This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
Reviewed by Susan Lobban
Holding her dying husband’s hand as he takes his final breath, Bea has never felt so alone in her life. Peter was her rock who loved her at a time when she didn’t even love herself. She once had a close relationship with her son, Wyatt, but over time they have grown apart.
A year on and Bea is immersed in the day-to-day running of her cafe when a letter arrives out of the blue. The Christmas Cafe is based in Edinburgh and they have set up a club of sorts where cafe owners across the globe can connect and share thoughts and ideas. Bea is intrigued and delighted to be included – so much so she even learns how to e-mail to keep in touch. This simple piece of correspondence sparks her imagination and, with the encouragement of her granddaughter, a spur of the moment trip to Scotland takes shape. Christmas was a season Bea was dreading but now it is full of possibilities.
The Christmas Cafe is not your usual seasonal read in that the book starts off in a hospital ward devoid of festive cheer. We meet Bea just as her husband Peter is close to death. Bea’s loss has left a big hole in her life, especially as she barely sees her son, Wyatt, and his family. Through the pages we find out that as much as Bea loved Peter she was not in love with him, but he had come along in her life just as she needed someone to lean on. Now that he has died she says sorry to him every day in her head as her thoughts are now drawn towards the one that got away – Wyatt’s father.
Bea has faced a lot of adversity throughout her life and I really felt for her. In her younger days it was her and Wyatt against the world but nowadays she is very much on the periphery of his life. However, one day her granddaughter lands on her doorstep and Bea feels needed after all. Amanda Prowse always manages to create realistic female characters that resonate with the reader. The chapters of Bea’s life include lost love, single parenthood and family drama, but Peter’s death – rather than signalling the end of her story – is actually just the beginning. The letter from a cafe across the miles arrives at just the right time and Bea embarks on an emotional journey, which takes her from Sydney all the way to Edinburgh. I am familiar with both cities and Amanda captures them both perfectly. I especially loved the intricately described Edinburgh cafe – the smell of cock-a-leekie soup practically wafted from the pages. The settings chosen are so accurately detailed that I half expect to come across The Christmas Cafe next time I am in Edinburgh!
10/10