Christmas at the Vicarage
Written by Rebecca Boxall
Narrated by Fiona Hardingham
4/5
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About this audiobook
It’s been fifteen years since Rosamunde last lived at the vicarage in Potter’s Cove, the pretty coastal village where she grew up, experienced her first true love—and a heartbreak that changed her life forever. But now Potter’s Cove is calling her back: it’s time to make peace with the past and go home.
Rosamunde’s return to the vicarage in the days before Christmas is a whirlwind of festive cheer and heartwarming reunions with friends, family and her loving father, the vicar. And while seeing the old place after all this time stirs painful memories of long-ago grief, it also reminds her of all the love she left behind. Fifteen years ago she vowed never to let herself be vulnerable again—but now that she’s back she’s not so sure. Is it possible that real happiness could strike more than once?
Spanning three decades of family life, Christmas at the Vicarage is a warm, feel-good tale that examines what it means to love and to lose—and to be brave enough to try again.
Revised edition: This edition of Christmas at the Vicarage includes editorial revisions.
Rebecca Boxall
Rebecca Boxall was born in 1977 in East Sussex, where she grew up in a bustling vicarage always filled with family, friends and parishioners. She now lives by the sea in Jersey with her husband, children and cats. She read English at the University of Warwick before training as a lawyer, and also studied Creative Writing with The Writers Bureau. The Christmas Forest is her fourth book.
More audiobooks from Rebecca Boxall
Christmas by the Lighthouse Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Christmas on the Coast Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHome for Winter Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Christmas Forest Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
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Reviews for Christmas at the Vicarage
17 ratings4 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is a romantic Christmas story that I enjoyed. It is the story of Rosamunde and her failed love life. It is told by alternating between the present and her past.
Rosamunde has decided to return home to Potter's Cove in Devon after an absence of 15 years. She left following traumatic events and now she thinks she's finally able to face the past and return. She arrives in Potter's Cove at the vicarage to stay with her father at Christmas time. In the story we meet her sister Rachel who in married with two children, her father Bertie who is the vicar, her best friend Kizzie and Kizzie's brother Benedict. They all play a part in both the past and the present. There is also the housekeeper Mrs. G. who is like an honorary mother to the girls as their mother died when they were very young. Grandmother DuPont also makes several appearances in the story as the strict grandmother who helped raise the girls. In the present, Rosamunde strikes up a friendship with Benedict. As children he was the annoying brother who tagged along, but now he is the gay best friend who goes shopping, dining and just hangs out having fun. As we read about Rosamunde's past, you can't help wishing that something turns out for this character. She is strong, witty, caring and needs some good luck.
This was a warm and delightful read. I especially liked the structure of the book that had chapters alternating between Rosamunde's present and past. It was a good way to cover all the events in her life and story. It also created enough tension and suspense to keep the reader interested. As I got closer to the end of the book, I could not stop reading. I wanted to find out how this was going to end. It is great to see the characters develop and build over the course of the book, revealing more about their own lives. There are several twists that I was not expecting in the book and I very much enjoyed it. The scenes about the Christmas Nativity, the casting of it, and the actual production were very enjoyable and full of the Christmas spirit. To those of you that did not finish this book, I say you did not give it a chance and missed out on a great read.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. The comments are my unbiased opinion. - Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5When publishers specify a font size in ebooks, so that the reader can't adjust it, it makes the book harder to read for many of their intended readers. Being able to adjust the font size is a significant reason to pick ebooks rather than print for many of us, and it's foolish for publishers to pointlessly make the book less readable.
I'm instituting a new policy of mentioning at the start of a review when a publisher, such as Lake Union in this case, does this, and pointlessly makes it harder for me to enjoy their books.
Rosamunde Pemberton, after fifteen years of travel abroad, returns home to Potter's Cove, the English coastal village where she grew up, in time for Christmas. Her father is still the vicar, Mrs. Garfield is still his housekeeper, and Rosamunde id finally ready to return to a more settled and home-oriented life.
It was a twice-broken heart that sent her traveling, and in alternating chapters, we get her painful earlier experiences, and her warm but sometimes confusing return home. Her father, Bernie, her sister, Rachel, and her best friend, Kizzie, are all still there. Kizzie is married and has children, as is Rachel. Kizzie's brother Benedict, who came out as gay a few years ago, is also still in the neighborhood.
And Rosamunde still has her memories of Stephen, her first love, whom she lost--twice.
The stories of the past and present are layered together, building our understanding of Rosamunde's past as she grows in understanding of her present, and takes the last few steps to real healing. Meanwhile, around her, everyone around her is moving forward, too, healing from old hurts and growing in love and understanding. It's a gentle, enjoyable book that leaves a warm glow.
Recommended.
I received a free electronic galley of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is a heartwarming feel good story of Rosamunde who returns to the family home after suffering loss.
It is a story of hope, renewal and a hopefully happy ending!
Just right for Christmas!
I was given a digital copy of this novel by the publisher via Netgalley in return for an honest unbiased review. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rosamunde returns to her family home, the vicarage in Potters Cove, in the West Country, where her father, the vicar, still lives. She has been away for 15 years but something is pulling her back. We follow her return and in alternating chapters we go back to her childhood and learn more of her back story and what took her away from home.This is a heart-warming story, set in the run up to Christmas. I read it in the space of a day and really liked it. I guessed most of the plot before it happened but it didn't matter because it's such a pleasant, easy to read story. I found myself smiling as I read it and thought there were some really lovely characters in it. Just right for the time of year.