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A review by brooke_review
Three Holidays and a Wedding by Marissa Stapley, Uzma Jalaluddin
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
The year 2000 was special not only for being the dawn of a new millennium, but also for being a year in which the holiday seasons of Christmas, Ramadan, and Hanukkah all fell within days of each other … meaning people of all walks of life were making memories and celebrating meaningful moments at the same time. Authors Uzma Jalauddin and Marissa Stapley have taken us back over 20 years to that unique moment in time with their co-authored seasonal novel Three Holidays and a Wedding.
Three Holidays and a Wedding follows two protagonists - dutiful Muslim daughter Maryam who is headed to Toronto with her family for her younger sister’s wedding and fish-out-of-water Anna who is on her way to the same destination to meet her boyfriend’s affluent family for the first time. On the same plane and seated next to each other, Maryam and Anna meet, but don’t exactly hit it off at first. However, that all changes when their plane is diverted due to a snowstorm and they find themselves grounded in the tiny Canadian town of Snow Falls.
Stuck in Snow Falls for the unforeseeable future, the two woman explore the village and discover that it is actually a melting pot of cultures and religions. Maryam, a follower of Islam, and Anna, who grew up celebrating both Christmas and Hanukkah, are delighted to discover that there’s a little something for everyone in this quaint town. As the women become assimilated with their surroundings, they learn more about themselves and what they want for their futures. And what would be a holiday novel without a little romance? You can bet that both Maryam and Anna may also cross paths with love as they set out on this journey of seasonal self-discovery.
Three Holidays and a Wedding succeeds in what it sets out to do - to highlight other religions and seasonal celebrations in addition to Christmas. In fact, Christmas completely takes a back seat in this diverse and informative novel with Ramadan/Eid and Hanukkah holding the spotlight. However, despite offering up tons of facts about these celebrations (I did learn quite a bit about Muslim and Jewish traditions from this book), this novel didn’t make me fall in love with these holidays. I never quite felt enveloped in the celebrations as Three Holidays and a Wedding failed to evoke any meaningful feelings from me in that regard. Rather, the book felt a bit preachy, as if it was trying too hard to be diverse and different, as opposed to letting this story follow a more natural progression.
Recommended to readers looking for a holiday novel that is NOT about Christmas, featuring a diverse cast of characters and small town vibes.
Three Holidays and a Wedding follows two protagonists - dutiful Muslim daughter Maryam who is headed to Toronto with her family for her younger sister’s wedding and fish-out-of-water Anna who is on her way to the same destination to meet her boyfriend’s affluent family for the first time. On the same plane and seated next to each other, Maryam and Anna meet, but don’t exactly hit it off at first. However, that all changes when their plane is diverted due to a snowstorm and they find themselves grounded in the tiny Canadian town of Snow Falls.
Stuck in Snow Falls for the unforeseeable future, the two woman explore the village and discover that it is actually a melting pot of cultures and religions. Maryam, a follower of Islam, and Anna, who grew up celebrating both Christmas and Hanukkah, are delighted to discover that there’s a little something for everyone in this quaint town. As the women become assimilated with their surroundings, they learn more about themselves and what they want for their futures. And what would be a holiday novel without a little romance? You can bet that both Maryam and Anna may also cross paths with love as they set out on this journey of seasonal self-discovery.
Three Holidays and a Wedding succeeds in what it sets out to do - to highlight other religions and seasonal celebrations in addition to Christmas. In fact, Christmas completely takes a back seat in this diverse and informative novel with Ramadan/Eid and Hanukkah holding the spotlight. However, despite offering up tons of facts about these celebrations (I did learn quite a bit about Muslim and Jewish traditions from this book), this novel didn’t make me fall in love with these holidays. I never quite felt enveloped in the celebrations as Three Holidays and a Wedding failed to evoke any meaningful feelings from me in that regard. Rather, the book felt a bit preachy, as if it was trying too hard to be diverse and different, as opposed to letting this story follow a more natural progression.
Recommended to readers looking for a holiday novel that is NOT about Christmas, featuring a diverse cast of characters and small town vibes.