There's Something About Christmas (2005) - Plot & Excerpts
There Is Something About Christmas by Debbie MacomberIn Debbie Macomber's 2005 Christmas offering, we find Emma Collins, being assigned her first major assignment for her Puyallup newspaper of interviewing the three Washington State finalists in the Fruitcake contest for Good Homemaking Magazine. Since she hates anything to do with Christmas, this seems to be a daunting task, especially since she detests fruitcake and the pilot, Oliver Hamilton, who just happens to take on the assignment for his air service business he has just started, in lieu of getting advertising. Emma hates flying, so when she has to fly with Oliver and his Terrier, Oscar, who sneezes each time he's around her, due to his being allergic to perfume, things get too much for Emma. Oliver seems to be too much like her estranged father, who left she and her mother years earlier. The first lady Emma interviews about her Fruitcake is Earleen Williams, who lives in Yakima and who has been married three times. Emma learns more about her love of making Fruitcake than she bargains for and even gets laid over due to a snowstorm. Her next Fruitcake lady is Sophie McKay, eighty year old widow from Colville, who has a love for cats and flowers. Sophie gives Emma some wise lessons about life through Fruitcake recipe, which has a secret ingredient her husband requested of her to use. Earlene also had a secret ingredient as well. Her third and final lady is Peggy Lucas, a young mother of four children, who lives in Friday Harbor in the San Juan Islands. Getting to Peggy is an adventure, as Emma has to fly on a pontoon plane. Emma learns from Peggy that her recipe she'd only been making a short time, as her young kids didn't want to wait for weeks or months to eat her special Fruitcake. You will need to read this wonderfully witty adventure to find out what the secret ingredients for these three Fruitcakes are. What I loved about this offering was there were little snippets from well-known chefs at the beginning of each chapter and the recipes for each Fruitcake. I'm not a Fruitcake person, but these sounded like something I might try. Forever Friends Rating 5 Stars by TeriUntil Next Time, See You Around The Book Nook.
Christmas usually involves mistletoe, decorations, presents, perhaps even the smell of pine. But for wannabe journalist Emma Collins, Christmas involves the loved-by-some, hated-by-others traditional Christmas fruitcake. When Emma’s boss finally assigns her a big story that’s a step up from her usual job of writing obituaries and selling ads for the Puyallup Examiner, she’s more than thrilled--until she learns the feature story is to interview three different finalists of a national fruitcake contest. Because the three bakers live so far away, Emma must travel by plane to get the interviews. Flying sits about as well with her as fruitcake does, and when she sets off with daredevil pilot Oliver Hamilton in a rinky-dink airplane, Emma’s seriously unsure about where this assignment will lead her.While this entertaining story follows Emma in her quest to find journalistic success--and possibly love--readers will find themselves wrapped up in the holiday spirit. If you would like to read a light-hearted tale as you count down the days until--and walk away with three different recipes for fruitcake--this book is for you!
What do You think about There's Something About Christmas (2005)?
A feel good story. Liked how the dreaded fruitcake is central to this story. Emma's ability to find the love of family in the interviews she does and the gives lessons about life to her readers and herself. Her fear of flying in a small plane and the misadventures with a pontoon plane created some humor. Understood her reluctance to a man who is so liked by other women but he does seem like a nice guy. Ten years ago he could have his dog everywhere and leave in cars without issues - how times have changed.
—Kshydog
I simply love Debbie Macomber books, especially after reading her Blossom Street series. I believe she portrays relationships in a truly beautiful manner through her books. So, when I picked this book to read, I expected all that and more. However, I was disappointed, not completely but still I felt that this book was not quite at that level when compared to the others.The story, a really simple love tale revolves around Emma and Oliver. Emma is someone who is not overly fond of fruitcakes, flying or Christmas and is forced to be involved in all three this year. As a reporter in a local newspaper, she is given the task of interviewing three finalists of a fruitcake competition, for which she has to fly around the State; which again is something she detests. The hero, Oliver, is your typical know it all male who offers to fly her out in exchange for advertisements in the newspaper. In the weeks that follow, Emma falls in love with Oliver and also learns that there is definitely something about both Christmas and fruitcakes!The story was simple and breezy and I loved the part where she interviews the three women and learns from them. In fact, that is what made me to give this book a three star rating as opposed to my original 2 star!! While the author truly reflected her wonderful writing in the fruitcake part of the story, with interesting notations in the beginning of each chapter, i felt that she could have done better with the actual love story itself. The story to me fell flat and hurried. I suppose there was a need to finish it before Christmas. Despite all that, it is an enjoyable read, especially for those who like your not so original but yet lovable love stories.
—Srividya
Ehh. I wanted to read a Christmas book to get me in the holiday spirit. This one had good reviews and said it was humorous. Just a little too lame for my taste. The main character is excited to get a series of stories to write for her paper (she is now only writing obituaries and selling ad space). The series topic? Local ladies that are finalists in a national fruitcake recipe contest. Whoo-Hoo! I could see the potential for a bit of comedy here, but the author chooses to go more philosophical and compare each fruitcake recipe to a life lesson. Really? And of course there is the required hunky guy who starts out seeming like an arrogant jerk but is really a wonderful person.Formula story. Weak plot. Not a bad read if you have nothing else to do and want some new fruitcake recipes.
—Julie F.
