louvis_12's review
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
I want to say over the top cheesy, but scared the author will write a chapter on the history of cheese. Mindless holiday read.
worldroamer's review
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
2.0
bleucaldwell's review against another edition
3.0
This was a nice holiday read -- cozy, but a little sad. The characters could have used a little more depth, and the story lines sometimes seemed forced, but I liked the concept of the Cookie Club creating the structure of the story, and I loved the interspersed bits of food history. There were some nice recipes as well, all from Pearlman's real-world cookie exchange.
jryan's review against another edition
4.0
Cute and hard hitting holiday book about love and how much great friendships can affect your life. Plus free cookie recipes!!!
lorees_reading_nook's review against another edition
2.0
A bit all over the place. There are too many characters in this book to really get involved with any of them.
books_and_chocolate's review
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I didn't feel the friendship in this book at all, there were so many characters, I couldn't keep track. The chapters about ingridients were completely unneccessary and In hated the Main character - she made everything about herself
engelkat's review
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
pqlibrarian's review against another edition
3.0
The recipes look great...I'm not sure I like the characters yet. I find that I'm skipping the ingredients' history lessons.
There were too many characters! The author just glossed over each one per chapter. I would have enjoyed reading more about some of them.
There were too many characters! The author just glossed over each one per chapter. I would have enjoyed reading more about some of them.
imbookingit's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars, probably.
I liked the characters and the overall setup of the book. In each chapter, a character shared her cookies and a story related to them, and Marnie filled in with her memories of that person.
Unfortunately, the book never quite came together for me.
Maybe it was a little too much drama, spread among too many character in such a short book. All I knew of each character was her problems, which took up far more space than the love and support of the party. I didn't get sucked into any of the drama, since I didn't know the characters well enough, so I didn't find it depressing, it just enough to distance me from the book a bit.
Between each chapter, there was a short essay on one of the cookie ingredients. While these were interesting, they interrupted the flow of the book for me in a way the recipes didn't.
Overall, I enjoyed the book, but it didn't compel me to keep reading during a very busy time of year.
I liked the characters and the overall setup of the book. In each chapter, a character shared her cookies and a story related to them, and Marnie filled in with her memories of that person.
Unfortunately, the book never quite came together for me.
Maybe it was a little too much drama, spread among too many character in such a short book. All I knew of each character was her problems, which took up far more space than the love and support of the party. I didn't get sucked into any of the drama, since I didn't know the characters well enough, so I didn't find it depressing, it just enough to distance me from the book a bit.
Between each chapter, there was a short essay on one of the cookie ingredients. While these were interesting, they interrupted the flow of the book for me in a way the recipes didn't.
Overall, I enjoyed the book, but it didn't compel me to keep reading during a very busy time of year.
mrisner's review against another edition
4.0
Really enjoyed this book. No matter what was going on in these women's lives, they meet every year for their Christmas Cookie Club. It's a testamant as to how your friendships can sustain you through everything in life.