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Aunt Dimity Mystery #5
Aunt Dimity's Christmas
The fifth novel in the Aunt Dimity crime series, for fans of M. C. Beaton and Ann Granger.
Lori Shepard's plans for a perfect family Christmas are derailed when a mysterious stranger collapses in the driveway of her cosy Cotswold cottage. As the nearby village of Finch begins its Christmas Eve celebrations, Lori must team up with Julian Bright - a devilishly attractive priest - to unearth the stranger's identity.
Embarking upon a journey takes them from hospital wards to homeless shelters, the pair are determined to leave no stone unturned. And as Lori unveils the tragic secret that led the stranger to her door, she must confront painful truths about herself, and discover the real meaning of a family Christmas.
Lori Shepard's plans for a perfect family Christmas are derailed when a mysterious stranger collapses in the driveway of her cosy Cotswold cottage. As the nearby village of Finch begins its Christmas Eve celebrations, Lori must team up with Julian Bright - a devilishly attractive priest - to unearth the stranger's identity.
Embarking upon a journey takes them from hospital wards to homeless shelters, the pair are determined to leave no stone unturned. And as Lori unveils the tragic secret that led the stranger to her door, she must confront painful truths about herself, and discover the real meaning of a family Christmas.
222 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1999
373 people are currently reading
1332 people want to read
About the author
Nancy Atherton
63 books1,184 followersNancy Atherton is not a white-haired Englishwoman with a softly wrinkled face, a wry smile, and wise gray eyes, nor does she live in a thatched cottage behind a babbling brook in a tranquil, rural corner of the Cotswolds.
She has never taken tea with a vicar (although she drank an Orange Squash with one once) and she doesn't plan to continue writing after her allotted time on earth (though such plans are, as well all know, subject to change without notice).
If you prefer to envision her as an Englishwoman, she urges you to cling to your illusions at all costs -- she treasures carefully nurtured illusions. She also urges you to read no further.
Because the truth is that Nancy Atherton is a dark-haired American with a generally unwrinkled face, a beaming smile, and hazel eyes, who lives in a plain house in Colorado Springs. She comes from a large, gregarious family (five brothers and two sisters!) and enjoys socializing as much as she enjoys solitude.
So if you are looking for her at a convention, don't look for a stately grande dame in a flowery dress. Look for a woman in jeans and sneakers who's bounding around like a hyperactive gerbil.
That'll be her. And she'd love to meet you.
Japanese: ナンシー アサートン
She has never taken tea with a vicar (although she drank an Orange Squash with one once) and she doesn't plan to continue writing after her allotted time on earth (though such plans are, as well all know, subject to change without notice).
If you prefer to envision her as an Englishwoman, she urges you to cling to your illusions at all costs -- she treasures carefully nurtured illusions. She also urges you to read no further.
Because the truth is that Nancy Atherton is a dark-haired American with a generally unwrinkled face, a beaming smile, and hazel eyes, who lives in a plain house in Colorado Springs. She comes from a large, gregarious family (five brothers and two sisters!) and enjoys socializing as much as she enjoys solitude.
So if you are looking for her at a convention, don't look for a stately grande dame in a flowery dress. Look for a woman in jeans and sneakers who's bounding around like a hyperactive gerbil.
That'll be her. And she'd love to meet you.
Japanese: ナンシー アサートン
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 324 reviews
December 3, 2018
As I read this heart warming Christmas story, tears of understanding, tears of compassion, and tears of joy, were shed by me more than once. This is truly a Christmas story that shows the reader what
Christmas should mean to everyone! Nancy Atherton’s Aunt Dimity’s Christmas is most definitely a true Christmas classic! This book I shall reread every Christmas Season especially if I am in a ‘Bah, Humbug’ type of mood. I shall reread this book to remind myself and those around me what the true meaning of Christmas is!! Highly recommended! 5+ stars!!
Christmas should mean to everyone! Nancy Atherton’s Aunt Dimity’s Christmas is most definitely a true Christmas classic! This book I shall reread every Christmas Season especially if I am in a ‘Bah, Humbug’ type of mood. I shall reread this book to remind myself and those around me what the true meaning of Christmas is!! Highly recommended! 5+ stars!!
February 21, 2013
All of the Dimity stories involve digging up past secrets - usually involving WWII - and learning how to let love and kindness rule. This story is no different.
What is different unfortunately is that I felt rather beaten about the head with Christmas spirit. Yes, it's a Christmas book, so of course I expected Peace and Goodwill to claim the spotlight. But I didn't anticipate the overwhelming insistence of it. It's as if every other page contained a reminder to tend to the less fortunate. A worthy command, no doubt, but the sentiment quickly felt forced.
I also didn't anticipate Lori going gaga over every man sporting kind eyes or a bit of muscle. It's her Gerald fascination all over again (times two), despite Lori's insistence that she's quite happy in her marriage. I'm all for people engaging in light, harmless flirting - it boosts the confidence and reinvigorates the soul - but Lori's fascination with these men crosses some indescribable line for me. One of her new friends claims it's merely loneliness in Bill's absence. Ahem. Her husband is barely gone two weeks!! I hardly think that's long enough to justify her panting over a new man, longing for him to call, and telling him she can't trust herself in his presence. For fuck's sake...
