This was a sweet story about Josie, the owner of a bed and breakfast, whose Christmas holiday is off to a crazy start with her friend having a heart attack in the middle a bridge game in her home. This reminder of the vulnerability of life triggers her to invite her estranged daughters to come home for Christmas, much to their surprise, and it invites a lot of nostalgia mixed with emotional eruptions.
I think I’d describe this book as benign; it’s a decent read, quick, keeps one’s interest, the characters are likable, the writing is passable – but there is nothing imaginative about it. I did not learn anything new from it. There was nothing culturally unusual about it.
I do find stories about relationships interesting – mother/daughter, wife/husband, generational conflicts, etc. This touches on some of this. But I found that some of this is left undone, or kept at the surface. There is never a deep unpacking of the deeper relationship or feelings. There is never the huge explosion that there should be when emotions run so high.
I was left wanting just a little bit more. And in this case, that was not a good thing…
kindread spirits 