Following on from the film of the same name, this is a lovely book with short tales from a whole host of people from different walks of life on what Christmas means to them.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced read copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Huge thanks to Netgalley and Quercus for this book. I absolutely loved this book. The stories were a wonderful mix of heartwarming, funny, moving and thought provoking. A fantastic one to curl up with on the sofa at Christmas. Would also make a perfect gift for that tricky adult who has everything.

I am sitting here on Christmas Eve writing the review for Last Christmas (I know that it is January the 10th as this goes live but I am trying to keep the festive period going). Admittedly, I don’t feel particularly Christmassy. Don’t worry, it will come. It will come later when I am in my new Christmas pyjamas and I have watched The Muppet’s Christmas Carol. This for me is what Christmas is about: being wrapped up warm and feeling safe and snug. Sadly, that isn’t the case for everyone.

Last Christmas which has been created by Emma Thompson and Greg Wise is a selection of tales from many different people, some celebrities others who are not famous but who are dealing with the very real issue of displacement and its creation has been to raise some much needed funds for Crisis.

The stories range from endearingly funny to absolutely heartbreaking and serve to remind us of how lucky we are and the true meaning of Christmas. If you are going to buy one book then please make it Last Christmas. The money raised from the book is going to help those in need.

Last Christmas by Emma Thompson and Greg Wise is available now.

For more information regarding Quercus Books (@QuercusBooks) please visit their Twitter page.

A fantastic mix of essays and reflections on Christmas that would make a brilliant gift. I loved the wide variety of contributors.

A reminder that Christmas can be celebrated in different ways, by different people, and that we all need to cut each other some slack, especially in this season. This is to raise money for Crisis and the great work they do, so much needed in these times, and so helps to remind us what's important. There are stories from celebs and from real people (!) in here - my only gripe is that the Kindle version I read didn't tell me who was who when I was reading, which I would have appreciated.
It's a good gift book for those of us who love Christmas, and maybe for those who don't.

A lovely heartwarming book, a collection of essays about the true meaning of Christmas. Essays shared by celebrities, volunteers, charity workers, asylum seekers and an interesting essay from a Jehovah’s Witness. This really is the true meaning, it’s beautiful, heartfelt and truly what the season is about.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Last Christmas is such a wonderful collection of essays by such a wide range of people and is perfect for reading at Christmas.

I loved that this book has such a mix of people sharing their thoughts on Christmas. There are some lovely nostalgic recollections mixed in with people who struggle with Christmas, there are people who have been homeless at this time of year and people who volunteer at Crisis. It really serves to show the full experience of Christmas and it’s a reminder to remember those who are find this time of year difficult.

The essay that most connected with me was Emilia Clarke’s. She writes of trying to find the perfect gift for her father. She eventually hits on the most perfect and magical gift for him and it’s so wonderfully received. It ended up being her last Christmas with him and that brought a lump to my throat. We did something similar for my mum in what turned out to be her last Christmas and I often think how much I would have regretted it if we’d waited to do it. It’s such a reminder to do things now with the ones we love, don’t wait!

I dipped in and out of this book over a few days and this was such a lovely way to experience these essays. Some days it made me smile, and others made me pause for thought. Overall the feeling the collection as a whole left me with is to be grateful for who, and what, I have in my life and to make sure to make the best that I can of the festive season. I definitely recommend this book!

A collection of true-life Christmas stories and reminisces by people from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences - from Oscar winning actress Meryl Streep and TV presenter Graham Norton, to refugees and people have been homeless - this would make a lovely stocking filler. Representing all elements of Christmas, be it the good, the bad, the sad or the hilarious, the stories are never less than compelling. And, with a portion of the profits going to charity, you'll be giving more than one Christmas gift when you buy it.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this, but the promise of festive-themed essays from some of my favourite writers appealed. The idea is simple: Emma Thompson and husband Greg Wise have collected together people's thoughts about the Christmas season. Each essay is by a different person, ranging from journalists to actors to comedians to people connected to the charity Crisis. The book is raising money for Crisis and is also, apparently, vaguely linked to the recent film of the same name (on which Thompson is a producer).