AND she keeps all the vital clues to herself, relegating Dimity to the infrequently-consulted sidelines.
Sigh. Infuriating.
The one good thing to come out of this is the widening cast of characters. Let's hope they play more prominent roles in the rest of the series because Lori very desperately needs someone to rein her in.
What is different unfortunately is that I felt rather beaten about the head with Christmas spirit. Yes, it's a Christmas book, so of course I expected Peace and Goodwill to claim the spotlight. But I didn't anticipate the overwhelming insistence of it. It's as if every other page contained a reminder to tend to the less fortunate. A worthy command, no doubt, but the sentiment quickly felt forced.
I also didn't anticipate Lori going gaga over every man sporting kind eyes or a bit of muscle. It's her Gerald fascination all over again (times two), despite Lori's insistence that she's quite happy in her marriage. I'm all for people engaging in light, harmless flirting - it boosts the confidence and reinvigorates the soul - but Lori's fascination with these men crosses some indescribable line for me. One of her new friends claims it's merely loneliness in Bill's absence. Ahem. Her husband is barely gone two weeks!! I hardly think that's long enough to justify her panting over a new man, longing for him to call, and telling him she can't trust herself in his presence. For fuck's sake...
AND she keeps all the vital clues to herself, relegating Dimity to the infrequently-consulted sidelines.
Sigh. Infuriating.
The one good thing to come out of this is the widening cast of characters. Let's hope they play more prominent roles in the rest of the series because Lori very desperately needs someone to rein her in.
Read
December 19, 2025DNF.
This is disappointing because I really enjoyed my first Aunt Dimity mystery but I don’t think I’ll be continuing the series because Lori, our main character, is too annoying. After 75 pages, I couldn’t take any more of her.
This is disappointing because I really enjoyed my first Aunt Dimity mystery but I don’t think I’ll be continuing the series because Lori, our main character, is too annoying. After 75 pages, I couldn’t take any more of her.
September 21, 2009
This is a nice, cozy Christmas mystery with a message about the real meaning of a perfect Christmas. While I did enjoy this for the most part, I kept asking myself why Lori always has to fall in "love" with someone other than her husband. Of course Lori is never unfaithful, but she does seem to form attachments very quickly. In this book, she is attracted to two other men - one of whom is even in a coma. And why is Bill always called away for an extended trip somewhere? One of the things I liked so much about the first book in the series was their budding relationship and the interaction of their personalities. We haven't had much of that in the past few books so I would like to have Bill around a bit more.
June 17, 2010
I gave this a 2 instead of 3 for the mere fact that Lori's roving eye strikes again. It's becoming tiresome.
December 21, 2012
Humble Lori Shepherd finally replaces her years-old ratty wardrobe by buying nice things she can now afford. As punishment for her greed, a poor, tattered Jesus-lookalike collapses in yard. She is guilted into looking in on him and he bestows His Gaze upon her, which makes her go batty for him and take up his mission of praying for all of the poor airmen who died in WWII. As we learned in book 4, everyone in Finch is still affected by WWII. Also, everyone is still hung up on WWII. (Got it?) In the course of Lori's obsession with the Mystery Man, she meets a Catholic priest (scandalous!), and she pities the discrimination he faces on a daily basis, because everyone is scared of Catholics (???)
I don't know. This series has always toed the edge of being nearly unbearable, and this one may be the end of it for me.
I don't know. This series has always toed the edge of being nearly unbearable, and this one may be the end of it for me.
September 3, 2015
A wonderful Christmas story that gave me the same type joy of spirit as -It's a Wonderful Life and such stories of the special season. I have read many of the Aunt Dimity series but think this must be my favorite.
November 25, 2025
Bien que j’apprécie profondément la série consacrée, très indirectement, à Tante Dimity, je ne peux m’empêcher de penser que sa publication, il y a près de trente ans, pèse aujourd’hui sur la perception que l’on peut en avoir. Non pas que le charme opère moins – il demeure intact, comme un parfum ancien qu’on retire d’un coffret – mais certains choix narratifs, certaines représentations, me semblent appartenir à un autre monde, un monde qui ne nous ressemble plus. J’ai d’ailleurs eu beaucoup de mal avec cette image persistante de la femme enfermée dans une forme de soumission domestique, vivant au rythme des volontés d’un mari auquel elle s’efface, se retrouvant cantonnée à la maison, secondée par une armée de domestiques et même d’une nounou, remplacée ici par le grand-père. Il y a là quelque chose qui heurte, d’autant plus lorsque l’on se souvient que Lori, issue d’un milieu pauvre, éprouve un rejet profond pour l’homme qu’elle découvre un matin au pied de son cottage. Ce dégoût, qui naît dans le ventre avant même que l’esprit n’ait trouvé ses mots, semble cristalliser le fossé entre ce que l’on attend d’un personnage moderne et ce qu’on nous donne.
