Love, Care & Community

Christmas At The Second Chance Supper Club by Caroline Roberts is a very charming contemporary Christmas novel that I loved. It is the second book in The Second Chance Supper Club series but can be read as a stand-alone. I recommend reading the books in order for character development and for timeline continuity as book two begins where book one ended.

Once more the reader returns to a small Northumberland village with familiar faces. Romance is still in the air but is complicated by strong, emotional ties to a late spouse. Grief isn’t a linear journey. There are peaks and troughs as a character looks backwards. He gives himself this advice. “Just to learn to be kind to himself. To see that he deserved a life after his loss.” Just as he is beginning to suppress his guilt and dip his toe in the waters of dating, grown up daughters’ step in to muddy the waters. I found a powerful scene that was reminiscent of the movie All That Heaven Allows where the grown-up children buy their mother (played by Jane Wyman) a television to keep her company, after they objected to her dating the handy man (played by Rock Hudson), whilst the children go about their lives. Grown children have the selfish gene, making it all about them, and their feelings, whilst never considering their father’s feelings.

In contrast, the son of a divorcee encourages his mother to have her own life but he still drives a six hour round trip to see his mother so she doesn’t wake alone on Christmas Day.

All the characters were well drawn and believable. The majority were over fifty. We see that “age never stopped anyone from falling in love.”

Members of a care home share their Christmas memories. This prompts the second chance supper club to organise a Christmas get together so that elderly residents will not be alone. The community atmosphere is warm and welcoming. I loved the mentioning of characters from another series by the author, Rachel’s Pudding Club. It helps the reader to feel a familiarity with the new characters.

The reader’s taste buds are tempted by the descriptions of delicious food. I was pleased to see the inclusion of recipes in the back of the book.

Christmas At The Second Chance Supper Club is a positively delightful read – whatever the time of year.

I received a free copy. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.

JULIA WILSON