Home for the Holidays
Debbie Macomber
384 pages
Rating: 3/5
Home for the Holidays is a combo book made up of two previously published Debbie Macomber books: The Forgetful Bride and When Christmas Comes.
The Forgetful Bride
Caitlin Marshall's trying to go home to Minnesota, but at the last minute she gives her airline ticket to a stranded soldier. So Cait spends Christmas with Joe Rockwell, who was a childhood friend -- and is still a terrible tease, claiming that Cait's his wife. Oh, sure, they were "married" in a pretend ceremony when she was eight, but now Joe wants to make their "marriage" real!
When Christmas Comes
Emily Springer trades her Leavenworth, Washington, home for Charles Brewster's Boston condo. Then Emily's friend Faith comes to visit her in Washington -- and instead finds Charles, a complete stranger and a curmudgeon, to boot. His brother, Ray, meanwhile shows up at Charlie's place, only to discover Emily living there. But through all the mix-ups and misunderstandings, among the chaos and confusion, romance begins to emerge . . .
My Thoughts:
I read this book solely for the purpose of my Christmas Challenge. There is nothing like Christmas romance to put you in the mood for Christmas. And no one writes a fun Christmas story quite like Debbie Macomber.
Both novels in this book are fun, lighthearted romance stories. It put me in the Christmas spirit, but they weren't wonderful literay reads. I read the entire book in one afternoon and had some laughs from it. It's perfect for a snuggle up with a blanket and hot chocolate and a book, but I wouldn't put it on a literature syllabus or have a group discussion around it.
The Forgetful Bride was a fun novel about Caitlin, who is "in love" with one guy but actually falling in love with another. I'm sure all of us girls have made a fool of ourselves over a guy before, who so obviously does not like us (but we don't see that until after the episode is over). I felt for Caitlin, because I could see the plot unfolding but I knew she would not get it. I loved Joe who weaseled his way into her heart. I enjoyed Joe's antics, and their story made me laugh several times. I felt embarrassed for Caitlin, which made me just want to read the book faster. It was an enjoyable story, but probably one I won't reread even during Christmas time.
When Christmas Comes was a fun light story that reminded me of the movie The Holiday. I enjoyed the two parallel stories, but I have to say that I did not get the chemistry between the two relationships. It seemed almost forced, and I might have enjoyed it more if there was more subtlety within the dialog and character development. I also felt that the story was told from two many perspectives. Perhaps if it was only told from Emily and Faith, instead of added several other minor characters in it. I guess it seemed like there was a whole story that was smashed into a small novel, instead of having it develop in the details.
Overall, I really enjoyed these stories as a Christmas fun. But I won't read them again, and I probably won't remember the plots or characters in years to come. It was an enjoyable read, but did not impact me much. I felt that the stories could have used more (or better) development. I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a fun, Christmasy read without much thought needed.
Caitlin Marshall's trying to go home to Minnesota, but at the last minute she gives her airline ticket to a stranded soldier. So Cait spends Christmas with Joe Rockwell, who was a childhood friend -- and is still a terrible tease, claiming that Cait's his wife. Oh, sure, they were "married" in a pretend ceremony when she was eight, but now Joe wants to make their "marriage" real!
When Christmas Comes
Emily Springer trades her Leavenworth, Washington, home for Charles Brewster's Boston condo. Then Emily's friend Faith comes to visit her in Washington -- and instead finds Charles, a complete stranger and a curmudgeon, to boot. His brother, Ray, meanwhile shows up at Charlie's place, only to discover Emily living there. But through all the mix-ups and misunderstandings, among the chaos and confusion, romance begins to emerge . . .
My Thoughts:
I read this book solely for the purpose of my Christmas Challenge. There is nothing like Christmas romance to put you in the mood for Christmas. And no one writes a fun Christmas story quite like Debbie Macomber.
Both novels in this book are fun, lighthearted romance stories. It put me in the Christmas spirit, but they weren't wonderful literay reads. I read the entire book in one afternoon and had some laughs from it. It's perfect for a snuggle up with a blanket and hot chocolate and a book, but I wouldn't put it on a literature syllabus or have a group discussion around it.
The Forgetful Bride was a fun novel about Caitlin, who is "in love" with one guy but actually falling in love with another. I'm sure all of us girls have made a fool of ourselves over a guy before, who so obviously does not like us (but we don't see that until after the episode is over). I felt for Caitlin, because I could see the plot unfolding but I knew she would not get it. I loved Joe who weaseled his way into her heart. I enjoyed Joe's antics, and their story made me laugh several times. I felt embarrassed for Caitlin, which made me just want to read the book faster. It was an enjoyable story, but probably one I won't reread even during Christmas time.
When Christmas Comes was a fun light story that reminded me of the movie The Holiday. I enjoyed the two parallel stories, but I have to say that I did not get the chemistry between the two relationships. It seemed almost forced, and I might have enjoyed it more if there was more subtlety within the dialog and character development. I also felt that the story was told from two many perspectives. Perhaps if it was only told from Emily and Faith, instead of added several other minor characters in it. I guess it seemed like there was a whole story that was smashed into a small novel, instead of having it develop in the details.
Overall, I really enjoyed these stories as a Christmas fun. But I won't read them again, and I probably won't remember the plots or characters in years to come. It was an enjoyable read, but did not impact me much. I felt that the stories could have used more (or better) development. I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a fun, Christmasy read without much thought needed.
I love 'When Christmas Comes'. These are two of my favorite Christmas books!
ReplyDeleteGreat Review!