Pourtant, après cette première déception, une autre vérité s’impose, plus lumineuse. Tante Dimity et le mystère de Noël reste une lecture délicieusement réconfortante, un roman qui se glisse dans l’âme comme une tasse chaude entre les mains. On accompagne Lori avec plaisir, presque avec tendresse, au cœur de cette enquête enveloppée de mystère, où l’héroïne, tout comme le lecteur, avance à tâtons, cherche le sens, interroge les silences. On attend, avec cette impatience douce qui précède les belles révélations, le moment où le voile se soulèvera enfin pour dévoiler le lien ténu, presque fragile, qui unit cet homme inconnu à Tante Dimity. Car au fond, avouons-le, c’est ce que nous espérons tous en ouvrant un nouveau tome : retrouver cette magie familière, cet équilibre entre tendresse, mystère et enchantement discret.
L’intrigue, parfaitement tenue, d’une cohérence tranquille, montre une autrice qui maîtrise son fil narratif et entretient le secret avec une précision horlogère. Impossible, vraiment impossible, pour le lecteur de deviner ce qui se cache derrière cette présence étrange – mais à vrai dire, cela importe peu. La surprise, lorsqu’elle surgit enfin, fonctionne comme une clé qu’on aurait longtemps cherchée : elle ouvre tout, éclaire tout, et l’on se surprend à sourire devant la simplicité élégante de ce qui nous avait échappé.
Toutefois, une fois passée la stupeur heureuse de la révélation, demeure une ombre, un manque, presque une nostalgie. Tante Dimity elle-même brille par son absence. Certes, elle irrigue l’intrigue, relie les éléments, veille dans l’ombre comme un esprit tutélaire, mais ses interventions, réduites à quelques dialogues, semblent trop discrètes pour satisfaire pleinement l’attachement profond que le lecteur éprouve pour elle. On aurait souhaité sentir davantage sa présence, entendre plus souvent sa voix, retrouver cette complicité unique qu’elle instaurait autrefois avec Lori – cette relation presque médiumnique qui faisait battre le cœur de la série.
Ainsi, ce volume possède la douceur d’un conte d’hiver et la légèreté d’un mystère bien ficelé, mais laisse en bouche une pointe de mélancolie, celle d’un personnage emblématique dont on ne perçoit plus que l’ombre, alors même que c’est sa lumière qui, depuis toujours, guidait nos pas dans ce petit monde si particulier.
Benjamin L. Urbanski – Le Parfum des Mots
Pourtant, après cette première déception, une autre vérité s’impose, plus lumineuse. Tante Dimity et le mystère de Noël reste une lecture délicieusement réconfortante, un roman qui se glisse dans l’âme comme une tasse chaude entre les mains. On accompagne Lori avec plaisir, presque avec tendresse, au cœur de cette enquête enveloppée de mystère, où l’héroïne, tout comme le lecteur, avance à tâtons, cherche le sens, interroge les silences. On attend, avec cette impatience douce qui précède les belles révélations, le moment où le voile se soulèvera enfin pour dévoiler le lien ténu, presque fragile, qui unit cet homme inconnu à Tante Dimity. Car au fond, avouons-le, c’est ce que nous espérons tous en ouvrant un nouveau tome : retrouver cette magie familière, cet équilibre entre tendresse, mystère et enchantement discret.
L’intrigue, parfaitement tenue, d’une cohérence tranquille, montre une autrice qui maîtrise son fil narratif et entretient le secret avec une précision horlogère. Impossible, vraiment impossible, pour le lecteur de deviner ce qui se cache derrière cette présence étrange – mais à vrai dire, cela importe peu. La surprise, lorsqu’elle surgit enfin, fonctionne comme une clé qu’on aurait longtemps cherchée : elle ouvre tout, éclaire tout, et l’on se surprend à sourire devant la simplicité élégante de ce qui nous avait échappé.
Toutefois, une fois passée la stupeur heureuse de la révélation, demeure une ombre, un manque, presque une nostalgie. Tante Dimity elle-même brille par son absence. Certes, elle irrigue l’intrigue, relie les éléments, veille dans l’ombre comme un esprit tutélaire, mais ses interventions, réduites à quelques dialogues, semblent trop discrètes pour satisfaire pleinement l’attachement profond que le lecteur éprouve pour elle. On aurait souhaité sentir davantage sa présence, entendre plus souvent sa voix, retrouver cette complicité unique qu’elle instaurait autrefois avec Lori – cette relation presque médiumnique qui faisait battre le cœur de la série.
Ainsi, ce volume possède la douceur d’un conte d’hiver et la légèreté d’un mystère bien ficelé, mais laisse en bouche une pointe de mélancolie, celle d’un personnage emblématique dont on ne perçoit plus que l’ombre, alors même que c’est sa lumière qui, depuis toujours, guidait nos pas dans ce petit monde si particulier.
