Can you imagine my absolute delight when after messaging Milly about this blog and my review of her last book, The Perfectly Imperfect Woman, Milly responded with not only a thank you but a special and honest request to review her next book before it’s actual release !!
Blown away by the request, I very kindly accepted and a few weeks ago a copy of 'The Mother of All Chritsmases' arrived in the post for me to review. This book is going on general sale on 15th November but can be pre ordered now for your kindle and from all good book shops, but first you will want to know is it worth it and what is it all about. I have promised Milly that I will be honest in my review but won’t give away many spoilers as to what may happen in the book.
So, The Mother of All Christmases starts around about early spring time and is centered around primarily three characters in Palma, Annie and Eve, who are all from different back grounds. Poor Palma, she is living on a dodgy housing estate and has had a tough up bringing, being in Care before getting a wonderful foster mum who then sadly passed away. Palma is desperate to get away from the estate and in particular away from local druggie and wide boy Clint O’Gowan that she agrees to earn £5k by becoming a surrogate mum to a rich couple who allegedly desperately want a baby but the wife can’t bare the thought of being pregnant. However once Palma finds herself pregnant and goes to tell the great news to the couple she finds that they have split and she is left carrying the baby.
Annie Pandoro and her Italian husband Joe are in their late forties and Annie is heading for the menopause having giving up on having children after failed ivf attempts and being turned down for adoption. Her and Joe however are happy running their Christmas cracker business, but thinking she isn’t well and it’s the start of the menopause, Annie can’t believe it when she finds herself expecting for the first time.
Eve is marrived to Jacques and they run the Winterworld theme park and are busy expanding it ready for next Christmas and like Annie, Eve feels having children has now past her by but then again she is not great at remembering her contraceptive pills and unexpectedly finds herself expecting but she isn’t sure when is best to tell Jacques as they are so busy are Winterworld and are having a few problems with their expansion work.
All three ladies are brought together as they each fall pregnant and their babies are all due around Christmas time. Through their GP, Dr Gilhooley, the Christmas Pudding Club is created and Palma, Annie and Eve begin to share their lives and their stories with each other and other like minded mums to be.
The Mother Of All Christmases is a lovely heartfelt story about impending motherhood tinged with some sadness that does come good in the end. Milly writes this story in her usual Yorkshire way and I found myself hearing the strong Yorkshire accents of all of the characters throughout (tinged with a bit of Italian in Joe Pandoro !). It was also good to be reunited with some characters once again from past Milly books, and the Daily Trumpet news reports and apologies made me laugh out loud as many of them were so funny.
This a not only a good winter sun holiday read, to have either in paperback or on the kindle by the pool on board your Caribbean cruise, but it is also a great book to read on the run up to Christmas at home too. Trying to remain unbiased, in my view due to my love of Milly’s books, I would give The Mother of All Christmases a strong 8 out 10 and I know that Milly fans will undoubtedly agree this high rating. If you’ve not read a Milly book before, try this one and I’m sure you firstly won’t be disappointed and secondly it will leave you wanting to read more of Milly’s books.
More information on Milly and all of her great books can be found at https://millyjohnson.co.uk/the-mother-of-all-christmases/
As ever with all of my reviews please feel free to leave a comment and follow my regular updates.
Happy Reading 😊
Canberralover
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