This interlocking collection of uplifting short stories taking place over Christmas is soul-warming. Each tale is set in and around a small town in Sussex, and takes delight in exploring the joy in the small things that actually matter most, and should be held close to our hearts. I would advise reading these stories as they are presented, there is a link that would be broken if you read out of order. Author Deborah Jenkins has the gift of observation, she is able to draw back the curtain between hearts and minds, revealing truth. There is an understated expressive eloquence on offer, it glides from the page to gently settle in place. The characters within felt as though they had been waiting to be introduced to me, there was an intimacy, a feeling of knowing, of connection. Each story sits perfectly in its own right, yet together they form a touching and rewarding whole, to which we have rewarded the title of LoveReading Star Book. Perfect reading as the nights draw-in, Winter Lights is a highly recommended, absolute delight.
'Anyone can see darkness. It takes courage to look for light.'
Across the small town of Henford, families are preparing for the holiday season. A teacher, pulled in every direction by family and work, forms an unexpected friendship following a collision; a mother and daughter unexpectedly forced to stay with the in-laws open themselves to new family; a carer on New Year's Eve brings something more than her nursing skills when she visits the client no one wants to see. Meanwhile, in nearby Ashdown House, an elderly woman hopes to bring her family and community together as they never have been before.
Told through a series of heart-warming and uplifting short stories, Winter Lights explores the complexities, struggles and joys of everyday life, showing that light can still bloom even in the darkest places.
'Beautifully and sensitively written…This is a brilliant book, and made me fall in love with short stories again' —Anne Booth, author of 'Small Miracles';
'Delightful and surprising... funny and sharp' —Fran Hill, author of 'Cuckoo in the Nest';
'Beautifully observed, warm-hearted and generous' —Sarah Jane Butler