Benjamin L. Urbanski – Le Parfum des Mots
January 18, 2020
Super addition to the Aunt Dimity series. I am currently reading out of order. but I'll fix that soon!
January 2, 2011
The story was fair, but the author intersperses boring details about her family and domestic life which I find boring and annoying. At least I managed to finish the book, drawn on by the hook of the mystery.
I had hoped that Atherton's cozy mysteries might entertain me as much as Dorothy Gilman's "Mrs. Pollifax" cozy mysteries did but alas, Gilman is a hard act to follow.
I had hoped that Atherton's cozy mysteries might entertain me as much as Dorothy Gilman's "Mrs. Pollifax" cozy mysteries did but alas, Gilman is a hard act to follow.
September 16, 2022
I'll be honest, I'm not a huge fan of series with Christmas installments, but this one wasn't extremely Christmassy. Sure, there's a Nativity play and holiday parties and all that, but most of the sleuthing is not directly Christmas-related. The mystery was fine, with a good reveal. Kept me happy on a very long flight.
December 12, 2011
If you think these books are silly, think again. This one wasn't a murder mystery, but about a mystery about a stranger that shows up and teaches a community the spirit of giving and sharing, and helping those in need.
April 12, 2022
Die Moralkeule war hier so heftig, dass ich der hanebüchenen Handlung kaum folgen konnte. Da hilft die ganze Gemütlichkeit im Cottage nichts mehr..
December 15, 2022
Lori is eager to host the perfect Christmas celebration. She and Bill have been driving back and forth to Oxford to shop and Lori has a brand new wardrobe. The only problem is Bill, who is tired out from pre-Christmas activities and flat out refuses to play Joseph in the Nativity play even though Lori promised Peggy Kitchen. Luckily, Willis, Sr. offers to step in and help. He's even a great help with the twins. Then Lori and Bill discover (with the help of Reginald) a homeless man lying in the snow outside their cottage. He's nearly dead with cold and pneumonia and has to be air lifted to the hospital. The man ignotes curiosity and some resentment in the village but Lori is curious about who he is and why he was at the cottage. The man was carrying an old air medal from WWII. Was he coming to see Dimity on behalf of an old friend? Aunt Dimity can not figure out who this stranger might me and asks Lori to visit him in hospital to get a good look at his face. While visiting the stranger, Lori is struck with a sudden feeling she can't explain. She teams up with a Roman Catholic priest to discover the stranger's secrets. Their journey takes them across the country searching for answers. What they find shocks Lori to the core and helps her discover the true meaning of Christmas.
This was not my favorite in the series so far. It was way too heavy handed with the message and the CHRIST part of Christmas. While I appreciate a good "the true meaning of Christmas" story and I liked how the characters come to discover the spirit of Christmas, I prefer my messages not quite so spelled out. I liked the parts set in the village best. Plus the plot relies on Lori withholding information and not listening to what the Pym sisters tell her.
Aunt Dimity is hardly in the story at all and is sadly missed. She has to raise Lori even though Lori is grown with children of her own. Lori can be unlikable at times. I guess she's more realistic than if she was the perfect Mary Sue but she often comes across as selfish and clueless. It takes Aunt Dimity to knock sense into her. In this book she runs her husband ragged without consulting him about what he wants, quarrels with him and then runs off on an adventure leaving her twins with her supposedly ailing elderly father-in-law. Willis, Sr. deserves a medal for helping out as much as he does. He says he's delighted to dote on his grandsons, never dreaming he'd live long enough to see his son's sons, but Lori really does impose on him. (Francesca is away on vacation with her fiance). Lori must go on a journey of self-discovery while she searches for answers to her questions about the stranger's identity. Emma isn't in the story much either but as usual Lori needs Emma's computer research skills. Is she the only one with internet? I'm sure Bill has it in the office so Lori could do her own sleuthing! Poor Emma is too kind to say no. The darling Pym sisters arrive with Nell in a sleigh from the magically expanding Manor. I didn't think Emma and Derek were THAT wealthy or their house was so grand! One character I seem to remember from the first book is now missing. Didn't Aunt Dimity have a cat? What happened to the cat?
I love the quirky villagers! Peggy Kitchen is back to bossing everyone around, organizing the nativity play, however, she insists Lillian Bunting direct the play. Lillian has her own mini journey and I really like her brief story. The other villagers are mostly hateful and mean towards the strange man. They all use an outdated word for homeless person which I haven't heard anyone from that end of the 20th-century actually use. It may be used on purpose by the author to show the villagers are mostly elderly. It's also the 90s, a time of peace and prosperity and everyone is blissfully unaware of the problems to come in the near future. I hope they come around. Peggy Kitchen, of all people, should not begrudge an ill, impoverished, homeless person the right to health care and a job. I'm certain she and her mother were in the same situation by the time they arrived in Finch! How quickly we forget. The only villager, besides Rev. Bunting and his wife, I have respect for in the first half of the novel is Mr. Barlow.
