A Christmas Promise

Anne Perry does a wonderful job painting a picture of Victorian England. In this Christmas novella, the lower class of England as glimpsed though the characters of Gracie Phipps and Minnie Maude Mudway displays that the true Chrictmas spirit may be found anywhere. The story centers around the death of Minnie's uncle and the disappearance of the uncle's mule, Charlie. Minnie and Gracie search for Charlie, only to involve themselves in the opium trade. I enjoy reading these Christmas novellas to jumpstart my Christmas spirit, the stories are sugary, but always show the true character of man.

This is the first Anne Perry book I've tried, but I understand that 'A Christmas Promise' is the seventh in a series of Christmas themed novellas penned by the author, all of which apparently feature characters from her other two bestselling series. I love the idea of developing a backstory for minor characters from other works, but obviously can't comment on how convincingly this has been done! It does partly explain why our lead investigator in this increasingly dark crime mystery is a 13 year old girl...

-- What's it about? --

December 1883. When Gracie Phipps stumbles upon a rather distressed 8-year-old Minnie Maude Mudway, she thinks the younger girl must be a bit daft, searching for a missing donkey called Charlie in the freezing show more slums of East London. However, after chatting to the younger girl, Gracie realises that Minnie's Uncle Alf, who died the preceding day, may have been a victim of malicious intent; rather than scaring her off the case, Gracie secures the help of a local shopkeeper, Mr Balthasar, to uncover the truth and reunite Charlie with his young mistress.

Can they discover the truth before anyone else gets hurt?

-- What's it like? --

A mostly enjoyable mixture of dark and twee.

I enjoyed the simple evocation of the London slums: dark, mean streets, chatty chestnut sellers and rag-and-bone men abound.

The story itself shifts from a missing donkey to a possible murder and this is the point at which I began to question Gracie's involvement. She isn't quite street savvy enough to be looking into the murky depths of London's criminal fraternity, and nor is Minnie Maude. Mr Balthasar begins to take over, but the search for 'the Toff' is still couched in such childish terms that this feels like a story for children, rather than adults.
Perry does give her young girls East London accents, so expect lots of 'e, 'er and wot in the dialogue. This is great for fans of authenticity but there's a lot of dialogue and the repetition may become irritating for some readers.

The actual resolution of the crime is quite good and in keeping with the era, but the final ending of the book is far too saccharine for a novella which began steeped in the mire.

-- Final thoughts --

I quite enjoyed reading this. It's a simple story and doesn't demand a lot from the reader; I'd be tempted to try another when I'm in the mood for something quick and easy to read. I do prefer realistic (depressing!) endings, but in the name of Christmas I'm sure I can tolerate a bit more wish fulfilment. show less

Delightful tale of 2 young Victorian girls who meet by chance just days before Christmas. Wonderfully descriptive writing of the season, weather, dialogue, settings ~ all bring the reader into the story in depth and connection. Excellent character sketches and development even in this brief reading encounter. Human interest and plot that captivated this reader...

A so-so murder mystery that I listened to as an audiobook and the presentation was very well done. The descriptions really bring the setting to life of lower class people in London in the early 1880's, but I just didn't enjoy the story very much. It was too slow moving and drawn out for me. An 8 year old girl is looking for a lost donkey after the tragic death of her Uncle Alf, a bone and rag man. This is only a few days before Christmas. She enlists the aid of another older girl to find their donkey and find out what happened to uncle, who they believe was murdered.

Reading Anne Perry's Christmas novelettes has become a Christmas tradition for me. This book is the seventh such book. For those that don't know, these stories are based on minor characters in the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt series or the William Monk series. This one is about Gracie, Thomas and Charlotte's maid. The story is set on the streets of London when Gracie was 13, before she came to the Pitts. Gracie is a street survivor, and she is asked to help an eight year old girl by the name of Minnie Maude Mudway to help her find her uncle's donkey that has been missing since her uncle was killed. It sounds simple enough to Gracie but she finds a whole underworld that she doesn't know exists and her and her little friend are in great show more danger. Of course this is set right around Christmas in keeping with the theme of these stories. This little book is endearing because Gracie is one of my favourite characters. Gracie shows determination and empathy for those who are even less fortunate than her. It's a heartwarming tale. show less

Gracie Phipps, a young girl living in the poorer section of London befriends an 8 year old who is wandering the streets searching for her lost donkey. The child fears that her donkey will not find his way home and that she must track him down.

Their adventures take them into the seedier parts of the city but throughout the friendship forged between the two young girls aids them to their unusual conclusion.

This was a pleasant story but not as festive as some of Anne Perry's. The dialect used for a lot of the speech slowed the flow of reading a bit but helped to convey the characters so there was a trade off.

In general a pleasant book but not her best Christmas novel.