There are a couple of far-fetched conclusions to the story, however, they didn't detract from the story, A learning experience for those of us without children as much a sweet reminder for those who do, Moolah’s travels are Swan’s way to take us on the journey of the parenting ‘rite of passage’ no mother wants to go through ~ the loss of a toy! Swan knows how to tap into readers’ emotions and feel the anguish both the mother and child feel. The quest to be reunited with Moolah propels the story as much as the side plot of two people also trying to recapture what they’d lost. The prose is effortless and immersive. The characters are multilayered, troubled, and genuine. And the plot is a heartwarming tale about life, loss, love, friendship, relationship dynamics, hope, happiness, tragedy, fate, self-discovery, and romance.

Natasha and Rob are on their way home, along with their daughter, Mabel, from a holiday in the Maldives. To break their journey they stop off in Vienna to wait for their connecting flight. Mabel leaves her beloved soft toy behind, a cow named Moolah. It is found by a man named Duffy who takes it with him on his travels as a mascot. Mabel is distraught so Natasha enlists the help of social media, culminating in Duffy sending them photographic updates of Moolah’s journey. Unknown to both of them, Natasha and Duffy have a past…. Feel good stories to curl up with over Christmas . . . Escapist romance at its best' – Heat Magazine I’d like to thank NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for approving me for an ARC of this book. I had an Audible credit and decided to use it on this book, especially once I learnt that Kristen Atherton was the narrator. I have listened to a few books narrated by Kristen and she always blows me away with her exemplary voices. It also felt a little too long and dull (perhaps due to it’s predictability?) There were far too many unnecessary details, at one point the book basically introduced us to the whole female half of the village! For the sake of one scene?! I did find a lot of this predictable and the twist wasn’t that hard to work out, it’s a nice idea and premise, a tad long and some of the plot unnecessary.God bless you, keep you and love you...at Christmastime and always,” reads the sentiment. First published in 1977, that card—still part of Hallmark’s collection—has sold 34 million copies. Mabel is distraught and cannot sleep without her beloved animal so Natasha begins a quest to find it. Cole hit on an ingenious idea. He approached an artist friend, J.C. Horsley, and asked him to design an idea that Cole had sketched out in his mind. Cole then took Horsley’s illustration—a triptych showing a family at table celebrating the holiday flanked by images of people helping the poor—and had a thousand copies made by a London printer. The image was printed on a piece of stiff cardboard 5 1/8 x 3 1/4 inches in size. At the top of each was the salutation, “TO:_____” allowing Cole to personalize his responses, which included the generic greeting “A Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year To You.” Natasha was a character that I liked from the start, the start in the forest created a fondness with me - I love the likes of Go Ape and climbing but I think I’d have rather be Tom and getting to work in the outdoors rather than freezing on the high ropes. You could tell that Natasha was fighting a lot of inner demons but that Mabel was and will always be her priority, no matter what her thoughts were saying Mabel would always come first. A little light on the full festive treatment with some predictable coincidences, The Christmas Postcards is a nice title to mull over this holiday season.

Karen Swan’s traditional festive release this year is The Christmas Postcards, which also marks her twenty-fourth published novel. A story set in the picturesque south west region of the UK and stunning Nepal, this yuletide communication tale has plenty of feel-good vibes thanks to Swan’s easy going writing style. I enjoyed the two featured settings in this one but I wasn’t overly taken with the storyline featured in The Christmas Postcards, it wasn’t as festive infused as I would have liked. Set in a snow-covered Cotswolds village, The Christmas Postcards is a cosy, escapist festive delight about distant connections from Sunday Times bestselling author of The Stolen Hours , Karen Swan. Natasha was an interesting protagonist. As a mother, I related to her and her inconsolable child, if I was in her shoes I would have done anything to find Moolah again too. Her bond with Mabel and natural mothering instinct was beautiful to read but I felt that she had lost her own identity. Her marriage and astonishing home didn’t seem to make her happy and I desperately wanted her to see the light and forge a new path for herself and Mabel. The Christmas Postcards is an alluring, compelling tale that sweeps you away into the life of Natasha, a young mother who, after her daughter loses her toy elephant she can’t possibly live without, begins a correspondence with the man who found it, Duffy, who seems to be on a soul-searching mission of his own and who may have actually spent a moment of time with Natasha once years before.It’s that time of year again when we celebrate Christmas with family and friends and I read my traditional festive book. I loved the idea of a social media post to find Moola going viral and flying around the world. So many wonderful people wanting to help.

There is so much to this story! It has mystery, suspense, armchair travel, edge of your seat suspense and romance all rolled into one. Dali’s surrealist take on Christmas proved a bit too avant-garde for the average card buyer, so the rest of the designs were soon pulled from store shelves. So my annual Christmas read was one I was looking forward to as I knew the author was highly regarded. Unfortunately it fell super flat. The criticism was not enough to blunt what some in Cole’s circle immediately recognized as a good way to save time. Within a few years, several other prominent Victorians had simply copied his and Horsley’s creation and were sending them out at Christmas.This story has Sleepless in Seattle vibes in that it is told from the point of view of two unhappy people in two very different countries. Natasha is desperately miserable in the Cotswolds, despite her supposedly prefect marriage to the handsome Rob, and Duffy is suffering his own demons, from a broken relationship in his past and his poor relationship with his father - hence his pilgrimage to the Himalayas. (I do love a 'tortured' hero!) Henry Cole’s first card was a convenient way for him to speak to his many friends and associates without having to draft long, personalized responses to each. Yet, there are also accounts of Cole selling at least some of the cards for a shilling apiece at his art gallery in London, possibly for charity. Maybe Sir Cole was not only a pioneer of the Christmas card, but prescient in his recognition of another aspect of our celebration of Christmas.

When Duffy promises to keep Natasha updated with pictures, a correspondence begins that soon becomes more meaningful. Sometimes, Natasha feels this stranger half way across the world understands her more than the man lying next to her. Today, much of the innovation in Christmas cards is found in smaller, niche publishers whose work is found in gift shops and paper stores. “These smaller publishers are bringing in a lot of new ideas,” says Peter Doherty, executive director of the Greeting Card Association, a Washington, D.C.-based trade group representing the card publishers. “You have elaborate pop up cards, video cards, audio cards, cards segmented to various audiences.” In the weeks leading up to Christmas Natasha's young daughter loses her treasured toy cow, Moola, accidentally leaving her behind in a B & B in Vienna. There were a few little twists in here, a couple of which I guessed pretty early on but I didn’t see the big one happening and it took me a bit off guard as it also meant that maybe me previous predictions could be correct… While Cole and Horsley get the credit for the first, it took several decades for the Christmas card to really catch on, both in Great Britain and the United States. Once it did, it became an integral part of our holiday celebrations—even as the definition of “the holidays” became more expansive, and now includes not just Christmas and New Year’s, but Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and the Winter Solstice.

Creative Play

They didn’t have enough of the right size paper,” Piazza says. Hence, the first printing of the new Christmas stamps came in sheets of 100. The second printing was in sheets of 90. (Although they are not rare, Piazza adds, the second printing-sheets of these stamps are collectibles today). The story is set in the run-up to Christmas, but is not overly 'Christmassy'. It's a sweet story about facing your mistakes, grabbing second chances, and learning to live rather than just exist. Perfect escapism! One of my favourite reads this year! When Duffy entered the scene, it was clear that there was more to his hiking expedition than he let on. He seemed to have a lot of emotional baggage and I often found myself wondering what the end result of his hike would be. I loved his touching responses to Mabel and his ability to engage with her even when he was miles and miles away.