I was happy to hear Miss Kingsley again with some much-needed answers and Paul, the chauffer is back too. I was very surprised he agreed to come to Lori's Christmas party. He's lower class in a very class conscious society. Even Miss Kingsley wouldn't consider herself equal to the Willis family. Perhaps they agree because Lori is an American and they humor her or think she doesn't know enough British people to invite besides the villagers? Or they accept to be polite even if they will feel uncomfortable. I feel that Paul is already a bit nervous about going to a party with people he'd consider "toffs."
There are fewer new characters to keep track of but I still found it hard to follow everyone, especially with three priests. Julian Bright is an unconventional Roman Catholic priest. I've never seen a Catholic priest in a form fitting leather jacket and jeans. I also didn't pick up on any prejudices against Catholics in London in 1999 but perhaps in smaller villages? Julian is very different from what anyone expects a priest to be. I suspect he has a backstory he isn't fully sharing with Lori. I wonder if he's an actual priest. He kind of reminds me of the angel, Clarence, in "It's a Wonderful Life" the way he guides Lori on a search for answers and in turn helps her discover something about herself. I do not enjoy how Lori lusts after Julian while Bill is away. That's creepy weird and she's Catholic. I also think it's weird how he is quick to reassure her she's safe with him just because he's a priest. Um people weren't that naive in 1999 and there's no way in heck I'd go anywhere alone with a priest even a hot one like Julian.
The stranger, Smitty/Kit, is apparently quite beautiful with violet eyes and long fingers. He appears to come from an upper class background but what happened to him and why he is homeless is the question. I believe he must certainly be the second coming of Christ/reincarnation of Jesus or something similar from the way people talk about him. The similarities are striking. Is he some kind of angel fallen to earth or a flesh and blood man with a terrible tragedy in his past that made him become who he is today? His story is rather dark and depressing, especially for a Christmas story.
Anne and Charles Sommerville knew the stranger in the not so distant past. He was a kind man and hard worker. Anne considered him a close friend and a big help to her when she was down and out. she says she wasn't in love with him but I suspect she did have a crush on "Kit". Her husband, Charles, is a good guy but I think Anne is keeping secrets from him. I like Rupert, the man at the homeless shelter who looks after everyone. He serves the same purpose as the urchins in historical novels. Philip Raywood is another priest, Anglican this time, who knew the mysterious stranger. He seems to be a big believer in hierarchy because he comes across as condescending towards Father Danos. They failed to help the stranger and didn't involve themselves in his life further the way Julian has. Lady Havorford is a nasty witch. She's pure evil and having that much money doesn't help. She drops a bombshell on Lori and Julian and then leaves them to process what she said. Lady H is a very cold, unfeeling woman.
In this book we met yet another of Reginald's cousins. There are 25 books, are we going to meet a new cousin every book? How many of these animals did Dimity make? It's very sweet how many lives she touched and how many people remember her by keeping their animals close but it also makes Reginald feel less special. It makes me think Lori's claim on Dimity isn't as great as she seems to think it is.
The Angel cookies Lori makes are pretty decent sugar cookies. I have to try to make some and see if they would be worth buying as a fundraiser. I'm pretty picky about what cookies I buy.
Content warning:
homelessness/poverty
religion
minor violence
WWII memories - violent -
oudated language for homeless people and people with mental health issues (dementia does not equal crazy or a mental health issue!)
This was not my favorite in the series so far. It was way too heavy handed with the message and the CHRIST part of Christmas. While I appreciate a good "the true meaning of Christmas" story and I liked how the characters come to discover the spirit of Christmas, I prefer my messages not quite so spelled out. I liked the parts set in the village best. Plus the plot relies on Lori withholding information and not listening to what the Pym sisters tell her.
Aunt Dimity is hardly in the story at all and is sadly missed. She has to raise Lori even though Lori is grown with children of her own. Lori can be unlikable at times. I guess she's more realistic than if she was the perfect Mary Sue but she often comes across as selfish and clueless. It takes Aunt Dimity to knock sense into her. In this book she runs her husband ragged without consulting him about what he wants, quarrels with him and then runs off on an adventure leaving her twins with her supposedly ailing elderly father-in-law. Willis, Sr. deserves a medal for helping out as much as he does. He says he's delighted to dote on his grandsons, never dreaming he'd live long enough to see his son's sons, but Lori really does impose on him. (Francesca is away on vacation with her fiance). Lori must go on a journey of self-discovery while she searches for answers to her questions about the stranger's identity. Emma isn't in the story much either but as usual Lori needs Emma's computer research skills. Is she the only one with internet? I'm sure Bill has it in the office so Lori could do her own sleuthing! Poor Emma is too kind to say no. The darling Pym sisters arrive with Nell in a sleigh from the magically expanding Manor. I didn't think Emma and Derek were THAT wealthy or their house was so grand! One character I seem to remember from the first book is now missing. Didn't Aunt Dimity have a cat? What happened to the cat?
