When Charlie was left a widower at seventy his life changed and so did those of his family. To celebrate his eightieth Charlie has decided to invite them all to a rented house in the country and so they come along. Scott, never the most outgoing but the most materially successful, recently married to an American with two children. Laura, mother of a troubled teenage boy and reeling from the break up of her marriage. Nick, widowed a year ago and struggling to bring up three small children on his won. None of them particularly wants to go on the holiday but all do.
This is the sort of book that I would never choose to buy for myself but is a guilty pleasure as a review copy to read on holiday. Everything is viewed through rose tinted glasses and the cliches abound - all bachelor pads are modern and clinical, family homes are messy, the sun always shines and there are never money worries. However what Noble has done is create a really warm, life-affirming book about the modern sort of family with middle-class angsts. It's very lightweight, never overly dramatic and yet it made me relax completely so for that reason the book is really successful. A niche market maybe but this is a huge niche and this is a quality book. ( )

An Elizabeth Noble book is a bit like a warm hug. It envelops you completely and makes you feel all fuzzy inside.

Would you want to go on holiday with your whole extended family? Parents, siblings and children? I guess some families would enjoy it more than others. When Charlie Chamberlain is about to be 80 years old he decides that he would like to get all of his family together for a big celebration, and why not make it a holiday?

So Charlie, along with his children, Laura, Scott and Nick and their own families, descend on a beautiful Cotswold house for ten days. What can go wrong? Well in actual fact, very little. There's the usual family dramas but overall this is a heart-warming family story, filled with the odd squabble but mostly love and kindness for each other.

It's quite a large book at 400+ pages and there's a fair bit of setting up the characters and their situations before the holiday begins, but I felt this was necessary to introduce everybody and their individual set up before putting them into an extended family environment. Charlie is a delight, but is a bit lost without his late wife, Daphne. Laura's marriage has ended, Scott's is just beginning, and Nick has suffered a tragedy. Each has their cross to bear but the holiday is just what they need to heal them.

The chapters are fairly short and each one focuses on one of the family members. I think the changing perspective meant I couldn't race through the book but the writing certainly flowed beautifully.

The Family Holiday is written with Noble's customary warmth and tenderness. It's thoughtful and sensitive, dealing with some sad themes but it's ultimately uplifting. A tear did come to my eye at one point, but ultimately I closed the book feeling satisfied and pleased for the characters (oh and with maybe a tiny crush on Joe). This book was a delight to read. ( )