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mandey1's review
4.0
there was a lot of language and situations, but a truly lovely story. it was inspired by 'it's a wonderful life' and absolutely beautiful! I love the foster care and create-your-own-family aspect to this story.
kellylacey's review
5.0
Every Time A Bell Rings by Carmel Harrington
Review by Kelly Lacey
I have had the book on my shelves for a very long time. I remember reading Joanne at Portobello book blogs review ages ago and ordering a copy. As I started the book I had extreme déjà vu, I knew I had visited with the characters already. Then I realised I had previously had the book and got to a point where I couldn’t read on. Sometimes you are not quite ready for a book or it touches on too fragile a topic for you. This time however I read on and I am glad I did.
Belle is a wonderful character and like many of us at times is overwhelmed with life and feels the weight of the world on her shoulders. She has little to no idea of the impact she has on so many lives.
The book is not all light and fluffy. It tackles painful issues such as child loss. This really resonated with me and I was in tears reading the book, many times. Wondering if I should stop again. But I stayed with it and I am happy I did. This was a book I needed a long time ago really. It is too late now but it did give me much-needed comfort.
It is one of those books you can’t say much as I don’t want to spoil anything for the next reader. But it will leave you a better person than you were before you opened its pages. It will make you reflect on your own life and the people in it that matter and make it special.
An Irish modern spin on A Wonderful Life that will stay with you long after you close the book.
Review by Kelly Lacey
I have had the book on my shelves for a very long time. I remember reading Joanne at Portobello book blogs review ages ago and ordering a copy. As I started the book I had extreme déjà vu, I knew I had visited with the characters already. Then I realised I had previously had the book and got to a point where I couldn’t read on. Sometimes you are not quite ready for a book or it touches on too fragile a topic for you. This time however I read on and I am glad I did.
Belle is a wonderful character and like many of us at times is overwhelmed with life and feels the weight of the world on her shoulders. She has little to no idea of the impact she has on so many lives.
The book is not all light and fluffy. It tackles painful issues such as child loss. This really resonated with me and I was in tears reading the book, many times. Wondering if I should stop again. But I stayed with it and I am happy I did. This was a book I needed a long time ago really. It is too late now but it did give me much-needed comfort.
It is one of those books you can’t say much as I don’t want to spoil anything for the next reader. But it will leave you a better person than you were before you opened its pages. It will make you reflect on your own life and the people in it that matter and make it special.
An Irish modern spin on A Wonderful Life that will stay with you long after you close the book.
dolcezzina21's review
3.0
Cute story. But I have a major problem with the front and back cover of the book. Either I've lost my mind or something is very wrong with this book. I'm still trying to understand why there was a white girl on the cover when the story was about a black girl. That was a major oversight in the art department of the publishing house and obviously the people who chose this cover knew nothing about the characters in the book. Also, the back cover with the summary/blurb was very poorly done. It ruins the entire story for you, only discussing what happens in the last third of the book. What happened to the rest of the story? Did the blurb writers only read the last few chapters? I'm really baffled and have never come across something like this in all my extensive reading experiences. I feel like an adorable story is wrapped in very poor packaging. If I was the author of this book, I would make some stink about this to have my book marketed and packaged this way. Someone missed the mark here. The story itself was charming and it gets a solid 3.
bookwyrmbella's review
4.0
4.5 🌟
This was an interesting story inspired by It’s a Wonderful Life. The main bulk of the book is actually about getting to know Belle and her background. Her backstory has sad moments and happy moments but it all helps you understand her mindset when the story switchs to Belle “never being born”. In the end it makes you consider how many lives you touch without even realizing it and how different you would be if you didn’t experience all the things that you have. I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a good Christmas story.
