Description
Book SynopsisChristmas comes but once a year. Luckily . . . The Christmas holiday is, traditionally, a time when families gather together. In Ralph''s case this means ten or more relatives coming to stay, including assorted aunts and uncles, nutty Great-Aunt Ida (the Home tells them to be careful not to let her out) and his ghastly cousins: Titania in her silly, sick-making frilly fairy dresses and the twins Sylvester and Sylvia (it took until Easter last year before the family dog got over them).
Jammed into one small house for three days of merriment and family fun, with the tv on the blink and Mum on the verge of a breakdown, it soon becomes obvious that, in this house, more definitely does not mean merrier . . .
Trade ReviewAnne Fine at her wittiest * TES *
Fine powerfully captures the chaos, frenetic activity and disharmony some families generate. The pace, humour and dramatic repartee could be those of an Alan Ayckbourn play * The Bookseller *
There's a grim cast in this hilarious but barbed story of how Christmas can go so wrong for so many people * Guardian *
Anne Fine works miracles with her just sharper-than-life observations * Junior Education *
A gorgeously observed tale of what Christmas can really be like -- Katie Nicholl * Daily Express *
