A Christmas Gift by Sue Moorcroft

3.5 Stars

We've been to Middledip before but to be honest there is little of the village in the book and even less of characters that we already know.  This book is very firmly about Georgine and the Academy that she works at, with special cameo appearances by Rich/Joe/JJ.  With a sprinkling of seriously ill father, awkward encounters, munificent grandmother in a far away land and doorstepping moneylenders (well, bailiffs but you get the idea) this story felt like a re-worked fairytale; indeed there is so little that actually relates to real life about the characters themselves that it may as well be.

Don't get me wrong I did enjoy the book - the writing is witty and does pull you in.  It was the plot that I really couldn't get on with.  Also, why does everybody have to be redeemed in the end?  Yes, I know it is Christmas and a time for belief to be firmly suspended but I did find myself eye-rolling about the absurdity of some of the scenes and the cosy way everything gets resolved.  Maybe I was just in the wrong frame of mind when I read it earlier this month but somehow I think the same things would have annoyed me no matter when I read it.

The characters aren't all that badly written, they are just somehow pretty flat and predictable on the page.  Georgine is a bit of a doormat to be honest and that never really changes throughout the book.  Her relationship with Joe/Rich/JJ made rather uncomfortable reading to me and I felt like she was under some sort of evil spell rather than making rational or heart-led decisions about her future.  The only relationships that felt halfway normal were the ones between Georgine and her Father and Sister respectively.

All that said I must have got some enjoyment from reading it as when I noted the read dates and overall score down in my notebook I did give a fairly solid 3.5 Stars - it seems that in this case my memories of the book would have reduced that down to a 1.5 Stars.  In the interests of fairness though I will stick with my initial impression - I only wish I could remember why I rated it relatively highly.