A Snow Garden and Other Stories

From the bestselling author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

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About this listen

Seven stories to span the Christmas holidays:

A Faraway Smell of Lemon: The School Term has ended. It is almost Christmas but Binny, out last-minute shopping couldn't feel less like wishing glad tidings to all men. Ducking out of the rain she finds herself in the sort of shop she would never normally visit.

The Marriage Manual: Christmas Eve. Two parents endeavour to construct their son’s Christmas present from a DIY kit and in the process find themselves deconstructing their marriage.

Christmas Day at the Airport: A glitch in the system, travellers stranded and all sorts of lives colliding in the face of a sudden birth...

The Boxing Day Ball: Maureen has never been out with the local girls before. Who knew that a disco in the Village Hall could be life-changing?

A Snow Garden: Two little boys, dumped with their divorced father for his share of the Christmas holidays and none of them with a clue how to enjoy it.

I'll Be Home for Christmas The most famous boy in the world comes home hoping to escape the madness with a normal family Christmas.

Trees: As if Christmas wasn't wearing enough, now his elderly parent is asking for a hole in the ground … Father and son break old habits and plant a tree to mark the start of the new year.

Seven stories as funny, joyous, poignant and memorable as Christmas should be.

Rachel JoyceNiamh CusackPaul VenablesRachel JoyceTransworld Digital

Anthologies & Short Stories

Family Life

Fiction

Genre Fiction

Holidays

Short Stories

Winter

Christmas

Anthologies & Short Stories Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Holidays Short Stories Winter Christmas

Critic reviews

Full of bittersweet Christmas moments. A real gem.

These stories are heartwarming. (Imogen Lycett Green)

Joyce is warm and very funny, and she has a merciless eye for those nightmare moments when weaknesses are exposed and everything is called into question. (Kate Saunders)

The perfect tonic for tinsel-itis, [A Snow Garden] is laced with quietly devastating observations on love and marriage. (Hephzibah Anderson)

As sparkling and Christmassy as a selection box.

Rachel Joyce is one of the most sensitive but forensic archaeologists of everyday life. A Snow Garden is a powerful collection of loosely connected Christmas tales .. acutely observed. As many people reach panic mode, they will be a gentle reminder of what really matters at this time of year. (Patricia Nicol)

Each of these Christmas stories has wit and charm and holds a quirky surprise

The perfect tonic for tinsel-itis, it’s laced with quietly devastating observations on love and marriage.

her first collection of stories; each has a wintry warmth, and the lightness of touch and emotional depth that marks all of Joyce’s work. Need another reason to get hold of it? It’s a beautiful little book, too, perfect to discover under wrapping paper and ribbon (Erica Wagner)

IF you are on the hunt for a festive read that completely encapsulates the magic of Christmas without even a smidgen of schmaltz then Rachel Joyce’s new collection of short stories is just what you are looking for. These seven tales, which are cleverly interlinked, are set over a two-week period during Christmas and New Year....There is a sprinkling of otherworldliness that gives them a truly magical feel. This is the perfect book to curl up with in front of the fire this Christmas. The stories may be short but the emotional impact lasts long after you’ve finished the last page.

Most relevant

This is simply a collection of great stories, expertly crafted, beautifully written. We see six snapshots of contemporary lives, the troubles and sadnesses but also the hope and simple joy that can come from, well, waking up and smelling the coffee. The characters are credible, both vulnerable and engaging and all work together to create life affirming tales. A light, but fulfilling read. Thoroughly recommend.