A Christmas Guest (Audio Cassette)

by Anne Perry (Author), Terrence Hardiman (Narrator)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Charlotte's tetchy Grandmama from Perry's Charlotte and Thomas Pitt mysteries does a bit of sleuthing on her own (and learns the true meaning of Christmas) in the author's latest holiday treat (A Christmas Visitor). When the London lady finds herself banished to the Romney Marshes home of her former daughter-in-law, Caroline (now married—scandalously, in Grandmama's opinion—to a younger actor), she is more than indignant. As if it isn't bad enough to be exiled to "some bog by the sea" at Christmastime, another guest soon arrives: "pointlessly joyous" Maud Barrington, the middle daughter of an old local family who has returned after 40 years of travel in Muslim Africa. Maude's family won't have her; they think she'll be an embarrassment to a visiting peer. Grandmama doesn't take to brash, vivid Maude, either—but as soon as Maude is discovered, suddenly and suspiciously dead in her bedroom, Grandmama regrets her coldness and vows to uncover the truth. When she imparts the sad news to Maude's family in the nearby town, she finds the reaction of Maude's two sisters strange. Their husbands, too, seem odd. Who might be the guilty party? Grandmama digs deep into family secrets and betrayals and becomes a whole new person along the way in this quick and enjoyable read. (Nov.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist
What was supposed to be another proper English holiday spent in her granddaughter's home turns out to be anything but for Mariah Ellison, in the latest installment of the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt Christmas series. Against her wishes, the already cantankerous Mariah, called Grandmama throughout, is shoved off to spend the holiday with Caroline, the wife of her late son, and Joshua, Caroline's new husband, in the nippy shore town of Romney Marshes. Grandmama decides not to let anything please her--not the lovely home, not the excellent help, and especially not a surprise visit by Joshua's Aunt Maude, present only because no one else would have her. Maude regales her hosts with tales of her travels, but Grandmama, though secretly fascinated by the stories, abhors Maude's clumsy appearance and abrupt nature. Even when Grandmama finds Maude's body cold and dead, she is incensed that her holiday should be ruined by an unseemly upset. Nonetheless, Grandmama takes to solving the case herself and, predictably though no less charmingly, undergoes a Grinch-like transformation in the process, finding the meaning of Christmas after all. Lightweight fare, certainly, but ably constructed by genre veteran Perry and sure to please those who enjoy holiday-season mysteries. Mary Frances Wilkens
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Sound Library (November 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0792737849
• ISBN-13: 978-0792737841
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 4.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,395,077 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Unlikely Heroine Makes for a Fine Christmas Tale, November 4, 2005

By	D. Bell "Imzadi" (Olney, MD USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: A Christmas Guest: A Novel (The Christmas Stories) (Hardcover)

If there is one character in Anne Perry's Pitt & Charlotte books whom no one likes, it's Grandmama Ellison. She has a brutal tongue and a mean streak a yard wide. However, deep inside she is suffering from years of hidden abuse at the hands of her husband; widowhood brought her blessed relief, but she could share this with no one because of her obsession with keeping up appearances. And now, as her granddaughter Emily, husband Jack, and the children, along with all their servants, are going to the Loire Valley for the holidays, and she refuses to stay with her other granddaughter Charlotte and "that policeman" she lowered herself to marry, she must undertake a journey to stay near the sea with her late son's widow Caroline and her charming younger husband Joshua, who is an actor (horrors!) and a Jew (horrors!).

When she arrives after an arduous all-day journey, she learns that Maude, a relative of Joshua's, will also be staying, as her family has a "very important" guest and cannot let her stay there. Although she is put off by Maude, who has spent over forty years traveling and living in less civilized parts of the world, she cannot help but be impressed by the woman's joie de vivre. One morning Maude is dead in her bed, suddenly and seemingly of natural causes. But Mrs. Ellison suspects foul play and is surprised to realize how much she had liked Maude in spite of herself. So, on pretext of informing the family personally, she sets out to solve the crime.

