The Virgin Mary's Got Nits by Gervase Phinn
| The Virgin Mary's Got Nits by Gervase Phinn | |
|
| |
| Category: Humour | |
| |
Reviewer: Zoe Morris
 | |
| Summary: A delightful compilation to get you in the festive mood, and take you through every emotion from delight to quiet reflection | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 224 | Date: November 2016 |
| Publisher: Hodder Paperbacks | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 978-1444779400 | |
|
Share on: | |
|
| |
Christmas in our house is the time we tend to get on a plane and head to either sun or snow, anywhere that is far, far away from the madness at home, last minute dashes to the shops on Christmas Eve, and food cupboard stockpiles that would imply supermarkets are shutting for a month, nor a mere 36 hours. But I do remember the feeling of Christmas when I was younger, back when it was magical, and back when you knew exactly what the season would bring with carol concerts and school nativities and Christmas parties. This book is an anthology of those moments, and it took me right back to the wonder of Christmas as a child.
A mixture of poems, anecdotes, recollections and short stories, this is a small book packed with festive thrill. It's an eclectic mix but the theme never wavers and the pocket size could make it a great stocking filler. It's a child's Christmas told with an adult's eye, and it's truly delightful. I wasn't expecting the lump in my throat that a few of the short stories brought, but luckily a few hilariously misheard song lyrics and I was back on track.
Told with humour but also with patience and understanding, this book is full of characters from the underdog to the overly confident child who will happily correct adults on their biblical knowledge. We have an unwelcome poet, not-so-virgin births, dismal pantomimes and both generous and judgemental teachers. It's quite the collection.
This is a lovely book to dip in and out of. You can read it all in one go without overdosing because there's so much variety and it's not just sickly sweet or sentimental, but at the same time you can just read a few of the entries and put it down to enjoy some more later. There's a lovely British feel to it, with lots of Yorkshire references (and dialect) and the whole thing reminded me in a wonderful way of simpler times.
I'd like to thank the publishers for sending us a copy to review. Phinn has a wide back catalogue, many of which we have reviewed. Why not have a look at Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Stars and The School Inspector Calls!. Sue also loved The First Ever Christmas: And Who to Blame by Gray Jolliffe. We think you'll also enjoy Silent Night by Jack Sheffield.
Please share on: 
Facebook, 
Twitter and
Instagram
You can read more book reviews or buy The Virgin Mary's Got Nits by Gervase Phinn at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy The Virgin Mary's Got Nits by Gervase Phinn at Amazon.com.
Comments
Like to comment on this review?
Just send us an email and we'll put the best up on the site.