I love the quirky villagers! Peggy Kitchen is back to bossing everyone around, organizing the nativity play, however, she insists Lillian Bunting direct the play. Lillian has her own mini journey and I really like her brief story. The other villagers are mostly hateful and mean towards the strange man. They all use an outdated word for homeless person which I haven't heard anyone from that end of the 20th-century actually use. It may be used on purpose by the author to show the villagers are mostly elderly. It's also the 90s, a time of peace and prosperity and everyone is blissfully unaware of the problems to come in the near future. I hope they come around. Peggy Kitchen, of all people, should not begrudge an ill, impoverished, homeless person the right to health care and a job. I'm certain she and her mother were in the same situation by the time they arrived in Finch! How quickly we forget. The only villager, besides Rev. Bunting and his wife, I have respect for in the first half of the novel is Mr. Barlow.
I was happy to hear Miss Kingsley again with some much-needed answers and Paul, the chauffer is back too. I was very surprised he agreed to come to Lori's Christmas party. He's lower class in a very class conscious society. Even Miss Kingsley wouldn't consider herself equal to the Willis family. Perhaps they agree because Lori is an American and they humor her or think she doesn't know enough British people to invite besides the villagers? Or they accept to be polite even if they will feel uncomfortable. I feel that Paul is already a bit nervous about going to a party with people he'd consider "toffs."
There are fewer new characters to keep track of but I still found it hard to follow everyone, especially with three priests. Julian Bright is an unconventional Roman Catholic priest. I've never seen a Catholic priest in a form fitting leather jacket and jeans. I also didn't pick up on any prejudices against Catholics in London in 1999 but perhaps in smaller villages? Julian is very different from what anyone expects a priest to be. I suspect he has a backstory he isn't fully sharing with Lori. I wonder if he's an actual priest. He kind of reminds me of the angel, Clarence, in "It's a Wonderful Life" the way he guides Lori on a search for answers and in turn helps her discover something about herself. I do not enjoy how Lori lusts after Julian while Bill is away. That's creepy weird and she's Catholic. I also think it's weird how he is quick to reassure her she's safe with him just because he's a priest. Um people weren't that naive in 1999 and there's no way in heck I'd go anywhere alone with a priest even a hot one like Julian.
The stranger, Smitty/Kit, is apparently quite beautiful with violet eyes and long fingers. He appears to come from an upper class background but what happened to him and why he is homeless is the question. I believe he must certainly be the second coming of Christ/reincarnation of Jesus or something similar from the way people talk about him. The similarities are striking. Is he some kind of angel fallen to earth or a flesh and blood man with a terrible tragedy in his past that made him become who he is today? His story is rather dark and depressing, especially for a Christmas story.
Anne and Charles Sommerville knew the stranger in the not so distant past. He was a kind man and hard worker. Anne considered him a close friend and a big help to her when she was down and out. she says she wasn't in love with him but I suspect she did have a crush on "Kit". Her husband, Charles, is a good guy but I think Anne is keeping secrets from him. I like Rupert, the man at the homeless shelter who looks after everyone. He serves the same purpose as the urchins in historical novels. Philip Raywood is another priest, Anglican this time, who knew the mysterious stranger. He seems to be a big believer in hierarchy because he comes across as condescending towards Father Danos. They failed to help the stranger and didn't involve themselves in his life further the way Julian has. Lady Havorford is a nasty witch. She's pure evil and having that much money doesn't help. She drops a bombshell on Lori and Julian and then leaves them to process what she said. Lady H is a very cold, unfeeling woman.
In this book we met yet another of Reginald's cousins. There are 25 books, are we going to meet a new cousin every book? How many of these animals did Dimity make? It's very sweet how many lives she touched and how many people remember her by keeping their animals close but it also makes Reginald feel less special. It makes me think Lori's claim on Dimity isn't as great as she seems to think it is.
The Angel cookies Lori makes are pretty decent sugar cookies. I have to try to make some and see if they would be worth buying as a fundraiser. I'm pretty picky about what cookies I buy.
Content warning:
homelessness/poverty
religion
minor violence
WWII memories - violent -
oudated language for homeless people and people with mental health issues (dementia does not equal crazy or a mental health issue!)
December 15, 2018
What a sweet book! Perfect Christmas read. The only part that was odd to me was married Lori lusting over a comatose man and a priest. It seems from other reviews this is usual for her which will get old quickly. But I'll definitely read another book in this series and see how it goes!
December 15, 2018
Sappy as anything, but I'm in the mood for sappy. Lori is determined to make the twins' first Christmas perfect and is driving everyone nuts while she tries for her dream Xmas. But then a tramp is discovered in their driveway partly covered up by snow and Lori gets swept up into an adventure that tells her as much about herself as about the vagrant, maybe more. She is shocked to discover that her vagrant apparently had a stay at a mental asylum, and has a charge of murdering his father but discovers that all in not as it seems. Of course, the message of the Christmas story is to remember our humanity and do unto others what ye wants done onto ye, but it is delivered in a very non preachy way, even as Lori's journey is guided by an incredibly sexy priest as well as by Aunt Dimity. Recommended, more than the prior couple of stories in the series! Now, to go reserve the next one...
