Snow Garden and Other Stories

Extremely disappointed with this collection. I expected so much more from Rachel Joyce. This one was full of unsympathetic characters (which is fine by me but to everything there is a limit and in this case I've had enough with women and men who were either whining or screaming or crying hysterically), stories about troubled relationships, troubled marriages, love troubles, shopping troubles and troubles in general and an exhausting repetition of how we perceive Christmas in our times. Also the story with Jesus as a young boy was highly offensive, in my opinion.

I mean who uses the term ‘'Winter Celebration'' instead of ‘Christmas'?

This was definitely incompatible with what I perceive to be a well-written short story.

A lovely book of slightly magical stories happening to loosely connected people, around Christmas time. Every bit as charming and as good as her novels.

Joyce does not hesitate to infuse her stories with a little Murakami-like magic, which makes them more like fairy tales at times.

At the same time they all deal with very normal human beings, who often made mistakes and are getting a second chance to put things right. Parents and children, lovers, divorcees: it is all about trying to be a good person, and hopefully better.

Her prose is elegant and a delight to read just for the originality of her images.