Caroline Smailes

I read it in a day, not because I was so engrossed, but because it was so lightweight. Like another reviewer said, it's really bothersome to see the way sounds are laid out on the page (drip, click, etc), especially with hyphens in them, which suggest the sound is prolonged. Might be true for dr-i-p, but I think of click(and flip flop bash cough clatters ...) as quick sounds. I ended up skipping my eyes over those words. I can't imagine what she thought she was trying to accomplish. Less bothersome was her repetition e.g my bones were cold, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver. Those words were included within the text, not set apart, & I can actually imagine continual shivers. At the beginning of the book, I thought the translations (smaller font, in a separated line below the text) of Maltese words were helpful. About 1/4 way thru I thought it was irritating that the same frequently repeated word ("my heart") was still being translated, and that the same precise lengthy translation was given for other words ("Cisk lager was first available in Malta in 1928. It has an alcohol content of 4.2 per cent", "ta is a tag that seeks confirmation"). Again, they were skipped over, but irritatingly. It would have been more helpful to provide a glossary and let us decide for ourselves when we remember the word. Even more helpful would have been a pronunciation guide for Malti, but I'd think her purpose was not so much to teach us the language as some other esoteric design issue.

OK, so the design of the book was irritating. Was the content worth it? Maybe if you are a Catholic (or ex-Catholic) wallowing in guilt. I just couldn't relate. Six years after her son's death & she still can't get her act together? Maybe I'd believe this if it was 1 year later...at most 2 yr. All this Jesus posturing as a heavy beer drinker...I started thinking that she was the one doing all the drinking, (why she kept smelling stale alcohol). And by the end, when she gets her act together & is ready to go back to her husband & daughter, does she really think she can go back to that life? I'll bet her husband is about ready to ditch her, have an affair, anything to get rid of this flake who got pregnant when they were young & shouldered him with responsibility he wasn't ready for & the disaffection of his own family.
All right, I did like the image of Malta as a honeypot, & all the lost souls heading for it, for healing before they can move on to the next stage. I liked the sense of history she portrays in the dust, the buildings: "...each building breathes through history, space and time...blending into the story of invasion, of desire to control. The buildings are proud, they exist; they speak their own words into an island that carries the story of my family....Each building breathes out the same dust that forms my heart." Yeah, I get the life after death part, cycle continues, live life now to the fullest, blah blah. There are more inspiring tales telling this.
2011 review… (more)

Picked this up after accidentally getting Kindle Unlimited and looking for anything interesting. I could imagine in a better mood I'd rate this 3 - it's certainly not *bad* but I didn't really find any standouts and there are a few very cliched/eyerolly ones. The conceit of being inspired by music can be kind of weird because it means some stories make very little sense without reference to the music, some are basically retellings of the lyrics, some have pretty much no connection at all. Nothing much to say, because all the stories are less than a page long it's a pretty fast read and nothing's too bad but it's not worth picking up especially.… (more)

Having read Caroline Smailes' work before, I knew not to expect a typical fluffy Christmas story when I started The Unwrapping of Theodora Quirke. What this is is a quirky (no pun intended) yet heart-warming story of a young woman who has lost everything she loves and who finds a way to live again.

Theo is 19 and already has suffered so much loss and upheaval in her life so when St Nick turns up on her doorstep she's understandably sceptical. Here's where it gets unusual, a little bit bonkers, and really rather lovely. St Nick is out to save her and even if she doesn't think she needs it, the journey ahead is destined to change her life.

I loved the way Smailes brought Theo and St Nick to life in such a glorious fashion. The book is set in Liverpool and there's a very down to earth feel about it that is characteristic of that city. It's also full of dry humour which had me smiling a lot. St Nick is quite a character and the descriptions of what he was wearing (or not, as was often the case) and his dubious cleanliness was fantastic and so funny.

I don't know how the author came up with such an original idea for a story but coupled with her trademark brilliant and sweary voice it makes for a winning combination.

This is a great book for this time of year as Christmas approaches, and if you like something that isn't saccharine but is still a feel-good story then look no further. It was an absolute pleasure to spend a couple of days in the company of Theo and St Nick in a world of miracles, the unexpected, friendship, loss and love.… (more)