This is a beautiful book and it is so amazing, the story is so lovely and very enjoyable to read. i loved everything about this book and i would recommend to anyone who loves reading to give this book a go. it is a lovely book and i will read other books from this author.

I was asked by NetGalley to review this book, this was a really cosy Christmas read. This short stories and really lovely colllection.

Se in an imagined community in Sussex, and were all connected in some way which I enjoyed The characters are real, this is well written and there is a theme running through this stories and that is hope a lovely message for Christmas..

3.5~4★
“That sound of folding metal, scream upon scream of it, scraping itself against and around her like a tortured animal. Then, movement, as she’s hurled through the air, an arm twisted painfully behind her. After that, silence.”

Icy roads – difficult at the best of times and treacherous if you’re in a hurry and don’t treat them with respect. Amy Lane is racing to the school where she teaches, but she’s thinking about her teenaged daughter who is so wrapped up in her new boyfriend that she’s not paying attention to her mother and has apparently lost her housekey.

It’s almost Christmas, so her accident and subsequent rescue interfere with her regular routine more than usual. She has a reputation as a coper, but why is she getting no help?

“She closes her eyes, tries to process the last twenty-four hours: a difficult day at school, a quick visit with Dad. Then, Mia and Jack wrapped around each other on the sofa. Followed by the key.

I gave it to you!

You didn’t! You showed it to me. You talked about giving it to me but that’s all!

Well, where is it, then? I don’t know, Mum! I’m not a mindreader.”

The Key is the first of ten stories based around the lives of the people who live in and around Henford, in Sussex, UK. (I presume it’s fictional.)

Each story stands on its own, and they’re quite different from each other – except for the weather, the locale, and the fact they’re all facing Christmas with various degrees of enthusiasm.

Ram’s family came from India after Partition and keeps reminding his adult children how hard it was, as they all work in Henford’s first Indian restaurant. (There are now several). Son Sunil is frustrated that his father won’t modernise and doesn’t remind customers that they don’t celebrate Christmas. Sunil is insulted.

Ram, his father, reminds him where they live and that this is a great season for business. When Ram gets a phone call for an out-of-area meal delivery and agrees to send it, Sunil is incensed. His father can’t seem to say no.

But he takes the bag with the meal and heads off into the dark winter night with directions to a place out by the woods somewhere – a big house all by itself, he’s told. He ends up way off the main road.

“The snow is thickening, the heater has stopped working and the silence around him is fat with menace.”

He is getting nervous, and when he arrives, he finds an elderly lady and a young man with a rucksack and cello. She thanks him for the meal and then asks – almost directs – him to give the young man a lift into Henford. He is not impressed with her ploy to avoid calling a taxi.

Of course, there turns out to be much more to it than that, as there is with all the stories. Occasionally I recognised a name, or thought I did, and by the last story, which takes place in the aforementioned big house, we begin to see the connections.

These are vignettes really, of people’s lives. A woman who doesn’t see well, a young boy who is always scolded at school for being a live wire and not paying attention (and there’s a reason for that), young mums, stretched between parents and children – widows, widowers, and a guy who plays the cello.

There is a fair bit of philosophising and advice-giving, which is pretty typical in families, of course. But what I liked was some of her observations of our attitudes. An old lady is getting dressed. She used to be an activist and a civic figure, but no more.

“There is something about a dress, much loved, long worn, that can lift the spirits. It remembers other versions of you, the young and lovely ones where you walked tall, owned a room. She misses those women, but the dress helps her find a little of their youth, their confidence.”

It’s an enjoyable read, There are so many characters in rather short stories, that I don’t think I fixed them in my head well enough to really establish all the connections. But I liked them, and I think it could make a good mini-series or something similar.

It’s the kind of book where you just accept the coincidences and go along for the ride. I’m sure it will find a lot of fans.

This book is a collection of short stories set around the Winter period.
The characters are easy to identify with as they encounter both the challenges and joys of life.
This book provides for a relaxing break at what can be a busy and stressful time of the year.
One to settle down with a relaxing drink at the end of the day.

An absolutely delightful book that is perfect for Christmas and the holiday season! Author Deborah Jenkins stories are about a disparate group of individuals who live in and around England. The stories are about people in all walks of life and are charming looks at their lives as they approach the winter holidays. It all begins with the story of a key to a home, an argument that escalates into an angry parent being involved in an accident, and the discovery of the key which brings healing. We are also treated to people who meet on a train, as well as another story about an Indian restaurant where the owners son doesn't understand his father. The stories go on and on, and the message in each are uplifting and affirming. By the last stories Jenkins brings everything full circle at a New Years Day party at the home of Lady Trenton. It is hard to say which story I enjoyed the most, and that is a good thing! So many times books of short stories consist of a few quality stories and just as many clunkers. But here the fact that Deborah Jenkins is able to seamlessly tie-in each and every person and story creates a book that has one of the most delightful, charming and uplifting books I have read in well over a year. If there is but one book you should read for the Winter/Christmas holiday season this is it! Trust me, it will bring a warm glow to your holidays!

A collection of short stories set in an imagined community in Sussex, I enjoyed the way that they all interconnected, some of them were designed to impart wisdom. I did lose track of who everyone was at the end, when there is a lovely conclusion that does bring the whole book together in a delightful way.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Winter Lights is a short story collection based in the fictional town of Henford in the run up to Christmas and the New Year. Each of the stories follows a different set of characters except for the final story and the epilogue which bring all of the characters together.

