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Review
funny and thought-provoking...the collection definitely hits the spot for a quiet night in (HEAT )
a warm and uplifting volume of stories -- each one the ideal length for a coffee break (Amber Pearson DAILY MAIL )
Charity collections are frequently a hit or miss affair, but this one? Hit, after hit, after exquisite, beautifully written hit. (DAILY RECORD )
A guilty delight (NUNEATON TELEGRAPH )
Whether it's for Christmas, for you holiday or just as a treat, you can't go wrong with this book of short stories. (SOUTH WALES ARGUS )
a warm and uplifting volume of stories -- each one the ideal length for a coffee break (Amber Pearson DAILY MAIL )
Charity collections are frequently a hit or miss affair, but this one? Hit, after hit, after exquisite, beautifully written hit. (DAILY RECORD )
A guilty delight (NUNEATON TELEGRAPH )
Whether it's for Christmas, for you holiday or just as a treat, you can't go wrong with this book of short stories. (SOUTH WALES ARGUS )
Book Description
A terrific collection of short stories from bestselling authors such as Sophie Kinsella, Alexander McCall Smith, Kate Mosse and Cecelia Ahern.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
408 pages of some top fiction writers, Joanna Trollope, Adriana Trigiani and Cecelia Ahern to name but a few. Every story is worthy of its place in this collection of short stories, £1 of each book sold donated to Breast Cancer Care.
This book touches on relationships, age issues, observations, humour and kindness, hopes and dreams, regrets and revenge. From the feel good factor of Sophie Kinsella's Valentine's Blues to the Nicci French's gripping tale The Last Word with its dark twist, reminiscent of Roald Dahl's Tales of The Unexpected.
My favourites have to be the timely planning of a developing relationship by an unlikely matchmaker, the crotchety Lady Lott in Freya North's Topiary. Followed by the pre-conceived and prejudiced ideas of book club goer Helena, whose window cleaner turns out to be both a well read man and an attractive proposition.
This book touches on relationships, age issues, observations, humour and kindness, hopes and dreams, regrets and revenge. From the feel good factor of Sophie Kinsella's Valentine's Blues to the Nicci French's gripping tale The Last Word with its dark twist, reminiscent of Roald Dahl's Tales of The Unexpected.
My favourites have to be the timely planning of a developing relationship by an unlikely matchmaker, the crotchety Lady Lott in Freya North's Topiary. Followed by the pre-conceived and prejudiced ideas of book club goer Helena, whose window cleaner turns out to be both a well read man and an attractive proposition.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The writing in this collection is highly uneven. Some short stories strike me as being the output of people who are only dabbling in writing; neither the subject nor the treatment it receives is of high caliber. Still, there are some good pieces which are alone worth the price of this book. Wonderful little things by Cecelia Ahern, Douglas Kennedy, Sophie Kinsella, and a few others.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I bought this book having thoroughly enjoyed another Breast Cancer Care short story collection, 'A Day in the Life' (see separate review) and because it contained a story by Tessa Hadley, who I much admire. Unfortunately, while 'A Day in the Life', published by Black Swan, contained a good many very subtle stories by leading women writers, 'The Booklovers' Appreciation Society' went far more in the 'chick-lit' and 'aga saga' direction. There were a few gems: Deborah Lawrenson's account of a middle-aged divorcee in Crete suddenly remembering the horrors of adolescence through observing her 17-year-old daughter, Joanna Trollope's story of a suburban boy who falls for a Japanese cross-dressing actress, Hadley and Anna Ralph's tales of grieving widows trying to come to terms with their losses. And there were some rather sweet, light-hearted tales: Katie Fforde's account of a middle-aged couple rediscovering their love on holiday, Adele Parks's tale of a book group and a woman who falls in love with her highly literate window cleaner, Sophie Kinsella's little romantic Valentine's story, Adriana Trigani's romance-which-turns-out-not-to-be-one, or Victoria Hislop's account of an unconventional Christmas lunch (though I'm not sure barbecuing a meal in December would quite work!). But in addition to these there's an awful lot of rather dull writing. There's plenty of tedious accounts of women who are bored with their husbands and sex (one feels rather sorry for the poor men), or men who selfishly desert women who then find they prefer life without them. There's the usual stories about girls needing A Man. A large number of the stories are competent but not particularly interesting. Nikki French's mini-thrillers are spoilt by not knowing 'Who done it' or even 'Who done what' at the end. Douglas Kennedy's 'The Christmas Ring' is satisfyingly moral but unconvincing - Kennedy's much better at the long novel - and Anne Fine's story of a couple who fret for months about a manhole in their garden leaves one wondering what all the fuss is about. At the worst, we have the cringingly sentimental 'Mallard and May' (which reads like a reject script for Walt Disney), Santa Montefiore's sickly tale of a Barbie look-alike leaving her rich boyfriend for a young and dreamy Italian in a town called Incantellaria (the Italian equivalent of calling a town 'Charmingville' or 'Enchantingstone'!), Barbara Erskine's confused story about a woman who goes back in time (or is she only imagining it?) and also manages to fall in love with one (or is it two?) men in the present day, or Kathy Lette's banal tale of a woman who repeatedly tells herself that she can't stand sex with her husband until he stands up to some troublemakers after a hotel fire and proves himself A Hero, at which point he becomes Her Hero again.
I'll give this three stars as some of the stories were enjoyable, and clearly quite a lot of effort went into putting the book together, but as a summing up of women's fiction today it doesn't say much. Read 'A Day in the Life' instead.
I'll give this three stars as some of the stories were enjoyable, and clearly quite a lot of effort went into putting the book together, but as a summing up of women's fiction today it doesn't say much. Read 'A Day in the Life' instead.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
The booklovers appreciaton society
Some of the short storeis were excellent but others might inspire the reader that she could do better herself! However for a worthy cause so not bad reading.
Published 16 months ago by Pinochio
the book lovers appreciation society breat cancer short stories
Enjoyed this book very much, bought it for a light read on holiday,even my partner read some of it !!
Published 22 months ago by Sheila Gilbert
The Breast Cancer Care Short Story Collection
My wife found it to be a useful life-stress diversion for a busy 40+ woman.
Published on 21 Jan 2010 by Derek Seddon
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