Review by Elinor
Title: An Irish Christmas
Author: Melody Carlson
My Rating: 3/5
Plot: After Colleen's husband dies, she feels that it is time to tell her 21-year-old son who his father really was; a man that he's never met. Her son, Jamie, has a secret that he's ready to share too: that he dropped out of college years ago to pursue music, against his late father's wishes. When they go on an unexpected trip to Ireland, they both think that it will be the perfect place to finally confide in one another; only to be shocked by someone else's secret. Throughout their struggle, they must both learn that trusting God is something that they should have done a long time ago.
While the plot was different that I had originally expected, it turned out to be a pleasant surprise. I enjoyed the plot and its frequent twists more than I thought that I would when I was a few chapters into it. However, there wasn't a particular part of the story that I really connected. The story kind of seemed a whirlwind of problems that tied off nicely in the last two paragraphs.
Characters: While I felt that the characters were well developed for such a short book, I had just as much of a hard time connecting with them as I did with the story. I just felt that they didn't have very much depth, but maybe I'm just used to reading longer books ;).
Emotion: The over-all emotion of the story was frustration until the final page. It was one of those stories that everything is just going wrong and then everybody lives happily-ever-after at the end. I'm not saying that the book was horrible, but it just seemed all the same tone.
My Thoughts: This was a book that I enjoyed, and it was a fun, short Christmas read. I don't think I'll read it again, though. There was nothing particular that I couldn't stand, but there was nothing that I absolutely loved either. I would recommend this book for a 10-12+ audience. There was nothing blatantly described, but Jamie was born illegitimately, and the situation was just a more mature one. Just because I didn't like this book doesn't mean that you wouldn't, I just prefer a deeper story-line. If you're looking for something short that would get you ready for Christmas, than I would recommend An Irish Christmas to you.
Characters: While I felt that the characters were well developed for such a short book, I had just as much of a hard time connecting with them as I did with the story. I just felt that they didn't have very much depth, but maybe I'm just used to reading longer books ;).
Emotion: The over-all emotion of the story was frustration until the final page. It was one of those stories that everything is just going wrong and then everybody lives happily-ever-after at the end. I'm not saying that the book was horrible, but it just seemed all the same tone.
My Thoughts: This was a book that I enjoyed, and it was a fun, short Christmas read. I don't think I'll read it again, though. There was nothing particular that I couldn't stand, but there was nothing that I absolutely loved either. I would recommend this book for a 10-12+ audience. There was nothing blatantly described, but Jamie was born illegitimately, and the situation was just a more mature one. Just because I didn't like this book doesn't mean that you wouldn't, I just prefer a deeper story-line. If you're looking for something short that would get you ready for Christmas, than I would recommend An Irish Christmas to you.
Thank you!
I don't like books like that either! But a really good one is called 'Waiting For Her Isaac'.
ReplyDeleteIts one of those books that's just hard to explain what its about, you just have to read it. its one of my favorites!-Abi
I'll have to look for that one, thanks Abi!
ReplyDelete-Elinor