
lesbian.Why is everything aimed at the American audience? Beth at one point is told to change her book for the American audience, despite living in the U.K. Not everything needs to revolve around the Americans. Just a quick rant hah.
I was intrigued by if this was a real reflection of teenagers. The teenagers found it funny that Grandad was having an affair, at his age. It’s a bit of a weird thing to find amusing. Then throughout it’s often said by everybody that he should stay with his wife and that finding new love in your 70s isn’t the done thing.
Spoiler
When Fred goes back to Mary, acting like he had ended his thing with Lilian, to make everybody else happy despite his happiness, it annoyed me. Nobody should ever have to feel like their happiness comes second to other people’s happiness.Beth was a huge hypocrite. She wasn't the most pleasant about her dad, acting all holier-than-thou, believing a bit of light flirting wouldn't hurt, with an old boyfriend... I'm sure her dad thought similarly, ex aside when he met Lilian... And then Beth nearly did the same thing. The kicker was she even had the nerve to try to blame it on her husband. She was the most annoying character in the book, followed closely by her mother who insisted on putting so much emphasis on her failed marriage because of how many years they were married. I don't agree with just breaking up/divorcing for trivial reasons, but neither of them was happy.
The ending with the version of Beth’s finished book was a nice touch. You get snippets of it throughout at the start of each section where she discusses it with Vanessa, but the finished version in its glory puts those snippets all together.
Overall, however, if a light-hearted Christmas read is what you're looking for, this may not be for you as Christmas isn't the main theme of the book. Not, did I particularly find it much of a light-hearted easy read. At times it felt more like a chore to read rather than reading for enjoyment.
portybelle's review against another edition
4.0
I was never going to be able to resist a book called It's A Wonderful Life. The film of the same name is not just my favourite Christmas film but my favourite film ever! In the film, George Bailey, played by James Stewart, gets the chance to see what the world would have been like had he never existed. In this book, it's not exactly like that but the theme of being discontent with life and wondering 'what if' is explored, particularly through one of the main characters Beth King.
Beth is an author and illustrator of children's picture books and is currently working on a Christmas book, The Littlest Angel. She got married to Daniel when she was quite young and they have a happy marriage. He is just about to start a new, stressful job as a head teacher at a local school and they don't seem to have much time to spend together. They have two teenage children, Sam and Megan, who are testing their parents patience as only teenagers can. The story begins at Christmas when the family are going, as always, to Beth's parents. Daniel does not have a good relationship with his own father and loves the whole big noisy family thing. Beth's sister Lou is trying to work out how to explain to everyone that her partner Jo is not in fact a man as she has let them believe. So there is already a lot of stress in that situation when Beth's parents drop a bombshell. It is no wonder that a few weeks later, when she bumps into her old flame, Jack, and discovers they will be working together, that she muses about what would have happened had they stayed together. And begins to wonder if getting together is a possibility now....
I really enjoyed this book, which is the first of Julia Williams' novels I have read. She fills her story with warmth and with characters and situations which I think everyone will be able to identify with to some extent. It has a beautiful Christmassy cover but don't let that fool you. The story begins at Christmas and ends the following Christmas but there is a whole year of family life in-between. Telling the story from three different points of view - Beth's, Lou's and Daniel's - gave a rounded picture of what was happening in the family throughout the year and the opportunity to really get inside the heads of the characters.
This a book about taking chances, giving second chances, appreciating what you have, and doing what is right for you to make you happy. Just like George Bailey in the film, Beth comes to realise what she has really is a wonderful life and all that she wanted. A gorgeous heart-warming read which is perfect for Christmas but not just for Christmas. A lovely book to read at any time of the year.
Thanks to the publishers Avon Books for my review copy.
Beth is an author and illustrator of children's picture books and is currently working on a Christmas book, The Littlest Angel. She got married to Daniel when she was quite young and they have a happy marriage. He is just about to start a new, stressful job as a head teacher at a local school and they don't seem to have much time to spend together. They have two teenage children, Sam and Megan, who are testing their parents patience as only teenagers can. The story begins at Christmas when the family are going, as always, to Beth's parents. Daniel does not have a good relationship with his own father and loves the whole big noisy family thing. Beth's sister Lou is trying to work out how to explain to everyone that her partner Jo is not in fact a man as she has let them believe. So there is already a lot of stress in that situation when Beth's parents drop a bombshell. It is no wonder that a few weeks later, when she bumps into her old flame, Jack, and discovers they will be working together, that she muses about what would have happened had they stayed together. And begins to wonder if getting together is a possibility now....
