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A Singular Baptism
Who hasn’t had the opportunity, or rather, the trial, of organizing a large family celebration? Thanks to a peculiar family tradition, Lucía, the protagonist of A Singular Baptism, is tasked with arranging the baptism of her son Argimiro on idyllic El Hierro, the smallest of the Canary Islands. During one frantic weekend, Lucía must deal not only with her husband’s and her own unconventional families, she must also find out if her suspicions about the true identity of her son’s father are correct or merely the result of a simple misunderstanding. With its cast of entertaining characters and everyday situations taken to extremes, A Singular Baptism will leave readers wondering if their families are as outlandish as Lucía’s.
Guaranteed fun. A must-read!
Guaranteed fun. A must-read!
254 pages, ebook
First published July 1, 2015
7 people are currently reading
340 people want to read
About the author
Carlos J. Server
7 books32 followersCarlos J. Server (Valencia, Spain, 1975) first became a household name in 2014 with his debut novel, Un día con suerte, a finalist in the First Annual Indie Literary Prize Contest cosponsored by Amazon, the prestigious Spanish newspaper El Mundo, and publisher Esfera de los Libros. Contest judges considered more than seven hundred works by authors from thirty-two countries. Un día con suerte became an overnight Internet phenomenon, quickly rising in the charts to become the No. 1 bestselling eBook in Spanish on Amazon in Spain, the United States, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Germany, France, Holland, and Italy. It has maintained its ranking in Europe as the top-selling comic novel in eBook form available in Spanish on Amazon throughout 2015 and 2016.
In 2015 Carlos Server published his second novel, Un bautizo singular, a romantic comedy of intrigue peopled by a cast of zany characters. The author is currently at work on his third novel, scheduled for publication at the end of 2016.
The global launch of A Lucky Day, the English version of Mr. Server’s first novel, will take place in February 2017, making the novel available to English-speaking readers everywhere. This will be followed in June of the same year by the publication of Family in a rush, the English version of his second novel.
In his fast-paced, suspenseful, highly entertaining novels, Carlos Server invites us to enjoy tales reminiscent of Billy Wilder and Woody Allen, two artists much admired by the author.
www.carlosjserver.com
@CarlosJServer
Carlos J. Server (Gandia, España 1975) se dio a conocer en 2014 con su primera novela "UN DÍA CON SUERTE", finalista del 1er Consurso Literario de Autores Indie organizado por Amazon y El Mundo. La novela rápidamente se transformó en un fenómeno en la red, convirtiéndose en el ebook en español más vendido en Amazon en España, USA, México, Alemania, Francia e Italia.
En 2015 ha publicado su segunda novela "UN BAUTIZO SINGULAR", una romántica comedia de enredo llena de divertidos personajes.
En sus divertidas novelas, llenas de acción y suspense, Carlos J. Server nos descubre un marco costumbrista repleto de personajes al más puro estilo de Berlanga o Woody Allen.
www.carlosjserver.com
@CarlosJServer
In 2015 Carlos Server published his second novel, Un bautizo singular, a romantic comedy of intrigue peopled by a cast of zany characters. The author is currently at work on his third novel, scheduled for publication at the end of 2016.
The global launch of A Lucky Day, the English version of Mr. Server’s first novel, will take place in February 2017, making the novel available to English-speaking readers everywhere. This will be followed in June of the same year by the publication of Family in a rush, the English version of his second novel.
In his fast-paced, suspenseful, highly entertaining novels, Carlos Server invites us to enjoy tales reminiscent of Billy Wilder and Woody Allen, two artists much admired by the author.
www.carlosjserver.com
@CarlosJServer
Carlos J. Server (Gandia, España 1975) se dio a conocer en 2014 con su primera novela "UN DÍA CON SUERTE", finalista del 1er Consurso Literario de Autores Indie organizado por Amazon y El Mundo. La novela rápidamente se transformó en un fenómeno en la red, convirtiéndose en el ebook en español más vendido en Amazon en España, USA, México, Alemania, Francia e Italia.
En 2015 ha publicado su segunda novela "UN BAUTIZO SINGULAR", una romántica comedia de enredo llena de divertidos personajes.