May 9, 2022
This was another cute installment. The Christmas is poured on a bit thick, but we meet new characters and there is a nice little mystery.
December 15, 2017
some of this book was truly beautiful. I can be a sucker for schmaltz, and the book actually touched on the true horrors of war. I enjoy Aunt Dimity, who communicates with a pink rabbit and a blue notebook - I don't mind the touch of supernatural in an otherwise entirely mundane world. the stories of Kit and Lori's father touched on something more transcendent than cozy mysteries often venture towards (for example, the complicated feelings people have about death and murder), which was especially interesting in a book where the mystery was simply someone's identity.
there was a heavy religious element, from Father Bright and his sad tramps to the nativity play, but I can understand and accept that in my Christmas cozies. the bits about giving being a better blessing than receiving were welcome, honestly, it's an important lesson to learn.
HOWEVER, sometimes books stress me out, and this book stressed me out with how casually Lori kept leaving her family alone to pursue some kind of compulsion (going to the hospital; going to see Julian Bright), and the best explanation the narrative could give us was that she had kind of fallen in love (other reviewers have delightfully decried Lori's "wandering eyes"). it made Lori seem like she was out of control in an unhealthy way, and it stressed me out, ok? like she was incapable of recognizing and honoring the commitments she had made towards others, or her responsibilities as a mother/caring for an elderly man. I think it could have been framed or presented in a slightly different way - maybe by making less of a big deal about all of the things she had to do that she wasn't doing? I don't know.
so, mixed feelings. something I really enjoyed and some things I didn't. but I've been reading this series on and off for years - I think I read the first book when I was quite young, didn't entirely understand it, and I had some vague memory (a ghost... a cottage... pink rabbit) that held a strange power over me, so I was rather pleased when I rediscovered the series.
there was a heavy religious element, from Father Bright and his sad tramps to the nativity play, but I can understand and accept that in my Christmas cozies. the bits about giving being a better blessing than receiving were welcome, honestly, it's an important lesson to learn.
HOWEVER, sometimes books stress me out, and this book stressed me out with how casually Lori kept leaving her family alone to pursue some kind of compulsion (going to the hospital; going to see Julian Bright), and the best explanation the narrative could give us was that she had kind of fallen in love (other reviewers have delightfully decried Lori's "wandering eyes"). it made Lori seem like she was out of control in an unhealthy way, and it stressed me out, ok? like she was incapable of recognizing and honoring the commitments she had made towards others, or her responsibilities as a mother/caring for an elderly man. I think it could have been framed or presented in a slightly different way - maybe by making less of a big deal about all of the things she had to do that she wasn't doing? I don't know.
so, mixed feelings. something I really enjoyed and some things I didn't. but I've been reading this series on and off for years - I think I read the first book when I was quite young, didn't entirely understand it, and I had some vague memory (a ghost... a cottage... pink rabbit) that held a strange power over me, so I was rather pleased when I rediscovered the series.
August 17, 2012
Sometimes you need a series that you can go to that is predictably comforting. Such is the Aunt Dimity series by Nancy Atherton. Having just finished some rather heavy reading material, my mind and soul needed something that would soothe me and let me relax into a safe world of hope and light. Aunt Dimity's Christmas was just the ticket. Not that the book is devoid of sadness. It's just that the sadness overwhelmed by by joy and positive self-discovery. I usually race through a mystery series without stopping to catch my breath, but I'm approaching this series a little differently, using a modicum of self-restraint. I am interspersing the delightful novels into my other reading, in two or three at a time, especially where I need pick-me-up and a relax-my-mind read. Of course, the setting being England, the main residence being a charming cottage, and, in this case, a snowy Christmas help to ensconce me into a world of pure magic.
The storyline starts two weeks before Christmas when Lori Shepherd is planning her first perfect Christmas, with her husband, two twin boys, her father-in-law, and a host of villagers and friends. Of course, nothing goes according to plan after a stranger is found unconscious in Lori's driveway the morning after her much-wished-for snow has arrived. Viewing this discovery as a most inconvenient interruption in her plans, Lori hopes that his hospitalization in an Oxford hospital will conclude her involvement in the matter. Enter Father Julian Bright, who draws Lori into the puzzling identity of the stranger known only as Smitty to him. The search provides much more than identity information, as Lori learns just how far from perfect her plan for Christmas was and how much more Christmas and life can mean.
The storyline starts two weeks before Christmas when Lori Shepherd is planning her first perfect Christmas, with her husband, two twin boys, her father-in-law, and a host of villagers and friends. Of course, nothing goes according to plan after a stranger is found unconscious in Lori's driveway the morning after her much-wished-for snow has arrived. Viewing this discovery as a most inconvenient interruption in her plans, Lori hopes that his hospitalization in an Oxford hospital will conclude her involvement in the matter. Enter Father Julian Bright, who draws Lori into the puzzling identity of the stranger known only as Smitty to him. The search provides much more than identity information, as Lori learns just how far from perfect her plan for Christmas was and how much more Christmas and life can mean.