I really enjoyed this book, which is the first of Julia Williams' novels I have read. She fills her story with warmth and with characters and situations which I think everyone will be able to identify with to some extent. It has a beautiful Christmassy cover but don't let that fool you. The story begins at Christmas and ends the following Christmas but there is a whole year of family life in-between. Telling the story from three different points of view - Beth's, Lou's and Daniel's - gave a rounded picture of what was happening in the family throughout the year and the opportunity to really get inside the heads of the characters.
This a book about taking chances, giving second chances, appreciating what you have, and doing what is right for you to make you happy. Just like George Bailey in the film, Beth comes to realise what she has really is a wonderful life and all that she wanted. A gorgeous heart-warming read which is perfect for Christmas but not just for Christmas. A lovely book to read at any time of the year.
Thanks to the publishers Avon Books for my review copy.
michelle129's review against another edition
5.0
i really loved this book, gets you into the Christmas mood
bryanfarmer's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked each of these family members, and each of their drama rang true. It was a fun, easy read!
toofondofbooks's review against another edition
3.0
A lovely read but Christmas is only a small part of the story.
laurapatriciarose's review against another edition
4.0
Originally posted on:> http://lauraslittlebookblog.blogspot.co.uk/2016/11/avon-books-week-day-four-its-wonderful.html#more
It's a Wonderful Life has got to be one of my all time favourite films, so when I saw Julia's latest book was so entitled this, this was just one of the reasons that I just had to read. I have been lucky to read many of Julia's books and this was another one that didn't disappoint.
There are just some authors whose writing immediately draws you in and you find yourself not wanting to put the book down, and that is always what I find with Julia's stories. I don't know how she does it but she makes you feel like you are part of the story and a part of me doesn't want it to end.
Beth has every she could possibly want in life, a lovely house, husband, children and job as writer and illustrator, so why is she so discontent with her lot in life? Her husband Daniel has just started a new job as Head Teacher at a new school and has the major task of bringing it up-to-date. But with family life catching up with him, can he be a good teacher and Father at the same time? Beth's sister Louise has been dumped yet again. She thinks that Beth has got the perfect life with her success and wonderful family, but is the grass always greener?
Is it possible to fall in love with all of the characters? I loved how this was split between Beth, her husband Daniel and her sister Louise. I thoroughly enjoyed reading from all their different perspectives and seeing how their stories intertwined. It kept up a nice flow in the story and I was eager to follow up one from the other. I think it is so important to make your characters as believable as possible in stories and these characters felt so real to me. Julia manages to capture and get across their true thoughts and feelings and put them into words that many a time you can relate to.
Similar to the film It's a Wonderful Life, Julia gets you thinking about your life and how you shouldn't take things for granted, no matter what it is that you are going through at any point in time.
Although not entirely Christmassy from start to finish, it has that Christmas vibe throughout about family coming together and taking the time to realise the important things in life and enjoy it. I really felt like I have taken something great away from reading this and I think the next time I am wishing for something more, I will take a step back and appreciate what is good in my life.
Heartwarming pure escapism. I once again thoroughly enjoyed Julia's new book and I cannot wait for her next one.
It's a Wonderful Life has got to be one of my all time favourite films, so when I saw Julia's latest book was so entitled this, this was just one of the reasons that I just had to read. I have been lucky to read many of Julia's books and this was another one that didn't disappoint.
There are just some authors whose writing immediately draws you in and you find yourself not wanting to put the book down, and that is always what I find with Julia's stories. I don't know how she does it but she makes you feel like you are part of the story and a part of me doesn't want it to end.
Beth has every she could possibly want in life, a lovely house, husband, children and job as writer and illustrator, so why is she so discontent with her lot in life? Her husband Daniel has just started a new job as Head Teacher at a new school and has the major task of bringing it up-to-date. But with family life catching up with him, can he be a good teacher and Father at the same time? Beth's sister Louise has been dumped yet again. She thinks that Beth has got the perfect life with her success and wonderful family, but is the grass always greener?
Is it possible to fall in love with all of the characters? I loved how this was split between Beth, her husband Daniel and her sister Louise. I thoroughly enjoyed reading from all their different perspectives and seeing how their stories intertwined. It kept up a nice flow in the story and I was eager to follow up one from the other. I think it is so important to make your characters as believable as possible in stories and these characters felt so real to me. Julia manages to capture and get across their true thoughts and feelings and put them into words that many a time you can relate to.
Similar to the film It's a Wonderful Life, Julia gets you thinking about your life and how you shouldn't take things for granted, no matter what it is that you are going through at any point in time.
Although not entirely Christmassy from start to finish, it has that Christmas vibe throughout about family coming together and taking the time to realise the important things in life and enjoy it. I really felt like I have taken something great away from reading this and I think the next time I am wishing for something more, I will take a step back and appreciate what is good in my life.
Heartwarming pure escapism. I once again thoroughly enjoyed Julia's new book and I cannot wait for her next one.
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