A Christmas Journey

By: Anne Perry / Narrated By: Terrence Hardiman

Length: 3 hrs and 36 mins

Dunno, some hated it, but me? I found it to be quite moving…

What starts out tawdry and grim (Not to mention shallow?) turns into a story with great depth. The feelings I had upon finishing it, dare I say it? were quite akin to finishing no less than A Christmas Carol. Yeh I know, right? NOTHING can even hold a candle to THAT brilliant work, but I found myself increasingly moved by this story, Anne Perry’s A Christmas Journey.

A winter’s house party at Applecross has the elite and spoiled rich gathering to, uhm, well, trade barbs and insults, and to look upon each other, and to look down upon each other. Early on, the recently widowed Gwendolen is glowing with excitement as she expects the gentleman Bertie to make his proposal. Much vexed by this, Isobel delivers a scaaaaathing remark designed to humiliate and trounce Gwendolen.

And it does.

Which has the unfortunate consequence that Gwendolen’s body is retrieved from the freezing waters of the estate’s pond, an apparent suicide. Well, if that pond water wasn’t freezing, the responses Isobel experiences from this party of society’s elites certainly are. It’s as if she wasn’t even there. But trust Omegus Jones to come up with a solution: Both Isobel, for her cutting remarks, and Bertie, for his possible response to Gwendolen, are to be held to a sort of trial. Whomever the group believes to be more at fault for the suicide will be given a task: Take Gwendolen’s sealed final letter to her mother and explain the circumstances of her death… and that person’s role in the suicide.

Naturally Bertie, who did NOT seek the distraught Gwendolen out after the public humiliation, is given a pass, and Isobel is held solely responsible. It’s decided: If Isobel DOES the task, her guilt shall be expiated, and none of the group shall EVER speak of the incident again, Isobel being let back into the fold. If she DOESN’T? Ooooooh, she’ll live as an outcast without skills to make her own way in the world. It’s basically a death sentence as only ruin can come from such ostracism.

Isobel does NOT want to do it, but when Lady Vespasia, a high-born woman who seeeems to have it all, offers to make the journey with her, Isobel agrees.

It doesn’t turn out as they’d like as Gwendolen’s mother is not at her country estate. Rather, Vespasia and Isobel are forced to brave the elements as they seek the woman farther and deeper into a frozen Scotland winter.

It’s lovely as Isobel must confront her real reasons for saying what she did, for learning to bear guilt. And Vespasia, who does indeed apparently have it all, learns to trust and to open up what she’s long held as a closely-guarded secret. Such tribulations, friendship and gratitude soooo very hard fought for, never easily won. And the writing is slow and methodical with big setbacks and such very small triumphs, of COURSE I found myself moved by their journey.

I’m always twitchy when I find that a narrator of strong women characters is male; will they pull an Alex Wyndham and make them all sound cutting and hoarse? But noooo, not Terrence Hardiman! He voices Vespasia and Isobel just perfectly. And when the pair DO find Gwendolen’s mother, Hardiman gives her just the right amount of strength and infuses her words of condemnation, her tightly held grief, absolutely spot-on. And good golly gosh, considering Vespasia and Isobel get sooo deep into Scotland, Hardiman just good-naturedly bawls out some pretty serious burrs. Awesome!

No, Christmas plays only a small part at the end when all is wrapped up, but goodness, the very Spirit of what the Season is s’posed to mean shines through oh so brightly: Freeing one’s spirit of guilt so that Life can have a place in the heart, seeking forgiveness -AND- being granted it. Small joys held more closely, appreciated anew. The bonds of friendship formed and valued. And love love love.

Ugly characters being put in their place provides some smiles, and honoring all that is golden in the Self provides introspection for the Listener.

And dude, if that AIN’T the Spirit of Christmas (Well okay, let’s NOT seek to put people in their place, but honoring what’s loved? Yesss!)?

Then, my friend, I dunno what is…!

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