This was an interesting story inspired by It’s a Wonderful Life. The main bulk of the book is actually about getting to know Belle and her background. Her backstory has sad moments and happy moments but it all helps you understand her mindset when the story switchs to Belle “never being born”. In the end it makes you consider how many lives you touch without even realizing it and how different you would be if you didn’t experience all the things that you have. I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a good Christmas story.
thisfoxreads's review
3.0
A paperback copy was in the special Christmas edition Once Upon a Book Club subscription box (2017). It's a sweet Christmas romantic bit of fluff--great for escapism. Set in Dublin, Ireland, and with more than a tip o' the hat to the classic movie "It's a Wonderful Life," it has a lot of backstory (and for good reason) before picking up steam. Once I got started, it was a quick, enjoyable read. There are several errors an editor or proofreader should have caught (a missing small word here or there, some punctuation, and I think 1 spelling error)--for shame, Harper books!
One disappointment--the cover of mine shows a woman walking under a pink umbrella in the snow--but she is Caucasian. It's an important point in the story that the main character, Belle, is half black. They really dropped the ball on that one.
One disappointment--the cover of mine shows a woman walking under a pink umbrella in the snow--but she is Caucasian. It's an important point in the story that the main character, Belle, is half black. They really dropped the ball on that one.
laurapatriciarosereads's review
5.0
Originally posted on:> http://lauraslittlebookblog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/book-review-every-time-bell-rings-by.html
Where do I even begin to describe how much I adored Every Time a Bell Rings?! Inspired by the beautiful film that is It's a Wonderful Life, comes the story of Belle, who has to make the hardest decision of her life on the Ha'Penny Bridge in Dublin.
I may still have a few Christmas books to read but I think it is safe to say that Every Time a Bell Rings has become my all time favourite Christmas story. I simply fell in love with everything about this, from the characters to the setting, to the wonderful message I took away.
Carmel never fails to create characters that you instantly build a rapport with. Belle felt so real, I could easily imagine her living down the road from me and her story is just so heartbreaking that I wanted to be there for her. You get to know her so closely as the story flicks back and forth between present day and Belle growing up and going through foster care- a span of 17 years. Then there is of course Jim, ah Jim the big ride as he is referred to in this story and the relationship that he has with Belle over the years. Both originally met in foster care under the wonderful woman that is Tess, I loved reading about them all and again felt like I knew them. Ah I could go on but really don't want to spoil this beautiful story.
Despite it's heartache in places, I enjoyed reading this so much. It still managed to have that Christmassy feel and it literally warmed the cockles of my own heart. I am also a sucker for anything magical and magical this story was! I have never feel so many different emotions and get so wrapped up in a story as much as I do Carmel's. She is without a doubt one of my favourite authors.
As with the story, It's A Wonderful Life (if you haven't then you must!) you come away feeling that life is not so bad after all, just that sometimes you need to look at things a little differently to truly appreciate what you've got.
A stunning, heartwrenching but heartwarming read that you must must must read this Christmas!
Where do I even begin to describe how much I adored Every Time a Bell Rings?! Inspired by the beautiful film that is It's a Wonderful Life, comes the story of Belle, who has to make the hardest decision of her life on the Ha'Penny Bridge in Dublin.
I may still have a few Christmas books to read but I think it is safe to say that Every Time a Bell Rings has become my all time favourite Christmas story. I simply fell in love with everything about this, from the characters to the setting, to the wonderful message I took away.
Carmel never fails to create characters that you instantly build a rapport with. Belle felt so real, I could easily imagine her living down the road from me and her story is just so heartbreaking that I wanted to be there for her. You get to know her so closely as the story flicks back and forth between present day and Belle growing up and going through foster care- a span of 17 years. Then there is of course Jim, ah Jim the big ride as he is referred to in this story and the relationship that he has with Belle over the years. Both originally met in foster care under the wonderful woman that is Tess, I loved reading about them all and again felt like I knew them. Ah I could go on but really don't want to spoil this beautiful story.
