The Season of Us

by Holly Chamberlin

Against the irresistible backdrop of Christmas in New England, bestselling author Holly Chamberlin creates a heartfelt and memorable novel—a story of reunited family, new beginnings, and unconditional love—the best gift of all.

To outsiders, Appleville, New Hampshire, is a storybook small town complete with a little white church and a gazebo on the village green. To Gincy Gannon Luongo, it was a place to escape from, as quickly and as permanently as she could. Since she moved away twenty years ago, Appleville has been her hometown in name only. But at her brother Tommy’s urging, Gincy is coming back to visit their recently widowed mother in the weeks leading up to Christmas—and she’s bringing her teenage daughter, Tamsin, with her.

Ellen Gannon, once feisty and strong-willed, is mired in depression six months after losing her husband. Tommy isn’t doing much better. Gincy starts restoring order to the household in her usual practical way, but the real issues run much deeper than an empty fridge or an unpaid bill. Imagined slights and lingering resentments have created chasms between them all.

With each passing day, Gincy realizes she has seriously undervalued her mother and underestimated her brother. Only now, with the support of her husband, daughter, and best friends, is she starting to see how much she may have missed. For beyond the surface of every family and every picturesque town is something more complicated but infinitely more rewarding—a tapestry of those small acts of acceptance, love, and loyalty that could transform this Christmas into the best Gincy’s ever known.

Praise for the novels of Holly Chamberlin

“Chamberlin’s latest is a great summer read but with substance. It will find a wide audience in its exploration of sisterhood, family, and loss.” – Library Journal on Summer with My Sisters

“Nostalgia over real-life friendships lost and regained pulls readers into the story.” — USA Today on Summer Friends

“A thoughtful social commentary and tender narration of friendship and loyalty.” --Publishers Weekly on Last Summer

“A dramatic and moving portrait of several generations of a family and each person’s place within it.” --Booklist on The Family Beach House

Genres: Christmas, Holiday, Fiction, Romance, Adult, Drama, Mental Health

320 pages, Hardcover

First published October 25, 2016

About the author

Holly Chamberlin is a native New Yorker, but she now lives in Portland, Maine - the aftermath of stumbling across Mr. Right at the one moment she wasn't watching the terrain. She's been writing and editing - poetry, children's fantasies, a romance novel or two, among many other genres and projects - her entire life. She has two cats, Betty and Cyrus, and when she's not writing her hobbies include reading, shopping, and cocktails at six.

Reviews

[Chloe (Always Booked) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This book was a sweet multigenerational story that tackles mental health, grief, blended families and much more. Gincy gets a call from her brother that her mom is not doing well. The formerly well put together lady is falling apart so Gincy goes to her hometown to see what's going on. Gincy is married to a wonderful man and they have a blended family. He was a widower with a son when they got married and now they have a daughter together. The daughter goes with Gincy to the grandma's house to help her out of her funk. The grandma (Ellen) just lost her husband. She's not close with Gincy and her son Tom is a little flighty so she feels like she has nobody and sunk into a deep depression. The women bond as they heal their relationship and their hearts. The book ends on Christmas so its not a huge amount of Christmas but this book is more about the season leading up. It's not super atmospheric or eventful, but its sweet nonetheless.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first book by Holly Chamberlain (thanks to a goodreads win) but it won't be my last. It's the perfect Christmas book about love and family and forgiveness and the ending will leave you with a smile.

Gincy couldn't wait to leave the small town of Appleville and her family. Her mother was always critical of her and her brother was the favorite child. Twenty years later, she is living in Boston with a wonderful job and a perfect family (maybe too perfect, which did bother me at times as I was reading the book). Her dad had died six months earlier and her brother (a real loser according to Gincy) called to say that there was something wrong with their mom. So Gincy and her daughter head back to Appleville (very reluctantly on Gincy's part) to make everything right again. The novel answers the question of whether you can go home again and if you will find that your memories of your upbringing are real or are part of your misinterpretations of the intentions of your family.

Great Christmas - or any time of the year - book!

[Holly · Rating 1 out of 5]

The theme of this novel was great...an adult daughter is forced to confront her notion of who her mom is and their relationship. However, it was a less-than-captivating read and was hard to slog through.