En sus divertidas novelas, llenas de acción y suspense, Carlos J. Server nos descubre un marco costumbrista repleto de personajes al más puro estilo de Berlanga o Woody Allen.
www.carlosjserver.com
@CarlosJServer
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 14, 2018
Book Reviewed by Julie on www.whisperingstories.com
‘A Singular Baptism’ is the second novel from Spanish author, Carlos J Server. The action takes place over one weekend and is the story of an extended family who chose to follow a long-held tradition by travelling to El Hierro in the Canary Islands for the baptism of the youngest of their clan, a baby boy named Argimiro.
Whilst everything has been planned to perfection on paper, inevitably whatever could go wrong, does go wrong. The plot revolves around a variety of farcical situations as the family become embroiled in attempting to determine who the baby’s biological father is.
It seems a little odd that they would have got to the point of having the baby baptised before these doubts surfaced but without this small twist, there really would be no storyline at all. The reader therefore needs to suspend reality to accept the scenario without overthinking it.
The cover is simple but eye-catching and the book stylishly presented. The pace is fast-moving and the tale delivered in the third person, enabling us to view the action from several different perspectives but mainly through the eyes of Lucia, the baby’s mother. There are some engaging descriptive passages which I definitely enjoyed but rather a lot of dialogue which can, at times, create an imbalance.
For the story to sell itself, the reader needed to care about the characters. Perhaps if there hadn’t been an over-reliance on attempted humour, other literary devices could have been employed to make the people we encounter in the story more three dimensional. I think arguably the tale may have lended itself better to a short story format however, with 250 pages devoted to such a narrow plot, it was always going to be a challenge.
I think it is fair to say this book didn’t really fire my imagination; possibly it lost something in translation or maybe I’m just not a great fan of slapstick. Nonetheless, if you enjoy a good light-hearted wholesome comedic romp without any graphic content, then you will doubtless love it. For the overall professional presentation of the book and its niche audience appeal, I objectively award ‘A Singular Baptism’ three stars.
‘A Singular Baptism’ is the second novel from Spanish author, Carlos J Server. The action takes place over one weekend and is the story of an extended family who chose to follow a long-held tradition by travelling to El Hierro in the Canary Islands for the baptism of the youngest of their clan, a baby boy named Argimiro.
Whilst everything has been planned to perfection on paper, inevitably whatever could go wrong, does go wrong. The plot revolves around a variety of farcical situations as the family become embroiled in attempting to determine who the baby’s biological father is.
It seems a little odd that they would have got to the point of having the baby baptised before these doubts surfaced but without this small twist, there really would be no storyline at all. The reader therefore needs to suspend reality to accept the scenario without overthinking it.
The cover is simple but eye-catching and the book stylishly presented. The pace is fast-moving and the tale delivered in the third person, enabling us to view the action from several different perspectives but mainly through the eyes of Lucia, the baby’s mother. There are some engaging descriptive passages which I definitely enjoyed but rather a lot of dialogue which can, at times, create an imbalance.
For the story to sell itself, the reader needed to care about the characters. Perhaps if there hadn’t been an over-reliance on attempted humour, other literary devices could have been employed to make the people we encounter in the story more three dimensional. I think arguably the tale may have lended itself better to a short story format however, with 250 pages devoted to such a narrow plot, it was always going to be a challenge.
I think it is fair to say this book didn’t really fire my imagination; possibly it lost something in translation or maybe I’m just not a great fan of slapstick. Nonetheless, if you enjoy a good light-hearted wholesome comedic romp without any graphic content, then you will doubtless love it. For the overall professional presentation of the book and its niche audience appeal, I objectively award ‘A Singular Baptism’ three stars.
May 18, 2018
Ligera y divertida!
Es una historia sencilla, divertida escrita con una pluma muy amena, aunque hay partes que las he sentido un poco lentas. Hubo momentos en que me imaginé que estaba viendo una peli tipo comedia romántica por todos los elementos que tiene la trama. Quizá me falta más desarrollo de personajes ya que al ser varios no terminamos de conocerlos completamente, pero aún así es muy fácil imaginar todas las reacciones que tienen, yo reí en varios momentos. La historia puede caer en algunos clichés, pero gracias a la pluma del autor es en lo menos que pensamos, es una lectura fuera de lo común y se lee muy rápido y sin problemas.