There are some brilliant pieces in the book. Given the season, I was drawn towards the funnier ones but there were also some very eye-opening contributions from people helped by the charity Crisis. Lots of the contributors focused on their experiences of Christmas as well as reflecting on the meaning of the day. There are some lovely pieces of autobiography here and I read this quickly. Particularly engaging were essays by Bill Bailey, Caitlin Moran and Richard Ayoade, with the only problem being that the Kindle edition of the book made it really difficult to figure out which piece was by which writer - I had to keep referring back to the contents page.

Overall, this is an engaging collection of essays about Christmas. Some will make you smile and feel festive while others are a far less comfortable read. Either way, this is a lovely book and one I've since bought copies of for Christmas presents.

What a lovely book.
This is a beautiful collection of personal stories about Christmas. It is either about Christmas memories, hopes for future Christmases or what Christmas means to them. Some of these stories are sad involving alcohol, drugs, living in poverty or Christmases in countries that suffer from war.
This book makes you think about what Christmas means to you. It’s not about the food on the table, the presents or work party. It’s about spending time with the people we love and about showing love and kindness to each other. This is the first Christmas since losing my mum and I would give everything else up if it meant I could spend one more Christmas with her.

I can’t read this because the contents page links to the bios rather than the actual stories so I don’t know who wrote what.

An incredible insight into people both well known and charity volunteers versions of Christmas. So many different points of view from different and often surprising backgrounds. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, definitely a read I didn't know I needed. It would make a great gift!

A lovely read essays by a variety of authors rich famous real people.A book That kept me turning the pages put me in the spirit.A book Inwill be giving to special friends.Whethr you dip in and out or read all at once you will remember what cChristmas spirit is.#netgalley# quercusbooks.

I'm not usually drawn to festive reads, but I absolutely loved this book! It's a collection of essays from all sorts of people discussing the true meaning of Christmas. I found it truly heart warming, and it really did get me into the festive spirit. Perfect reading for this time of year.

Last Christmas - curated and introduced by Emma Thompson and Greg Wise, published by @quercusbooks
I was kindly gifted a digital copy through Quercus and @netgalley in exchange for a review.

Last Christmas is available now, and 25p from each copy will be donated to @crisis_uk and the Refugee Council. Less importantly, the hardback book is GORGEOUS and would make a wonderful gift.
Description -

Bill Bailey, Emilia Clarke, Olivia Colman, Caitlin Moran, Meryl Streep, Emily Watson... Actors, charity workers, singers and refugees share their memories of Christmases past and their hopes for future ones.

This is a beautiful, funny and soulful collection of personal essays about the meaning of Christmas, written by a unique plethora of voices from the boulevards of Hollywood to the soup kitchens of Covent Garden.

Away from the John Lewis advert, the high street decorations and the candied orange in Heston Blumenthal's Christmas pudding, this gem of a book introduced and curated by Emma Thompson and Greg Wise celebrates the importance of kindness and generosity, acceptance and tolerance - and shows us that these values are not just for Christmas.

My thoughts -
Last Christmas is a wonderful blend of all that Christmas should be. Good natured, loving, reflective, filled with humanity and funny. The gut wrenchers in this anthology come from those who have worked with crisis, homeless people who are most often ‘othered’ and forgotten about. Unfortunately a lot of people will ignore homeless people, blind to the difficulties they face, as it is easier to pretend that struggle doesn’t exist in our country. We need to realise that circumstance does not make a person, and start to extend ‘joy to all men’ to all people.
I liked Last Christmas as it was a celebration and a call to action - in a time of year that is often far too commercialised and basted with capitalism. Rather than punishing us for that, Last Christmas focuses on the point that Christmas is about bringing people together, whether they’re family (chosen or not), friends or strangers.

I must admit, I rarely read books of essays, and so I was a little unsure of how this would go. However, I am pleased to report that I absolutely adored it. First of all, the wide variety of contributing authors is incredible, and while I will admit to a small squeal of excitement when I saw Meryl Streep's name, for me I found some of the most moving chapters were those by the non-celebrity authors - including sections focusing on the work of various charities in the UK at Christmas was a stroke of genius, and something that made charitable giving seem even more essential. I also loved that the authors were not limited to the rich, white, and famous. Among my favourite chapters were those authored by those with a non-traditional perspective on the season - there is a particularly interesting section authored by a Jehovah Witness which gave a wonderful insight into a perspective on Christmas that I've personally never seen discussed in the media. My only slight gripe is that the authors names are not given at the start of all of the sections - I'm not sure if this is just on the advance Kindle edition, but it did make it a bit tricky to work out who was who. But that's a minor issue, and one that in no way affected my enjoyment of the book.

I won't lie, this book is challenging. If you're expecting a collection of essays extolling the wonders of Christmas and telling tales of the wonderful miracles that occur during the festive season, you'll be disappointed. Yes, some of the essays in this book are uplifting and cheerful, but others are realistic and challenging. As someone who knows that I will have enough this Christmas, I personally found 'Last Christmas' to be incredibly humbling - it reminded me of how fortunate I am, and how important it is to remember that the issues discussed in these essays can come for any of us, at any time. To me, this book is a beautiful and profound exploration of the importance of ensuring that the values associated with Christmas are those that you also exemplify throughout the year - helping others is not something that should just be done at Christmas so you can post about it on your social media! Yes, it is a bit heavier than what you would normally expect from a book with a Christmas tree on the front, but ultimately it is a very worthwhile and important read, that will make you truly appreciate everything you have this holiday time.

My thanks to Netgalley for a copy of Last Christmas for an honest review.

Ideal seasonal read that you can dip in and out of. Funny as well as thought provoking.
I must admit the only downside for me was that I would have preferred to know the owner of each tale
As I was reading it, rather than have to keep referring to index.
Will be recommending

Many thanks to NetGalley and Quercus for a copy of 'Last Christmas'.

Let me start by saying that I LOVE Christmas and was really looking forward to reading this. I had seen the film when it came out and was interested to see how the book would work alongside the film, given that the theme is the same but the story (or stories) are vastly different. The book complements the film splendidly as it is equally heartfelt and thought-provoking, exactly what Christmas should be!

A shame about the ARC is that not all of the stories state who the author of each is but this did not diminish the reading experience at all.

A brilliant stocking filler which will not only please everyone but also sees all the profits going to charity!

4/5

I loved this book! It probably helps that I love Christmas as well! But I thought the collection of writings was absolutely perfect, from funny to thought-provoking. I also think this book makes the perfect Christmas present for someone. It's the perfect book to pick up during the festive season and read a few pages of, to get in the festive spirit and remember what Christmas is all about.

To be completely honest, when I first saw this book it didn't draw me in, I didn't really look past the cover. On seeing Greg do an interview on loose women promoting this book, I then went back to look further. I know you shouldn't, but often we do judge books merely by its cover, and we shouldn't as some often surprise, (as can be the case with people).

It feels a book you should read on the build up or soon after Christmas, it'll make you reflect on your own experiences and appreciate what you have. Appreciate the great work the likes of Crisis UK and The Salvation Army (although not mentioned?) and other charities do by giving their time to help those less fortunate than yourself, the joy given through acts of kindness being the greatest reward, is humbling.

Each memories are given without details to whom they relate, which is a much better idea, as you can give more thought to the content rather than tainting your reading by thinking more about to whom it relates, rather than the story itself. (A brief is given at the end of those whose memories were shared)

Often those who've found themselves homeless, want to pay that gift of help they received forward, and help those who are where they've been. Knowing where to find the help that will work for you, is not always so easy to find. It's knowing where to go, and being at that stage where you know you'll accept the help.

There's a diverse range of individuals memories, from celebrities, to a Reverand, to those who've found themselves out on the street, to refugees....

For those going through difficult times, the Christmas season is more lonely than usual, emotions are heightened and harder to manage at this time of year, this book reflects that on more than one occasion.

Last Christmas is a must read, it really makes you think of your most memorable moments, and how lucky you were compared to some, even if at times it doesn't feel that way. Going through highs and lows, in memories provided, and seeing them come through those difficult times.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️