Description
‘Warm and uplifting storytelling: a delightful treat’ Clare Chambers, author of Small Pleasures
‘A gorgeous festive tale. Told in the form of interlinked short stories, it’s beautifully written and highly emotionally intelligent’Daily Mail
‘I loved The Versions Of Us by Laura Barnett and her new novel is just as wonderful… The ideal warm, bittersweet read to get you in the festive spirit’Good Housekeeping
‘Full of warmth, poignancy and a huge dose of Christmas spirit’Red
Twelve people. Twelve gifts. One Christmas to remember
Maddy runs the bookshop on Market Square. She’s struggling to choose a gift (a watch? a wine subscription? a weekend bag? all too much?) for her old school friend Peter, who’s just moved back from London following a messy divorce.
Peter doesn’t have a clue what to get for his teenage daughter Chloe – furious with her mother, she’s decided to up sticks and move to Kent with him, but he worries that he really doesn’t know her at all.
Chloe wants to buy something special for her grandmother Irene, who lives alone on the other side of town.
Irene doesn’t get out much these days, but she’d really like to find the right gift for Alina, who’s so much more than a carer, really – always stops to chat for a bit, have a cup of tea, even if it makes her late.
And Alina, meanwhile, has her eye on something for…
Sarah TURNER –
I love Laura Barnett’s writing and so glad to have had the chance to read Gifts. It feels like a long time since both Versions of Us and Greatest Hits, so firstly just so pleased to read more of Laura’s writing.
also great to have an alternative to the schmaltzy Christmas books that appear every year.
A circular novel of sorts. Each chapter tells the story of a person choosing a gift for an important person in their life. The recipient of the gift in chapter 1 is the giver in the next chapter…. And so on until the circle is complete. But this is done in a very gentle, natural way, and doesn’t feel forced or contrived. Doesn’t have to be read at Christmas at all, the stories of the individual lives are universal. Very lovely, very readable, and great to have Laura writing again. I hope a slightly meatier novel coming next though. Please!