[Nancy Carbajal · Rating 3 out of 5]

I quite liked this book. Took awhile to finish it as it's been a very busy Holiday. Took awhile to warm up to it too, but once I got going, I found myself drawn into Gincy's story. And then to my surprise, I find it's a continuation of another storyline. "The Summer of Us," I'll be looking out for that one for sure. I'm older now, so I know where Gincy is coming from on her thoughts of Family. If I had read this as a younger woman, I wouldn't have gotten the underlying message of patience and kindness. I'm glad I've grown into that phase. I purchased it as a Christmas read and it didn't disappoint. I believe this one is more for the patient reader.

[Marti · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Season of Us by Holly Chamberlin is a short novel that reminds us how life is full with all its complexities and personalities. Life is not meant to be a single strand, but one woven in and among others, even if there are knots and tangles.

Gincy is returning home to small town New Hampshire after living in Boston since age 17. She is nervous about returning, but her brother Tommy felt she needed to come see her mother. Gincy has plans to pop in and then leave quickly. The relationship between her mother and herself has always been strained. Ellen, her mother is struggling since Gincy’s dad died. Her brother Tommy is also struggling. Gincy finds she needs to stay longer and help put things to right, but even then it takes a couple of friends to help her find her way.

The novel, The Season of Us is one of hope and reconnecting what was once lost. It is a short novel that really personifies how a family can rebuild relationships. Holly Chamberlin’s descriptions of the family and the small town all ring true. This book is a good read.

[Arnetta · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent book exploring the often strained relationship with an aging mother and her adult daughter. I could see myself in both characters and it was quite insightful. Highly recommend it for any person struggling with a difficult relationship that you would like to see improve.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gincy gets a call from her never do well brother that their mother, a widow of 6 months, isn’t doing well. She goes back to her hometown with her daughter to see what is going on. Gincy and her mother have never got along but staying with her over Christmas shines a new light on the truth behind Gincy’s childhood and teen years. Gincy learns a lot about herself and her mother during the trip.

[Kristin Smith Bemis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a heartwarming book and a perfect read for this time of the year. I could relate to the entire story and it reminded me to take a breath, stop and think before I speak, and above all to be kind.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Needing a hiatus from another book that is leaving me drained (but one I will return to now), I turned to The Season of Us. I enjoyed the book for this break. It contained the elements needed - a woman traveling to be with her recently widowed mother and seeing her mother in a new light; the widow coming to grips with her new life; a family comng to appreciate each other in the day rather than harboring past grudges. The theme of ABOVE ALL BE KIND resonates throughout the book.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Six months after the death of her beloved father, Ed, Virginia "Gincy" and her teen daughter, Tamsin, pay her mom, Ellen, a surprise visit after realizing something isn't quite right with her. Will Gincy finally see her mother in a new light?

I enjoyed the story of a mother and grown daughter reconnecting but the overall execution missed the mark for me. I found Gincy to be an odd, judgmental duck (which was super ironic because she thought her mom was overly critical), and she was often heartless and cold in the way she treated her mom. Luckily, her daughter Tamsin's sweetness made up for it and she was my favorite character.

Location: Appleville (a fictional suburb of Boston), MA

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a story of a family coming together to help a widowed mother after years of estrangement. It was a good story, but for me, it just didn't give me the holiday feeling that I was looking for. Maybe it was the cover design that didn't match the story.

[Pat Myers · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is a total waste of time.

[Monica McDonald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Following the death of her father, Gincy, a successful editor, learns her mother may be struggling to care for herself and her home. Knowing her mother would never admit anything over the phone, she returns to her hometown, a small town she’s avoided since leaving at the age of 17. Gincy must navigate an abandoned mother/daughter relationship that remains something like it was when she was a teenager.

This book will appeal to people with aging parents who are curious about how the difficult transition from child to caregiver will go, or those already on that journey. I appreciated that the author dealt with adjustment in a very realistic way – neither sugar coated nor overly dramatic. It was a good reminder to try to step back and accept our closest loved ones for what they are, understanding that we can’t make people change. The book had some glaring editing errors (sentences that didn’t make sense or grammar mistakes) in the first chapters. That’s one of my pet peeves, but I stuck with it and was glad I continued reading. The characters were overall pretty well developed, although a few of the side characters were a bit two dimensional. I did love that the book had that perfect amount of description for the setting – enough to paint the pictures without being too lengthy!