January 12, 2018
Pros:
• I loved the Christmas theme throughout the story. It was enough to remind you of the season but not too much. You can easily enjoy this book during the summer just as easily.
• The characters Lori meets were quite the characters.
• I love the concept of Aunt Dimity being a spirit that communicates through a journal. And Reginald, the stuffed rabbit.
Cons:
• Now that I’m reading these books in order, I am getting kinda tired of the “Wandering eye” trope that seems to be in every book. It wasn’t as noticeable when I was reading this series out of order and with a year, or so, in between each one.
• This book honestly made me feel a bit guilty for not being more charitable; it had very strong themes of charity, acceptance, and caring for all. Which is great, but it felt like too much for a quick, fluffy read.
Final Thoughts:
• This was a solid read; it definitely was not my favorite book of the series, but worth a read if you already are familiar with the characters. It just felt like it was missing the mark compared to the others.
January 8, 2014
A beautifully written reminder of what Christmas is all about. It is interlaced with struggles, hardships, blessings, and ease, the giving in to our worst fears and rising above them, while the tendency to the good and the selfishness in all of us is highlighted. As Lori searches for Kit's family, she travels a road in her own conscience and finally ends in the right place. After all the good Aunt Dimity did with her wealth, it had already been a question as to when Lori would get there as well. I'm happy to say this is the book.
April 9, 2019
I really enjoy the Aunt Dimity novels. They are like a cozy blanket and some hot cocoa. Aunt Dimity’s Christmas may be my favorite Dimity book to date.
April 6, 2020
This series is always the oddball among my mystery reading as they are sort of cozy but are one of the few cozy series I read where almost no one dies and they are sort of historical, but weren’t really that historical when they were actual written. What they always are, though, is utterly charming. I love the main characters and the small town we continue to get to know in these books and the central premise of the spirit of Aunt Dimity communicating via book actually works. The bulk of this installment revolved around a mysterious stranger collapsing into a snowbank practically on the front door of Dimity’s cottage and the quest to discover his identity. The Christmas elements were lovely and I found myself tearing up more than once, moved by the kindness and generosity of these characters. Really lovely series all around and hopefully I won’t go so long before reading the next book in this series.
December 13, 2021
I do like the concept of the Aunt Dimity series and have a good deal of them. however, Dimity often plays a rather small role and rarely appears, if I may write it that way. THe character is slight here, though an integral part of the overall plot. Just think the "Aunt Dimity" title of the entire series is a bit much.
The story is good, with intriguing aspects that drives the reader to the end to find out what is presented at the start of the story. Getting to the end, the actual main character, Lori Shepherd crosses paths that lead to other revelations. This plotting method works well here as more questions appear begging for answers.
The characters are all well crafted. A couple of the major characters that appear in the series for the first time are particularly good. To the point I'd like to read separate tales of them.
The only downside I'd point to is some over writing and a couple scenes are repetitious.
Bottom line: I recommend this book. 7 out of ten points.
The story is good, with intriguing aspects that drives the reader to the end to find out what is presented at the start of the story. Getting to the end, the actual main character, Lori Shepherd crosses paths that lead to other revelations. This plotting method works well here as more questions appear begging for answers.
The characters are all well crafted. A couple of the major characters that appear in the series for the first time are particularly good. To the point I'd like to read separate tales of them.
The only downside I'd point to is some over writing and a couple scenes are repetitious.
Bottom line: I recommend this book. 7 out of ten points.
October 7, 2021
I enjoyed reading this book with my partner - a sweet simple fun book for the holidays.
July 18, 2022
Ach es war wieder toll. Allerdings kam ich erst nicht klar mit der Jahreszeit. 😅
July 29, 2021
A feel good book just right to instill the Christmas spirit into everyone. Lori wants to recreate the kind of Christmas she enjoyed as a child before her father died. Nothing goes as planned and her plan to make every day special starting on December 14th couldn't go more off track when a homeless man nearly freezes to death near her front door and her husband has to fly to the States for a few days. Lori and Dimity sleuth it out to discover the identity of the man who has lain in a coma ever since being found. Lovely book. Lovely story.
March 6, 2019
Just reread this and still love it. This a wonderful, heartwarming series. Highly recommended
November 4, 2024
A good holiday mystery in the Aunt Dimity series. It's the twin's first Christmas but Lori is distracted by a tramp who is found nearly dead by the cottage. Bill is in the US on business, and William Senior catches a cold. Entertaining.
December 9, 2019
Not a classic murder mystery but a classic mystery with an unknown stranger showing up at the cottage and a bittersweet journey by Lori to find out his story. His story turns out to be wide-ranging yet strangely close to home. As she learns his secrets, she gains a new understanding of the Christmas season and its importance in her life. Lovely story.
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