This book, like Anne Perry's other Christmas novels, is a gem. It brilliantly illustrates the customs and mores of the time while delving into the mind and heart of the protagonist and the very logical if reprehensible motive for the murder. By the time Grandmama has unmasked the killer, who cannot be prosecuted but will be ostracized for life, she has changed a great deal and learned that life can be enjoyed to the fullest if one allows herself to be. It took Scrooge Marley and three other ghosts to realize this; solving a crime did it for Granmama. I came to like and even admire her through the course of the novel, which I found impossible to put down.

Enjoy this book; it is one of Perry's small masterpieces.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly Wonderful!, January 17, 2006

By	bookreader2002 (Honolulu, HI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Christmas Guest: A Novel (The Christmas Stories) (Hardcover)

Fearing another Christmas Journey mess and hoping for a book along the lines of Christmas Visitor, I had no idea what I'd find in A Christmas Guest. What I found was a great story excellently written.

To be honest, I could not imagine Grandmother as a sympathetic character. I do not want to give away much of the surprise for anyone who hasn't read this, but we see another side of the cranky old lady and we come to understand her better.

After seeing her in a different light, I'm curious as to how Perry portrays her in the upcoming Pitt novels. I hope she will allow Grandmother's character to grow- it would be a waste of great character if she doesn't.

A Christmas Guest is one of Perry's best efforts. There's a seemingly unsolvable mystery, a full cast of suspects, humor, a moral, and a great feeling of satisfaction after you've turned the last page.

A lovely book.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An enjoyable and uplifting read that is perfect for the holidays, December 15, 2005

By	Bookreporter.com (New York, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Christmas Guest: A Novel (The Christmas Stories) (Hardcover)

In Victorian England, Grandmama Mariah Ellison, chronically cranky and miserable, must stay with the mother of Charlotte Pitt (of the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt mystery series), Caroline Fielding, and her younger actor-husband, Joshua, for the holidays. Since Grandmama's daughter and son-in-law are off to France, she is disgruntled at being shuffled off to chilly, windswept, and rustic Romney Marshes. How dare her daughter treat her this way! She prepares to be bored out of her mind.

Grandmama's boredom lasts only a few days. A new visitor, Maude Barrington, arrives; she is a distant relative of Joshua's, and her family inexplicably does not wish for her to stay with them for Christmas. Vibrant Maude has spent 40 years away from England, traveling the world's exotic desert destinations by herself. She regales them with tales of the marvelous sites she's experienced --- Persian gardens, African cities, and the scent of moonlit jasmine blossoms. Grandmama is not charmed. She is jealous of the attention Caroline and Joshua bestow on the interloper, and appalled at the very idea of a lone Englishwoman traipsing through foreign countries. However, deep down, she feels a certain interest as she unwillingly spends time with the fascinating Maude.

Early one morning, a maid bursts into Grandmama's room with horrendous news --- Maude is dead. Grandmama is quite put out: now they will have to spend Christmas in mourning! Her dreary holidays will become even worse, with everyone wearing black, the mirrors covered, and all of them eating cold meats.

But Grandmama also feels sorrow. After all, like Grandmama herself, Maude was a visitor at Romney Marshes because her family didn't want her with them. She wishes she had let Maude know how much she admired her. In retrospect, she feels great pangs at the loss of someone who could have been a true friend. She wonders how the almost obnoxiously healthy younger woman could have died. Soon Grandmama focuses on the peppermint water Maude had mentioned she would take that night for indigestion. Who gave Maude the herbal tincture?

Grandmama becomes determined to discover the truth surrounding Maude's death. In fact, she feels she owes it to Maude and even offers to travel to notify Maude's family of her demise. Grandmama wonders if their rejection of Maude isn't related somehow to her death.

Grandmama is soon a guest at Maude's family's home. As Grandmama attempts to elicit information from Maude's relatives, she discovers how difficult effective sleuthing can be. Is she asking the right questions? Will she find herself in danger? Even more importantly, she delves into the mysteries of her own life that explain her cantankerous personality. Her introspection leads her to wonder if a life led without joy can be redeemed. Is she set in her ways, or can she change at this late date?

The complex layers beneath Grandmama's waspish character deepen the murder mystery plot, which more than compensates for a resolution that feels the slightest bit rushed. As always, Anne Perry's description of life in Victorian England is fascinating. A CHRISTMAS GUEST is a quick and enjoyable read with an understated and uplifting theme of redemption, making it a perfect refuge during the harried holidays.


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