Para pasar un rato muy agradable la recomiendo.
Reseña completa en Books FD
Es una historia sencilla, divertida escrita con una pluma muy amena, aunque hay partes que las he sentido un poco lentas. Hubo momentos en que me imaginé que estaba viendo una peli tipo comedia romántica por todos los elementos que tiene la trama. Quizá me falta más desarrollo de personajes ya que al ser varios no terminamos de conocerlos completamente, pero aún así es muy fácil imaginar todas las reacciones que tienen, yo reí en varios momentos. La historia puede caer en algunos clichés, pero gracias a la pluma del autor es en lo menos que pensamos, es una lectura fuera de lo común y se lee muy rápido y sin problemas.
Para pasar un rato muy agradable la recomiendo.
Reseña completa en Books FD
November 10, 2023
Después de leer su otra novela Un día con suerte, me apeteció volver a disfrutar de una de sus historias llena de comedio y enredo. Ya te tengo fichado, Carlos!. Es un autor que merece la pena leer por lo divertidas y locas que son sus historias.
June 13, 2017
This is the second book I’ve read by Carlos J. Server and I have to say that he’s done it again! ‘A Singular Baptism’ (the new English translation of the Spanish ‘Un Bautizo Singular’) is one of the funniest books I’ve read this year and worth every one of the five stars I give it!
Just like in his first book ‘A Lucky Day’ this book is filled with lots of humour but it’s a farcical daft type of humour that would look good in a movie. ‘A Singular Baptism’ takes place over the course of just one day but so much happens and it really is fun to read. The story begins with Lucía and her husband Paco driving frantically to pick up his parents in time from the airport. Lucía and Paco’s son will be baptised the following day but nothing in this story goes to plan and when they get to the church for a rehearsal there are soon question on who the biological father of the baby really is.
This book really is hilarious. I was smiling, laughing and couldn’t stop reading it until the very end. It’s not often that I truly laugh and enjoy a comedy book so much, but something about Server’s writing is exceptional and no matter what I’m just laughing at the ridiculous situations all the characters end up in. The best way to describe the plot is that it’s a farce. It reminds me of the silly humour you find in things like the Carry On films, it’s ridiculous and daft but also a good clean humour which I think many would enjoy reading.
I won’t go into details about what happens in the story but every scene is a moment of comedy. Over the top things happen and the cast of characters in this book really lends to the humour. The whole book is written in the third person but jumps between various characters and locations. There are a lot of characters involved in the story but each is introduced in a way that makes it easy to grasp who is who and I was never left confused as all the characters are very different and many have extreme personalities. I really enjoyed all of them but the priest was once again a hilarious character in Server’s novel (‘A Lucky day’ also featured a priest). I especially liked the priest’s over the top performance towards the end of the novel!
The story is fast paced and although it’s a novel I could really see this book being turned into a film. The way scenes play out often showing scenes of minor characters who end up affecting the plot in a big way, just makes the whole thing feel like I’m watching a movie, in my head and I love it! Although the whole book is pure humour there are warmer moments especially towards the end and I found myself smiling not only out of laughter but it also made my heart smile too. The ending of the book is a satisfying one and I love the deeper message in the story and the quote before the first chapter. The book doesn’t have anything offensive at all and I think it would appeal to anyone who has that silly/daft sense of humour.
I’d really recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a farce. This really is a brilliant book, well written (extra credit to the translator too) and I just can’t wait for Server’s next work! I’d also recommend ‘A Lucky Day’ which features the same daft comedy but with a different situation.
-Thanks to the author for a free copy.
Just like in his first book ‘A Lucky Day’ this book is filled with lots of humour but it’s a farcical daft type of humour that would look good in a movie. ‘A Singular Baptism’ takes place over the course of just one day but so much happens and it really is fun to read. The story begins with Lucía and her husband Paco driving frantically to pick up his parents in time from the airport. Lucía and Paco’s son will be baptised the following day but nothing in this story goes to plan and when they get to the church for a rehearsal there are soon question on who the biological father of the baby really is.
