Attending the party and taking a leading role in the ensuing investigation is one of the most beloved characters from Anne Perry's Thomas Pitt series: Lady Vespasia Cumming-Gould. Lady Vespasia's friend Isobel has made a cruel remark about Gwendolen Kilmuir on the night Gwendolen was meant to have become engaged to the eligible Bertie Rosythe. Gwendolen flees the room, and the next morning her body is found in the lake in the gardens of the estate. It appears she has jumped from the bridge. The host, Omegus Jones and Vespasia decide to find who or what might have led Gwendolen to resort to such an extreme measure. They vow to make the guilty party seek forgiveness and expiation through the task of taking a sealed letter written by Gwendolen before her death to her mother up in the north of Scotland. The journey will be both physically and emotionally arduous but will bring answers to some unexpected and profound questions.
A Christmas Journey
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'This brief work has an almost Jamesian subtlety, and with its powerful message of responsibility and redemption - "We need both to forgive and to be forgiven" - it conveys a moral force in keeping with the season' Wall Street Journal 12/12/03 -- Wall Street Journal 20031212
From the Back Cover
PRAISE FOR ANNE PERRY AND HER VICTORIAN NOVELS
“Intelligently written and historically fascinating.”
–The Wall Street Journal
“You can count on a Perry tale to be superior.”
–San Diego Union-Tribune
“An Anne Perry novel is a delight to read as much for its Victorian-era details as for the mystery it unfolds.”
–Chicago Tribune --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
“Intelligently written and historically fascinating.”
–The Wall Street Journal
“You can count on a Perry tale to be superior.”
–San Diego Union-Tribune
“An Anne Perry novel is a delight to read as much for its Victorian-era details as for the mystery it unfolds.”
–Chicago Tribune --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Customer Reviews
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By eduardo
Format:Hardcover
"A Christmas Journey" is more than a mystery and more than a Christmas story. All Anne Perry fans should put aside their usual expectations of a Pitt-Monk type mystery, and simply sit back and enjoy a story about Vespasia, including a reference to her married status and an unfulfilled love affair.There is no need to flesh out characters, because that's not the point of the story.
It is, rather, a story with devastating insights into English upper-crust manners and, more importantly, into the meaning of faith,friendship, and a touch of perseverance.
It is, rather, a story with devastating insights into English upper-crust manners and, more importantly, into the meaning of faith,friendship, and a touch of perseverance.
By A. Christie
Format:Hardcover
It's Christmas time and guests have gathered in the Berkshire countryside house of Applecross for a weekend of Christmas cheer. Unfortunately for one guest, a cutting remark made by another sent her to suicide. In order not to be socially ostracized the young woman who made the remark that caused the suicide embarks on a journey to Scotland to deliver a letter to the deceased mother.
I am usually not a big fan of the books written for Christmas by best-selling authors. The prime purpose of most of these books seems to be to cash in on the Christmas dollars people are willing to spend. I had high hopes for this book because I am a big fan of Anne Perry. It started with promise with one of the interesting secondary characters in the Thomas Pitt series, Vespasia Cumming-Gould. The story takes place when Vespasia is in her early thirties instead of the more advanced years of the Pitt series. I thought we would have some good character development and backstory for Vespasia, but instead the character portraits were superficial. The plot was not only rather ludicrous, but weak. Thankfully it's a short book with only 180 pages and wide margins. Save your money and read or re-read any of the excellent books in the Thomas Pitt series or William Monk series.
Format:Hardcover
Just in time for Christmas, for the fans of the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt mystery series, Anne Perry has constructed a delightful Victorian mystery featuring one of its more interesting characters, Lady Vespasia Cumming-Gould.
Lady Vespasia is entertaining her highborn friends at Applecross for a holiday weekend of games, good food and romance, when one of her guests commits suicide --- the victim of the waspish tongue of another. The group is stunned and outraged and demands some sort of revenge. At the urging of her good friend, Omegus Jones, Vespasia suggests to the somewhat less than recalcitrant harpy that perhaps she should atone for her foul deed with an unusual act of expiation. In front of the gathered group, she suggests that she should embark on the long and possibly dangerous journey to northern Scotland to inform the victim's mother of her daughter's sad demise. Not only that, but she should bring the grieving mother back to attend.
In order to make certain this task of medieval origins is completed, Vespasia offers to accompany her friend on the journey. Vespasia, her friend, the victim and her mother are revealed to have secrets in their pasts that come to light as the journey progresses. Perhaps the suicide is something more than meets the eye.
Perry spins a tale of intrigue lavishly adorned with Victoriana and moral conundrums. One almost wishes that expiation were a way of meting out deserved punishment in our times.
--- Reviewed by Roz Shea
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3.7 out of 5 stars
Most recent customer reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
Boring and disappointing
A Christmas Journey is a very disappointing book with a very misleading title. This is my first experience with any of Anne Perry's books, and it was a big effort to even finish... Read more
Published on Jun 28 2004 by Judith E. Pavluvcik
4.0 out of 5 stars
A True Christmas Story
I enjoyed this book because it gave us an insight into a young Lady Vespasia Cumming-Gould, one of my favourite characters from the Thomas Pitt series. Read more
Published on Dec 17 2003 by S. Schwartz
4.0 out of 5 stars
A nice Christmas gift
This is a much shorter book than most of those from Anne Perry; it's a piece of light rewading for and about Christmas. Read more
Published on Dec 13 2003 by Valerie Adolph
4.0 out of 5 stars
A nice Christmas gift
This is a much shorter book than most of those from Anne Perry; it's a piece of light rewading for and about Christmas. Read more
Published on Dec 13 2003 by Valerie Adolph
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not Ms Perry's Best
Ms Perry is a very talented author and I have read, re-read, and listened to her Monk and Pitt books, but this book was rather disappointing. Read more
Published on Dec 9 2003 by Patricia
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Journey of Discovery
Anne Perry's memorable character, the indomitable Lady Vespasia Cumming-Gould, is the heart of this book. Read more
Published on Nov 29 2003 by D. Bell
5.0 out of 5 stars
charming holiday story
With the London season over, Lady Vespasia Cumming-Gould like most of her peers is now looking forward to the Christmas holidays. Read more
Published on Nov 21 2003 by Harriet Klausner
4.0 out of 5 stars
a good short story
While "A Christmas Journey" proved to be a wonderfully affecting and poignant short story about forgiveness and the expiation of sins and a wonderful read for a short... Read more
Published on Nov 19 2003 by tregatt
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