Every Time a Bell Rings

I think this is one of those books where it is best not to read the product description, as it gives just a little too much away, and at first glance can seem quite downbeat, whereas this is a really heartwarming, joyous, Christmassy read that is best entered into cold so that all its magic can just flow out of the pages at you.

I have a real weakness for Irish fiction, I grew up with Maeve Binchy and this story has the same feel to it as one of her books, colourful and warm Irish characters with a strong family bond running through it and oodles of romance with this one in particular having Christmas coming out of its ears. It is the story of Jim and Belle and they are characters that I liked straightaway and ended up loving. They felt natural and real and I could hear every word they spoke as if they were standing in the room right next to me.

The main hook of the book comes in after about two thirds of the read, and if you haven’t read the blurb you will get a nice cosy glow when you “get it”. It is a fabulous read, a christmas cake mix of love, family, drama, laughter and sorrow with a huge sprinkling of magic. I absolutely adored every single page and have to say I think it is the best Christmas read I have read in a long while.

awesome !

Everytime the Bell Rings is a Christmas themed romance. The story opens with Belle and Jim on Christmas Eve 2005 in Dublin, both love the craziness of Christmas.

Then the book steps back 17 years to December 1988. 8 Year old Belle is being taken to a new foster home, she's afraid and has stopped talking, but the love shown to her by Tess her new foster mother allows Belle to feel safe and secure and she begins to talk. Her one Christmas wish is for a new best friend and this soon comes in the form of another foster child. Jim Looney's mother needs a break to get well and Jim is placed with Tess too.

Belle instantly likes Jim and sets out to make him feel loved and wanted, they form a great friendship, which sadly ends when Jim returns to his mother in 1990.

Next there is a big time jump, Belle and Jim are married and are now foster parents themselves, but after seeing her 107th child leave to go back home Belle has a mini breakdown. She can't keep breaking her heart over children, and her relationship with Jim is threatened.

This is a Christmas book so what better way to get to the ending than with a little parallel tale which echoes other famous storylines and films and makes a readers heart melt.

I really enjoyed the fostering stories and Belle's coming full circle at the end. I wasn't so keen on the prologue, I felt it was a story spoiler, and for me the book sagged in the middle with the so many Christmas traditions and Fostering/ family dilemmas, but I did like the ending.

This review is based on a free copy of the book I won in a competition.

I've been so rubbish with my Christmas reading this year! So rubbish in fact that I'm soon going to throw the towel in and start reading for my January reviews. But of all the Christmas reads I could have chosen to squeeze in, I'm so delighted I chose Every Time A Bell Rings by Carmel Harrington - this book was pretty near perfect.

I'm sure everyone knows by now that it was inspired by the film It's A Wonderful Life - which is one of my all time favourites. But it's right to say "inspired by" - and you really don’t need to know anything about the film to love this book as much as I did. I thought it was simply wonderful - it’s gloriously Christmassy, and such a good read, so life-affirming and heartwarming with a real touch of Christmas magic.

Belle is a perfect focus for the story, and I really loved her. We follow her through her childhood, pushed from pillar to post, given up on by her horrendous mother, her only friend in life her doll DeeDee. But then she ends up being fostered by the wonderful Tess - with her chain smoking habit, penchant for chocolate biscuits and fry-ups, and a massive heart - where she also comes across Jim who is destined to become so very important in her life. The childhood scenes were wonderfully handled - so emotional, quite heartbreaking (I’m not much of a crier, but I did - several times!) but such a great story, beautifully told, with touches of lovely humour and lightness that have you smiling through the tears.

As adults, Jim and Belle become the fosterers - again, with some wonderful story telling that really grabs you by the heart. By the time I got to the car crash, I really felt like I’d been through an emotional wringer - but enjoying every single moment of it. When we get to the point where the story is touched by magic, I’d clean forgotten the inspiration behind the book - and it’s quite wonderfully handled. I totally believed in Nora - what a wonderful creation.

This book was simply wonderful (how many times have I said “wonderful” now?!) - Carmel Harrington writes quite beautifully, with sparkling and realistic dialogue, characters you come to love and an ability to make you laugh and cry within a single page. I loved the book’s structure - the prologue sets up the story quite beautifully (I swear I could hear that perfect clear voice singing on the Ha’Penny Bridge), and I really loved the ending (no, of course I’m not going to tell you!).

How on earth haven’t I read anything by this author before? I even devoured Tess’s Christmas pudding recipe, the acknowledgements and the Q+A at the end. Heavens, there’s even a couple of chapters of The Life You Left - and yes, of course that whole book’s now on my kindle too…

If you only read one full length Christmas book this year… well, I really think this should probably be the one. But be ready to do nothing else until you finish - and don’t wear mascara, whatever you do…