This book really is hilarious. I was smiling, laughing and couldn’t stop reading it until the very end. It’s not often that I truly laugh and enjoy a comedy book so much, but something about Server’s writing is exceptional and no matter what I’m just laughing at the ridiculous situations all the characters end up in. The best way to describe the plot is that it’s a farce. It reminds me of the silly humour you find in things like the Carry On films, it’s ridiculous and daft but also a good clean humour which I think many would enjoy reading.
I won’t go into details about what happens in the story but every scene is a moment of comedy. Over the top things happen and the cast of characters in this book really lends to the humour. The whole book is written in the third person but jumps between various characters and locations. There are a lot of characters involved in the story but each is introduced in a way that makes it easy to grasp who is who and I was never left confused as all the characters are very different and many have extreme personalities. I really enjoyed all of them but the priest was once again a hilarious character in Server’s novel (‘A Lucky day’ also featured a priest). I especially liked the priest’s over the top performance towards the end of the novel!
The story is fast paced and although it’s a novel I could really see this book being turned into a film. The way scenes play out often showing scenes of minor characters who end up affecting the plot in a big way, just makes the whole thing feel like I’m watching a movie, in my head and I love it! Although the whole book is pure humour there are warmer moments especially towards the end and I found myself smiling not only out of laughter but it also made my heart smile too. The ending of the book is a satisfying one and I love the deeper message in the story and the quote before the first chapter. The book doesn’t have anything offensive at all and I think it would appeal to anyone who has that silly/daft sense of humour.
I’d really recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a farce. This really is a brilliant book, well written (extra credit to the translator too) and I just can’t wait for Server’s next work! I’d also recommend ‘A Lucky Day’ which features the same daft comedy but with a different situation.
-Thanks to the author for a free copy.
March 27, 2017
UN BAUTIZO MEMORABLE .
Sin lugar a dudas UN BAUTIZO SINGULAR ,como bien dice el titulo ,me rei de lo lindo con tantas peripercias de cada uno de estos personajes .llena de buen humor y con unos dialogos muy fluidos .
Felucidades a el escritor ,y claro que la recomindo al cien por ciento.
Sin lugar a dudas UN BAUTIZO SINGULAR ,como bien dice el titulo ,me rei de lo lindo con tantas peripercias de cada uno de estos personajes .llena de buen humor y con unos dialogos muy fluidos .
Felucidades a el escritor ,y claro que la recomindo al cien por ciento.
February 6, 2019
Historia un poco absurda pero muy divertida, se lee de un tirón.
April 25, 2021
Una novela para no parar de reír. Tras la lectura de "Un día de suerte" no pude resistirme a seguir pasando buenos ratos y risas con el autor y compré su última novela. Al igual que en en aquella pero elevado al máximo exponente se suceden las situaciones extremas y se dan todos los ingredientes para que surja el humor. En este caso, es prácticamente imposible no identificar a cualquier familiar común de todo lector, el paranoico del tiempo, la suegra bocazas y metomentodo, el cura, que como en la otra novela, es todo un personaje, etc. Más depurada en algunos detalles, cuenta con concesiones a la ternura que la podrían convertir en comedia romántica y hace valer la cita de Denis Lord que figura al comienzo del texto "Padre no es el que da la vida, eso sería demasiado fácil, padre es el que da el amor". En cualquier caso, por encima de la parte romántica y pertinente en la trama, es un verdadero enredo familiar chispeante. Como aspecto negativo, la versión que vende Amazon para leerla en la aplicación de kindle para Ipad contiene algunas erratas como faltas de palabras e incluso de alguna tilde. Nada que no se pueda mejorar en una futura versión para que no devalúe el placer de leerla.
May 4, 2017
Aunque me he divertido leyéndolo, este libro no me ha gustado tanto como Un día con suerte, ya que me pareció que el final era poco sorprendente. Sin embargo, me han encantado los personajes y la relación entre ellos. Lo recomiendo, es bueno para desconectar.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews