All I Want for Christmas
Grade : B-

My favorite holiday celebration anywhere is a neighborhood in Austin, Texas that has had a riotous (and fairly pagan) Christmas lights spectacle for 15+ years. It's essentially a wild block party that lasts a month and a half, with live music and thousands of visitors, and it wouldn't be possible without the good-natured cooperation of dozens of households. So I sympathize with Suzi Christmas, AKA Susan Carpenter, whose elaborate holiday display is threatened by a local Scrooge in All I Want for Christmas. Because of this familiar real-life conflict, the Christmas season is essential to the plot, and the book is overall a nice step up from many of the holiday-targeted romances I've read. All I Want for Christmas begins well and ends well, even though the middle leaves something to be desired.

One of the book's greatest strengths is that for the most part, character motivations and emotional attachments are very well-grounded and believable. Suzi Christmas has run her display (now complete with living manger tableau, a few farm animals, and Suzi overseeing as Mrs. Claus) for nine years. She is dedicated to the display because it keeps her husband's memory alive for her young son. Local crank Don Rawlins has protested Suzi's display ever since he moved into the neighborhood, and now he's brought in reinforcements: his godson Luke Potter purchased the house next to Suzi's in July and is now discovering why it's so hard to keep renters in December.

Luke is opposed to Christmas cheer on general principles. For him, Christmas is the season when his parents split and his father left home forever. When Don asks him to join his lawsuit against Suzi's display, and further entices him by offering loan money for a business expansion, Luke signs on. He isn't prepared for the community backlash this scroogey behavior attracts, however. What might be a tempest in a teapot is sensationalized by Suzi's brother-in-law to be, a cub reporter who's hoping this human interest story will land him a job at a bigger paper. Because of his personal and professional motivations, Todd milks the story for all it's worth, and Luke quickly finds himself on the local hotseat.

That's the set-up, and I found it very plausible. But the next twist is harder to swallow. Luke's younger brother sets up a "chance" meeting, and before he knows it, Luke is dating Suzi under the assumed name Nicholas Claus. He runs with the deception in hopes that he can convince Suzi to take down a few strings of lights so everyone can go home happy. Then he starts falling for Suzi and his grinchy heart grows three sizes, but he still has to pursue the lawsuit because of the money Don loaned him. For too many pages, matters unfold exactly the way you'd expect a Big Secret plot to move. I'd rather the story had played out more naturally, because there are some excellent elements, including very well-portrayed responses by Suzi's attorney and family. The contrived plotting gets in the way of the otherwise strong characterization. It's hard to believe Luke is much of a businessman when he objects to Suzi's Dickens carollers at the mall on the grounds that the crowds they draw are too big.

A few writerly quirks tended to pull me out of the story. There are some odd repetitions - every character who sees Luke immediately thinks of Superman, there are two accidental fires, and two incidences of Puke Ex Machina. Also, three interconnected romances in Suzi's immediate family seemed a little over the top. By the end, however, as Luke makes grand and heartfelt gestures to win Suzi back, I was cheering for them again. If you're in the mood for a Chrismas romance that you won't trade in on December 26th, All I Want for Christmas is worth a peek.

Reviewed by Mary Novak
Grade : B-

Sensuality: Kisses

Review Date : September 10, 2000

Publication Date: 2000

Review Tags: Holiday romance

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