Reviews with content warning for Death - The Christmas Appeal

Reviews tagging 'Death'

The Christmas Appeal by Janice Hallett

24 reviews

sandysmith's review against another edition

dark emotional funny informative inspiring mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

A short novella written in a mixed media style only eg texts emails etc. I found the characters underdeveloped sometimes not making sense as to why they did something, so I think this is overly reliant on the reader having read The Appeal, which I haven't yet read. That said, it can be read as a standalone. It reads like a slap stick farce, which isn't my favourite. It was OK and read as a book club pick / Christmas theme, so I was pleased I hadn't read it in December. It was OK, so overall, it's a meh from me. Sorry

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jazhandz's review against another edition

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mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

A decent mystery and easily Hallett’s weakest book. Two standout thoughts about why this didn’t work for me:
1) the ending, and [thematic spoilers]

the question of what to do if the justice system would actually harm victims,

is a little heavy handed and unsuccessful, particularly compared to Alperton Angels, which handles that better, and;
2) the framing device of “Charlotte and Femi sum up what’s going on every so often” feels significantly more grating in a 200-page book than a 400-page book. I am not a mystery aficionado, I have trouble tracking clued and I don’t mind Hallett’s penchant for periodically repeating and emphasizing key details, but it is not done well here.

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hendrixpants's review against another edition

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funny fast-paced

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

4.0

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angelarrrgh's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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minimicropup's review against another edition

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dark funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

A cute little story I enjoyed on the road during a wintery day.

Energy: Gallant. Familiar. Exhausting.

Scene: 🇬🇧 Late 2022, leading to the Christmas holidays in a British village.

Perspective: We follow multiple members of a club that puts on local plays (in this case, a rendition of Jack and the Beanstalk to fundraise for a new church roof).

🐕 Howls: The epistolary format became less effective for me once it was clear what had happened.

🐩 Tail Wags: The epistolary format overall. The caricatures of characters that felt so real. The problems, mix-ups, and sabotage.

🤔 Random Thoughts:

I could only get this on audio, but it was surprisingly easy to follow despite it being an extensive cast of characters all communicating online. Excellent voices and expressive narration helped to differentiate everyone too.

The story is sad and silly, but how it’s told felt true to life. The nit-picking, passive-aggressive comments, self-centred ramblings from certain members…it was a little satirical but also word-for-word how petty people communicate. Depending on what your inbox looks like rn, this could be cathartic or triggering 😅

Not that big a deal, and maybe the downside of epistolary in general, but once all the tea was spilled the continued communication suddenly lost interest for me. Not repetitive, but it felt like a formality to avoid an abrupt ending.

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🎬 Tale-Telling: Told entirely through emails, WhatsApp, flyers, and police interview transcripts.

🤓 Reader Role: Reading all the emails and texts, piecing everything together, and getting a sense of who is who and their intentions.

🗺️ World-Building: Surprisingly vibrant and easy to imagine

🔥 Fuel: Will all the little hiccups and issues be resolved? Will the passive-aggressive jealous members succeed in sabotage? Will the play go off without a hitch? Who died? Why and how?

📖 Cred: Hyper-realistic with a sprinkling of satirical over-the-top

🚙 Journey: Like accessing someone’s computer and e-eavesdropping on the mini-drama that is their life.

Mood Reading Match-Up:

Hammering. Christmas chorus. Candy. Crinkle bags. Musty church scent. Practicing lines. Echoing room. Dog panting. Keyboard clacking. iPhone keyboard feedback. WhatsApp notifications.
Christmas theatrics and drama
Clusterf*** of problems, conflicts, and secrets

Content Heads-Up: Domestic abuse. Dead body. Alcoholism. Sabotage. Drugs.

Rep: White and ambiguous British. Cisgender. Heterosexual.

📚 Format: Everand Audio

My musings 💖 powered by puppy snuggles 🐶

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