A Proper Family Christmas
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'Packed with delightful, unforgettable, eccentric characters and written with humour and deep sensitivity.' Katie Fforde
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Description
This particular family Christmas is going to change everybody's lives. William isn't into Christmas. He'd like to spend it alone in his vast old house with his cat. Haseley House could be a gold-mine in the right hands and the family want to make sure it does end up in the right hands! Hilary intends to ignore Christmas. With Daniel away, she won't have to conceal how desperately she still misses Ben. But widows aren't allowed to spend Christmas alone, and it sounds as if William might need her support. Frances, the nanny, was hoping for a break from spoilt little Tobias, but now she's told they're to stay with his eccentric grandfather in some spooky old house.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
A Proper Family Christmas is a truly delightful and wickedly funny story and will capture the imagination of any reader, be they male, female, old or young. The free flow of the narrative takes the reader on a breathless farcical adventure, but be assured that the characters created are bang on the nail for today's middle class society. The crusty old man who loves his own company and fears the oppression of his overbearing family. The ghastly 'hot-housed' four-year-old child (who one actually feel very sorry for) and his anxious, pushy parents, the laissez faire boho couple and their spoiled, precocious daughter, the widow who is still confused about her place in society, her young well meaning son, the attractive single man who causes a maelstrom of comment, the misfit, a matriarch and two nannies of opposing personalities. Add to this a middle aged siren housekeeper and her two 'unsuitable' young sons and you have the perfect cast.
There is not a boring minute in this book and I recommend it as a super Christmas present. The denouement is very clever (and naturally abounds with misunderstandings) and I am still giggling like a simpleton at the final riposte. Well done to Jane Gordon-Cumming. This is her first published novel and I look forward immensely to her next one.
There is not a boring minute in this book and I recommend it as a super Christmas present. The denouement is very clever (and naturally abounds with misunderstandings) and I am still giggling like a simpleton at the final riposte. Well done to Jane Gordon-Cumming. This is her first published novel and I look forward immensely to her next one.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A perfectly-paced, wonderfully witty tale about a nightmare family who come together for a 'proper' family Christmas. William is thier unwilling host along with his extremely clever cat Scratch, and you can't help but love the pair of them.
Some of the family have other reasons for this get-together; they are plotting who should receive William's estate, while William is carted off to a retirement home. As you can imagine, William is no lightweight and outsmarts them all.
What an enjoyable, well-written story by yet another talented Transita author (and sister of best-selling author Katie Fforde, another favourite of mine). This is a perfect Christmas read, whether it's Christmas or not!
Some of the family have other reasons for this get-together; they are plotting who should receive William's estate, while William is carted off to a retirement home. As you can imagine, William is no lightweight and outsmarts them all.
What an enjoyable, well-written story by yet another talented Transita author (and sister of best-selling author Katie Fforde, another favourite of mine). This is a perfect Christmas read, whether it's Christmas or not!
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
AA Milne once said: "Every critic instantly assumes that, should a writer be able to make his audience laugh, he secretly wishes he were making them cry". Milne didn't always love his critics, but the point is that we shouldn't underestimate the comic writer - I think it's much more difficult to make readers laugh than it is to make them cry, and a comic novel done well is a wonderful thing.
Step forward Jane Gordon-Cumming, and A Proper Family Christmas. I was worried people didn't write books like this any more. Don't get me wrong, I love pensive, slightly depressing, high-literary fiction more than anyone - Virginia Woolf is one of my favourite authors, after all (though she is incredibly funny, I must add) - but where did novels go which gently laugh at human nature and the tangles they get themselves in? Thankfully Jane G-C has written one such novel, and I know you'll love it.
William lives by himself in a rambling old house, such as are only found in fiction - well, I say alone, he actually lives with a rather wonderful cat called Scratch. You can't go wrong with cats in fiction - they're such amusing and characterful creatures. Anyway, William is an obstreperous old man, but one you can't help loving. Despite his best efforts, every member of his family descend on his house for Christmas - his forthright siser Margery; widow Hilary and her attractive teenage son; neurotic Lesley and Stephen with their spoilt child Tobias and put-upon nanny Frances; scatty Julia and innuendo-flinging Tony with worldy-wise daughter Posy and flirty nanny Shelley; arty Leo who seems to be perpetually ignored by all; charmer and antiquities expert Oliver. Phew, think that's everyone. What a cast! Despite a lot of characters and a lot of names, like one's own family one never gets confused. They all have their place and, like them or loathe them, you can't help being quietly fond of each and every one.
