Comfort and Joy

By: India Knight

Narrated by: Anne Flosnik

If Bridget Jones had two exhusbands, three children, and invited her entire extended family over for Christmas…

It’s December 23, and Clara Dunphy is running around Oxford Street like a chicken with its head cut off trying to pick up “a few lastminute bits and bobs.” Despite the frenzy, the twicedivorced mother of three loves Christmas and always wants to make it perfect—a challenge even in the best of times but particularly when “family” means an extended network of inlaws, outlaws, exstepfathers, and hangerson totaling sixteen. Is the madness of Christmas really worth it?

Clara is a witty, blackly funny everywoman who will win over anyone who has ever longed to shut out the holidays with “a giant martini…and some olives.”

©2010 India Knight (P)2011 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Riotously high in laughs and glamour. I defy a festive grump not to be cheered by it.” ( Independent (London), a Book of the Year)

Not the usual sappy Christmas Story

Hmm what to say about Comfort & Joy, first of all this isn’t your normal sappy with a good moral Christmas story it is more Sex in the City meets AbFab Christmas story. And that is exactly what I liked about this book it was fun and had many laugh out loud moments, but not one you want to listen to in public without earbuds in it does get a little racy in spots but that is half the fun of this book.

I liked the characters in this book, Clara was trying to do the best she could and I like that she included not only her exes but their families too so her children would still have family there for Christmas, which I found very refreshing. She is a bit of an A personality when it comes to planning the big Christmas meal and was happy that on the third Christmas in the book they went to Marrakesh and she let others do much of the work.

I related to Clara so much, trying to plan the perfect Christmas for a bunch of people you’re not sure you even want to spend time with let alone what’s supposed to be a happy holiday. But I loved how she handled it, I myself would have drank much more! I loved Clara’s wit and sarcasm, I am a bit sarcastic myself so I enjoyed this aspect of Clara’s personality immensely!

Anne Flosnik’s flawless narration helps this book along at times and who knew she had such good comic timing, she embodies Clara and all the other characters, as always Anne’s narration was spot on!

Just a warning if you are reading or listening to this in public there are some laugh out loud moments and you may get sideways glances from people around you, I would also recommend not eating or drinking anything while reading especially the first half or you may ruin your book and/or your clothes from spitting whatever you have eaten or attempted to drink!

If you like your Christmas stories on the bawdy, funny side I highly recommend this book. Just don’t go into it thinking you are getting a heartwarming sappy read because that’s not this book!

4 Stars