Review: 'Tis The Season, by Lorna Landvik

This is a fun book, and I can think of several people off the top of my head who would like it, like Kristi, especially.

'Tis The Season isn't a novel in the traditional sense. It makes me think a little of Griffin and Sabine, because it's built entirely of correspondence (and the occasional gossip column entry) between Caro, a young heiress / alcoholic / socialite, Astrid, Caro's her former nanny, and Cyril, the owner of a dude ranch that Caro was sent to when her father was dying. The story begins with Caro as an emotionally desperate alcoholic who has alienated not only all her friends and family, but the entire country thanks to the publication of a written drunken tirade that was stolen by a waiter and published in a gossip column. Eventually, Caro checks herself into rehab (which is mentioned but not detailed explicitly), and as a part of her recovery, has to apologize to people she has wronged in the past. Her letters to Astrid and Cyril are part of that process, but then develop into the first real emotional relationships of her life.

This is the perfect book for a lazy, snowbound morning, or a spell at the beach, or anytime you want something to read that isn't going to be difficult to put down and pick back up. The characters are engaging, and the story unfolds in an easygoing, conversational style that makes almost for a feeling of being a fly on the wall. There are a few surprises, some sadness, but mostly this is an uplifting story. The ending was entirely predictable, but I was OK with that. After all, a breezy story should have a breezy, satisfying ending.

Rating: four out of five stars: fun, quick, feel-good reading for a rainy (snowy) day