This novel is definitely a character piece - throw together a lot of disparate and amusing people, and a few Wodehousian plots, and see what happens. And what happens is a witty and touching romp through the intricacies and politics of a family Christmas. If you don't recognise it all, you're lucky, but you'll love it nonetheless. A perfect Christmas present for someone who loves something to read on Boxing Day, just so long as they can't recognise themselves in its pages... and best not give it to anyone called William, Leo, Margery, Lesley, Stephen, Tony, Shelley, Tobias, Posy, Julia... at a pinch Frances, Oliver, Hilary and Daniel will take it as a compliment...
Step forward Jane Gordon-Cumming, and A Proper Family Christmas. I was worried people didn't write books like this any more. Don't get me wrong, I love pensive, slightly depressing, high-literary fiction more than anyone - Virginia Woolf is one of my favourite authors, after all (though she is incredibly funny, I must add) - but where did novels go which gently laugh at human nature and the tangles they get themselves in? Thankfully Jane G-C has written one such novel, and I know you'll love it.
William lives by himself in a rambling old house, such as are only found in fiction - well, I say alone, he actually lives with a rather wonderful cat called Scratch. You can't go wrong with cats in fiction - they're such amusing and characterful creatures. Anyway, William is an obstreperous old man, but one you can't help loving. Despite his best efforts, every member of his family descend on his house for Christmas - his forthright siser Margery; widow Hilary and her attractive teenage son; neurotic Lesley and Stephen with their spoilt child Tobias and put-upon nanny Frances; scatty Julia and innuendo-flinging Tony with worldy-wise daughter Posy and flirty nanny Shelley; arty Leo who seems to be perpetually ignored by all; charmer and antiquities expert Oliver. Phew, think that's everyone. What a cast! Despite a lot of characters and a lot of names, like one's own family one never gets confused. They all have their place and, like them or loathe them, you can't help being quietly fond of each and every one.
This novel is definitely a character piece - throw together a lot of disparate and amusing people, and a few Wodehousian plots, and see what happens. And what happens is a witty and touching romp through the intricacies and politics of a family Christmas. If you don't recognise it all, you're lucky, but you'll love it nonetheless. A perfect Christmas present for someone who loves something to read on Boxing Day, just so long as they can't recognise themselves in its pages... and best not give it to anyone called William, Leo, Margery, Lesley, Stephen, Tony, Shelley, Tobias, Posy, Julia... at a pinch Frances, Oliver, Hilary and Daniel will take it as a compliment...
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A jolly festive read
I downloaded this because I fancied a festive story in the run-up to Christmas, and I wasn't disappointed. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Jan-Jan
AN IMPROPER FAMILY CHRISTMAS
Not quite through with book. A little disappointed. A good premise for the story but just seemed to get wacky. Even the so called "nice" people calling someone RATSO! Read more
Published 17 months ago by Dane English
Seasonal entertainment
I can't imagine why I haven't already read this book - it is perfect Christmas entertainment, with a cast of wonderful characters and an interesting setting. Read more
Published on 8 Dec 2009 by P. Ashley
Extremely entertaining
This book is very well-written and has some wonderful observations of human nature. It is bitingly funny from beginning to end. Read more
Published on 11 Jun 2009 by Frances Wookey
Warm and Funny
Originally published by Transita in 2005, A Proper Family Christmas was re-released in 2008, under the OxPens Imprint. Read more
Published on 30 Nov 2008 by Michelle Moore
Would make a good film
William would rather spend Christmas alone in his ramshackle mansion with the cat, Scratch. But his family have other ideas and various motives for descending on him for the... Read more
Published on 29 Nov 2008 by Damaskcat
Made me laugh out loud!
A fun book! Basically it's a Christmas farce...the whole family brought together in a grotesque Victorian mansion for the holiday period. Read more
Published on 20 Feb 2007 by Molyneux
Great To Curl Up On The Sofa With!
A light Christmas farce! Hilary & Frances were really likeable, but Lesley....GRRRRRRRR...I absolutely adored Scratch! Read more
Published on 31 Jan 2007 by Vikki T
Comedy with a serious heart
This was a lovely quick read. The pace was maintained throughout, from William's grumpy solitude of the opening pages to the energy and excitement of the denouement. Read more
Published on 14 Jan 2007 by LindyB
A delightful cosy read whether it's Christmas or not
I thought the charcters in this novel were really wonderful, a grouchy old man and his eccentric often hideous reletives and an impish cat all thown together in a rambling big... Read more
Published on 12 Jan 2007 by A. Hope
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