Despite it's heartache in places, I enjoyed reading this so much. It still managed to have that Christmassy feel and it literally warmed the cockles of my own heart. I am also a sucker for anything magical and magical this story was! I have never feel so many different emotions and get so wrapped up in a story as much as I do Carmel's. She is without a doubt one of my favourite authors.
As with the story, It's A Wonderful Life (if you haven't then you must!) you come away feeling that life is not so bad after all, just that sometimes you need to look at things a little differently to truly appreciate what you've got.
A stunning, heartwrenching but heartwarming read that you must must must read this Christmas!
laural27's review
4.0
4.5 stars.
As I’ve mentioned before, this year we are inundated with a whole host of yummy looking Christmas books, but it’s SO hard to choose which ones I want to read as there’s just no way I can read them all! So, when I heard about Every Time A Bell Rings, I was intrigued enough to add it to my ‘must – read’ list for this Christmas.
Every Time A Bell Rings is loosely based on the Christmas film It’s A Wonderful Life and having never seen the film before, I was a little concerned I wouldn’t quite get all of the elements of the plot. However, I needn’t have worried! Every Time A Bell Rings tells the story of Belle and Jim who grow up together in the same foster family. They form a beautiful bond but when Jim is returned to his parents and Belle stays behind with their foster mum, Tess, Jim promises he’ll keep in touch with Belle.
Told through three different chunks in time, we see how Jim and Belle’s relationship develops and changes over the years and the challenges they face as they themselves decide to become foster parents. Set around Christmas time and incorporating a slight touch of magical realism, Every Time A Bell Rings explores what really is important in life and how life really is just a little bit wonderful.
Jim and Belle were fabulous main characters and along with their foster mum, Tess, I felt like I knew them all so well. They were really well created and stayed true to their life experiences as the plot progressed. There were times in the latter half of the book where I started to find Belle a little frustrating and I wanted to tell her to stop being so selfish but then I realised that the experiences she had had growing up were directly affecting the way she dealt with the situations she faced in her adult life.
As previously mentioned there is a slight element of magical realism to this novel, which whilst I now understand harks back to the idea of It’s A Wonderful Life, threw me a little as I read it. I really like the lesson Belle learnt during this slightly fantastical moment in the plot and it was a clever idea but I found it hard to surrender my imagination to this idea when the rest of the book felt firmly placed in reality. However, it didn’t detract too much from my overall enjoyment of the novel.
I find it interesting reading Irish fiction, I don’t often read a lot, and it was interesting to see the ways Carmel described some things. A few times I had to re-read a few lines as I wasn’t quite sure what was being said but I think it was just my ignorance of Irish language than any fault with the writing!
Overall, Every Time A Bell Rings is a festive treat laced with multiple important themes including a really interesting and in-depth look at fostering and the affect it can have on so many people. It is a story that will stay with you after you’ve turned the final page and has lovely life lessons inside.
As I’ve mentioned before, this year we are inundated with a whole host of yummy looking Christmas books, but it’s SO hard to choose which ones I want to read as there’s just no way I can read them all! So, when I heard about Every Time A Bell Rings, I was intrigued enough to add it to my ‘must – read’ list for this Christmas.
Every Time A Bell Rings is loosely based on the Christmas film It’s A Wonderful Life and having never seen the film before, I was a little concerned I wouldn’t quite get all of the elements of the plot. However, I needn’t have worried! Every Time A Bell Rings tells the story of Belle and Jim who grow up together in the same foster family. They form a beautiful bond but when Jim is returned to his parents and Belle stays behind with their foster mum, Tess, Jim promises he’ll keep in touch with Belle.
Told through three different chunks in time, we see how Jim and Belle’s relationship develops and changes over the years and the challenges they face as they themselves decide to become foster parents. Set around Christmas time and incorporating a slight touch of magical realism, Every Time A Bell Rings explores what really is important in life and how life really is just a little bit wonderful.