I thought this book had some really nice descriptions and imagery and I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of winter and its magic throughout. The overall premise was interesting and I did like that we saw all the characters together in the final story as it rounded off the book nicely and connected each of the individual stories.

I was expecting this book to be a cozy, heart warming read about a small town in the lead up to Christmas however in each story there was a tragic event and a lot of doom and gloom which made this book quite depressing to pick up. I found that the characters weren't very developed and I wasn't very invested in their stories. For these reasons this book felt quite tedious to read and despite only being 160 pages long it took me about a week to get through it and I was having to force myself to pick it up.

Overall I wouldn't recommend this book if you're looking for a comforting, festive read however it may work for you if you're looking for something sadder and more emotional.

The narrative offers a mix of everyday struggles, emotional depth and a dramatic turn of events, which made the short stories engaging and interesting.

The author penned the stories in such descriptive and immersive style, allowing us to delve into each character's thoughts and experiences.

The author developed each and every character with distinct personalities, motivations and conflicts. I was able to connect with them and also understand some characters on some level.

Over all a heartwarming short story collection that deals with romance, friendship, kindness, caring and self improvement.

This was basically a collection of stories told from different people and their experience of travelling through winter and trying to find some light in the darkness.

I enjoyed engaging with each of the people and experiencing their story, and was delighted to see that they all dovetail at the end of the book, and this makes it such a lovely warm cosy winter read.

Winter Lights, a collection of short stories set over the Christmas period, is a gentle seasonal read with some uplifting messages.
The collection starts with the story of a woman who is driving to work, stressed and overworked, she is involved in a crash. It finishes with a New Year gathering…During the intervening chapters we take train and taxi rides, visit the last store open on Xmas Eve and an Indian takeaway..
I read this book in a few hours. It is a quick and easy read, positive and uplifting. As with all short story collections I enjoyed some stories more than others and the first story was probably my favourite. The author was skilled at creating credible characters and situations in a short space of time. This reminded me a little of Maeve Binchy who also wrote short stories seemingly separate but actually subtly linked.
I read this seeking a more gentle read than i am used to and it definitely ticked the box.
A perfect read for a winter’s afternoon with a mug of hot chocolate.
with thanks to Netgalley and Fairlight Books for a digital copy of this book.

A very happy collection of reads ideal to make someone feel contented and happy.

All the stories deal with ordinary, everyday life and the issues that people face, the complexities of human relationships and the way that people try to overcome the obstacles they face plus the difficulties even amongst family and how we try to come to peace with them.

This was a beautiful collection of stories.

Festive, heartwarming and well written. An anthology of short stories that made me smile and wish it was Christmas
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest feedback. Thank you to Fairlight Books, NetGalley, and Deborah Jenkins for this opportunity.

I found this book to be a heartwarming holiday read that I managed to finish in a single day. It's a collection of short stories featuring a diverse cast of characters, all infused with a prevailing sense of hope and connection. These stories offer glimpses into the everyday lives of ordinary people as they prepare for their own holiday celebrations or grapple with the lack thereof.

Personally, I didn't find this to be the most exciting read, and I struggled to form deep connections with the stories or their characters. However, I did appreciate the eloquent writing and the book's overarching theme. It effectively conveys a sense of authenticity and captures the true essence of the holiday season – which is all about hope and connection – without being too over the top holly jolly.

i did thoroughly enjoy this book, the small holidays based short stories were very well written and the interconnectedness of them all at the end was very interesting. Although i did find myself getting bored in some of the short stories

A collection of short stories that range from wonderful to disappointing but all have one thing in common-a seasonal theme.

Having enjoyed Deborah Jenkins' novel "Braver," I was keen to read this book. It is a collection of short stories which take place in the run-up to Christmas, focusing on the inhabitants of a small town. The underlying theme is looking for light even in dark situations and the challenges of life. This is a great book for the holiday season, ideal for dipping into, and it is an encouraging and uplifting read.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers and of course the author for gifting me this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this book, it was such a wonderful read and very festive. I love the way this author has such a beautiful way with words and the story really flows so majestically throughout and covers a multitude of emotions throughout.
Definitely a book that I will read again and again and it will sit on my pile of festive favourite reads.

Way too saccharine for me. Every story was just nonsensical to fit a theme of look everything’s alright here. That type of writing doesn’t work for me.

A wonderful read a book of short stories each told from one characters point of view.Each story short in length tells a story of the characters life issues.Each story is separate but at the end to celebrate Christmas people will come together.#netgalley #winterlights

Rating: 1.8/5

"Winter Lights" sits somewhere between being a collection of short stories and a novella. I say that because although each of the stories can be read in isolation, they do turn out to be interconnected, which becomes evident at the end of the book. I have great admiration for any writer who successfully tackles the short story format. There is a real skill in drafting a fully rounded story with properly drawn characters within the confines of a mere 100 or so pages. The stories in this collection are much shorter than that and I would venture to suggest that they each one is more of a micro-story, as it is really only the length of a fairly standard chapter.

The writing style of Deborah Jenkins is pleasant enough, but for the most part I don't really think she hits the brief of creating a convincingly rounded tale within each individual story in this collection. I would suggest that only one of them actually ticks that particular box. There is meant to be a theme of heartwarming and uplifting seasonal messages in this anthology, but I found it a bit too nauseating and tending towards the pious.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for supplying an ARC in return for an honest review.