Reviews

Festive Spirits: Three Christmas Stories by Kate Atkinson

shahrun's review

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3.0

Three short stories looking at snapshots of Christmas through 3 very different sets of eyes -a mother, a wife and a single man. None of the stories are connected. I don’t know that I got the point of each one. Was there one? It wasn’t bad, just not what I was expecting.

bgg616's review

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4.0

Kate Atkinson is one of my favorite writers. I also love Christmas-themed books. Fiction for Christmas is limited primarily to romance novels (I don't read them), mysteries (mostly cozies that are not my first choice), and short stories, my first choice. These three stories feature a family with four challenging children, an older couple obsessed with social status, and finally a middle-aged man, with only one friend and a dog. A quick and entertaining read.

decembermum's review

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3.0

Three very short stories, observed in a very Kate Atkinson way. The middle one (Festive Spirit) was my favourite as it has a twist at the end. I also liked the nod to It’s a Wonderful Life in the third (Small Mercies). I would have given it 4 stars but it took me less than an hour to read.

lilymurph's review

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medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.0

ellierichards90's review

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1.0

1.5*

In a word, dull. Unfortunately all 3 stories felt very mundane to me - I wouldn’t recommend this book as a Christmas present!

darthlady's review

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lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.0

kpearlman's review

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fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

andream0885's review

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emotional funny fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.75

flomc's review

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lighthearted reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

debsd's review

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funny lighthearted sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0