Jim and Belle were fabulous main characters and along with their foster mum, Tess, I felt like I knew them all so well. They were really well created and stayed true to their life experiences as the plot progressed. There were times in the latter half of the book where I started to find Belle a little frustrating and I wanted to tell her to stop being so selfish but then I realised that the experiences she had had growing up were directly affecting the way she dealt with the situations she faced in her adult life.
As previously mentioned there is a slight element of magical realism to this novel, which whilst I now understand harks back to the idea of It’s A Wonderful Life, threw me a little as I read it. I really like the lesson Belle learnt during this slightly fantastical moment in the plot and it was a clever idea but I found it hard to surrender my imagination to this idea when the rest of the book felt firmly placed in reality. However, it didn’t detract too much from my overall enjoyment of the novel.
I find it interesting reading Irish fiction, I don’t often read a lot, and it was interesting to see the ways Carmel described some things. A few times I had to re-read a few lines as I wasn’t quite sure what was being said but I think it was just my ignorance of Irish language than any fault with the writing!
Overall, Every Time A Bell Rings is a festive treat laced with multiple important themes including a really interesting and in-depth look at fostering and the affect it can have on so many people. It is a story that will stay with you after you’ve turned the final page and has lovely life lessons inside.
onemamareads's review against another edition
5.0
4.75
The best way to begin a new year, curled up with a heart warming, cozy read. This book fit the bill, even with the emotionally intense storyline. Most important to know, this novel is an adaptation of It's a Wonderful Life.
Belle is a foster child, removed from her mother's inept and indifferent care (at age 4) and bounced around the system until she is 8 years old. It is then that she ends up at the home of Tess, and where she meets her first best friend, Jim. The story jumps from future Belle, married to Jim, to past Belle, still living with Tess. Until, one fateful night Belle wishes she was never born (and starts climbing the railing of the Ha'Penny Bridge). Cue an angel and Belle learning what life would be like if she were never born.
Full review: www.onemamassummer.weebly.com/bookreviews/every-time-a-bell-rings
The best way to begin a new year, curled up with a heart warming, cozy read. This book fit the bill, even with the emotionally intense storyline. Most important to know, this novel is an adaptation of It's a Wonderful Life.
Belle is a foster child, removed from her mother's inept and indifferent care (at age 4) and bounced around the system until she is 8 years old. It is then that she ends up at the home of Tess, and where she meets her first best friend, Jim. The story jumps from future Belle, married to Jim, to past Belle, still living with Tess. Until, one fateful night Belle wishes she was never born (and starts climbing the railing of the Ha'Penny Bridge). Cue an angel and Belle learning what life would be like if she were never born.
Full review: www.onemamassummer.weebly.com/bookreviews/every-time-a-bell-rings
leighsnerdlife's review
4.0
Every Time a Bell Rings was the novel in the #onceuponabookclub Christmas box. What a great choice - it's a really sweet story inspired by the movie It's a Wonderful Life.
The characters were well written and pretty fleshed out for a ‘feel-good’ holiday novel. It also covered some pretty heavy emotional issues, and none of it felt under or overdone. The cover was a bit odd though. The main character is a woman of colour, but the woman on the cover... is not. That’s a bit of a head scratcher.
The story itself had some great descriptions of Dublin at Christmas. It was enough to make me wish I could visit! It also featured a few time jumps, but they were handled really well and not at all jarring. If you're looking for a book to hold onto the season just a bit longer, I really recommend this one.
The characters were well written and pretty fleshed out for a ‘feel-good’ holiday novel. It also covered some pretty heavy emotional issues, and none of it felt under or overdone. The cover was a bit odd though. The main character is a woman of colour, but the woman on the cover... is not. That’s a bit of a head scratcher.
The story itself had some great descriptions of Dublin at Christmas. It was enough to make me wish I could visit! It also featured a few time jumps, but they were handled really well and not at all jarring. If you're looking for a book to hold onto the season just a bit longer, I really recommend this one.
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