MIDNIGHT AT THE CHRISTMAS BOOKSHOP

Narrator Eilidh Beaton wraps listeners in a warm Christmas blanket while introducing the delights of an Edinburgh holiday. Beaton chronicles Carmen's difficult year--her breakup with her Brazilian boyfriend, Oke, and her struggle to keep Mr. McCredie's ancient bookshop solvent. Every character becomes a person listeners will want to meet. From the tacky businessman Jackson McClockerty to Carmen's sister's roguish "manny," Rudi, no one escapes Beaton's attention. Beaton perfectly evokes Carmen's four nieces and nephews, in particular, officious Pippa and earnest Phoebe, who serve as sibling foils. Carmen's many worries sound both funny and heartfelt. The story, whose plot rises and falls like Edinburgh's hilly streets, is both a paean to the city and a nod to how its contemporary inhabitants find meaning during the Christmas holidays. C.A. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2023]