Christmas Past
A Chronicles of St Mary's short story that is sure to entertain. If you love Jasper Fforde or Ben Aaronovitch, you won't be able to resist Jodi Taylor.
The First Farrell Family Christmas.
Max, Leon and Matthew - together at last for Christmas at St Mary's - a time of conspicuous consumption, riotous misbehaviour and the traditional illegal Christmas jump. And this time, it's inter-generational.
Donning her unfamiliar mother hat, Max takes Matthew back to 19th century London, where they plan to deliver a parcel of Christmas cheer to his former friends, but find themselves confronting the terrifying Old Ma Scrope in the process.
'Tis the season to be jolly.
It's also the season of goodwill towards all mankind.
Pity no one told Max.
Readers love Jodi Taylor:
'Once in a while, I discover an author who changes everything... Jodi Taylor and her protagonista Madeleine "Max" Maxwell have seduced me'
'A great mix of British proper-ness and humour with a large dollop of historical fun'
'Addictive. I wish St Mary's was real and I was a part of it'
'Jodi Taylor has an imagination that gets me completely hooked'
'A tour de force'
Reviews (182)
Another fine mess, uh Christmas Adventure
Ah, St. Mary's at Christmas. Another fine chapter for the Society. I won't give away the story, just know that it's another wonderful Christmas story, one that warms the heart as well as the soul. I've been a fan of St. Mary's since the first novel was published. By this time, many Stories have been told in novel fashion, many have been short. And there's the author's tradition of adding in a Christmas story each year This one is no different. We go on an adventure, a true Christmas tale of hope and charity. And the result is unexpected in one respect, but totally expected in others. It's a rousing good story and continues the tale of St. Mary's in a charming and fashionable way. Read it. You'll be glad you did.
Max and Matthew Jump Together
Okay I was all set to not like this book but as usual Jodi Taylor’s words and descriptions made the difference. This was all about one jump back in time to where new born Matthew was left when he was stolen by Rowan. Fortunately, Leon was able to retrieve him but Matthew was older and had trouble adjusting to the present world. Anyway, this story is all about one Christmas Eve when Matthew asks Max to take him back to see his ‘brothers’ and to give them some Christmas gifts. Max knows that she is not supposed to make unauthorized jumps and not to jump alone but she decides that the reward of Matthew spending time with her alone might make him accept her as his mother, and this would be worth the risk. So....they go back. It is a sweet story with lots of Maxwell’s usual foot in mouth and all that but it has a happy ending. For $1.99 you can’t miss not reading it.
Modernising Dickens
This is a very challenging St. Mary's tale, involving as it does the efforts to heal and restore the innocent character of the protagonists' recovered kidnapped child. Having read the series out of order and incompletely, I give kudos for Taylor's impressive rendering of Dickens's London and its inhabitants. However, the scene in which -not really a SPOILER- Max plays all three Christmas spirits in the face of feral poverty was seriously problematic for me. I understand it was crucial to the outcome of the story, but my suspension of disbelief was too sorely tried. Otherwise, a warm, touching, and appropriately poignant Christmas rendering.
Upholding the St. Mary Christmas Tradition!...
Well, that sad and awful and sweet and heartwarming all at the same time. As soon as I read this story was going to be about Matthew going back and helping his friends, I knew I was gonna have a hard time with it. Matthew's story just breaks my heart. What Matthew and Max did for those boys was so sweet, and I loved this little story. It's my favorite of all the shorts thus far. Was it a little cheesy with it's 'Christmas Carol-esq' happy ending? Sure. Did I care? Not at all. Loved this one. Now it's on to book 9.
Don't Miss This One!
It's always difficult to wait for the next novel in the excellent Chronicles of St. Mary's series by Jodi Taylor. However, these seasonal short stories help ease the pain of waiting. Christmas Past, in particular, is an outstanding addition to the series. If you are already an avid reader of the series, you absolutely won't want to miss this one. If you aren't already a fan, forgive me, but don't start with this story. It provides crucial developments in the latest story arc and will be a spoiler for what has happened before. For maximum enjoyment, go to the first book in the series, "Just One Damned Thing After Another", and start there. I can't recommend this entire series highly enough!
In which Matthew learns that his mother is awesome.
Matthew, son of Max and Leon, was rescued from child slavery in the slums of London by Leon. But he is mostly terrified of his mother Max. So Max plans a special Christmas jump to help the boys with whom Matthew was held captive. Something simple with minimal consequences. But even tiny changes can be huge for folks living in extreme poverty. And Matthew learns that his mother can be amazing. A very good jump indeed.
Lovely holiday gift
Though this review won't get posted until after the holiday itself, this story was easily one of my favorite Christmas presents this year. Taylor blows me away with her ability to weave humor and heartbreak into the same passages. Though this story didn't have quite as much of the usual St. Mary's shenanigans, it was an important story to tell for the Farrell family and left me quite satisfied than as if there had been explosions and other ridiculousness. But seriously, Taylor has got to stop teasing me with the Jack the Ripper references and explain what he/it was already...
A tale of friendship and kindness in the face of cruelty
This was a sweet tale about friendship and kindness in the face of cruelty, timely for Christmas Eve. Historian Max and her son Matthew travel back to 1812 to bring some much-needed food and blankets to his 2 friends he left behind when he reunited with his mom in the present. Then we get to see how their acts changed history.
Heartwarming Novella
"No – you’re not seeing double. Unless you’ve been at the eggnog again. And why not? The author has." This was such a charming, feel-good novella that was well-written, funny, and downright enjoyable. What happened to Matthew is so tragic, that it was nice to see some redemption. And he is finally coming to terms with how awesome Max is - but of course, we all know that :) Where will Max illegally time hop to next Christmas? I hope Ms. Taylor provides us with that story :)
Mad Max vs. Ma Scrope...
THE FEELS! I've always been so heartbroken over what happened to Matthew as an infant and how terribly it affected their little family. Too bad I was at work Ms. Jodi Taylor or you would have heard me yelling and cheering and screaming like it was a soccer match! This little story packs a lot of punch and totally worth the read! <3
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