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Review: I have had this book on my Christmas TBR for a few years and finally got around to picking it up this year, and it was a perfect time to read it. I really appreciated the fact that this book is not a romance, instead it focuses on the relationships within a family. I loved the eye-opening look at how we see relationships between siblings or parents as a kid and then again as adults. This was definitely a journey as Gincy gets to know who her mom and brother really are and who they have become over the years. It was a great book to read during the holiday season and it definitely got me thinking more about how my view of family may not be entirely accurate.

My Rating: This was an emotional book with lots of sentimental moments, sad moments, frustrating moments, and moments a love. It will also make you take a look at those relationships in your own life and maybe reaching out. I give this on a rating of Three Paws and a Stump Wag.

[Susan Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Season of Us is an uplifting, heartfelt Christmas story about a family, particularly a mother and daughter, who must see if they can forgive past transgressions to move forward at Christmas and always. Gincy and her mother, Ellen, have never gotten along, and after Gincy's father dies the chasm between them seems too vast to cross. But when Gincy receives a call from her brother that her mother needs help, she returns to her hometown, worried and apprehensive about what will happen when she gets there. It was interesting to take this journey with Gincy and Ellen as they try to forge a new relationship, and as Gincy begins to uncover who her mother really is. A lovely story about families, love, forgiveness and acceptance.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gincy heads home to help her mother at Christmas. Gincy's father had died 6 months earlier and her mother hasn't seemed to accept her loss. When Gincy (short for Virginia) arrives she finds her formerly immaculate mother looking frumpy and her house in disarray. As Gincy, her daughter Tamsin and Gincy's best friends get involved her stubborn mother seems to slowly return to her old self but it takes a great deal of patience as Gincy has always felt her mother didn't care much for her but idolized her brother who needs help at every turn.

Gincy learns a great deal about her mother and brother through the eyes of her daughter and her friends. She especially learns that she has not been truthful to herself in the memories she has of her family and growing up in New England.

[Karen Mcnicol · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was reading this wonderful book and thought how nice to read a Christmas book that is not a "love story". Boy how wrong was I! It is a love story in a great sense, a daughter finds out how much she loves her mother and brother when she thought she only tolerated them for her father (who had passed) because they were "simple folk" who enjoyed a small town life! It is such a great novel and this is the perfect time of year to read it. It has a message throughout that the main character whispers to herself all through out "Above all be kind", its perfect because she is one who had to learn it to be with her mom and brother and to appreciate who they are not who they should have been! Thank you Holly Chamberlin for such another great book!

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was okay.

I was questioning whether or not to keep reading this for half the book and that’s never good. I was feeling frustrated and I was finding Gincy/Virginia really hard to like. I kept practicing ‘compassion’ for her which seems kind of funny - but maybe it was a good exercise.

Fairly predictable. A decent ‘change of heart’. Forgiveness, renewed relationships, the power of being kind. There was grief and depression. I felt like Tommy’s story was vague and left hanging with the excuse that he just is what he is.

A really bad spot where Gincy recalls a ‘good parenting’ moment when shame and worrying about the opinions of others was used to deter bad behavior.

[Shelby Lorenz · Rating 5 out of 5]

For me this story really hits home. Dealing with death is always the hardest. Ellen Gannon is someone I can say I can relate to. When losing a loved one it can make you numb, sad and depressed, especially when it come to holidays. The first holiday is always the toughest but in this case, the daughter truly saw who her mother is. The magic of Gincy being their for her mom and brother brought the holiday spirit back. The loved one is not forgotten but yet celebrated! I loved this book because this is how I truly felt when I lost my grandmother during the holidays.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recently I’ve been wishing for contemporary books with protagonists my own age with issues similar to my own. Most books with middle aged women protagonists are about marriages in trouble. There are other issues to explore like aging parents, death of parents, family and friend relationships that have different conflicts from your 20 or 30 something relationships. This book is a wonderful example of what I want to read more of. Through spending time with Ginny, her mother and her daughter you see how grief works and how sometimes wrong assumptions can cause unneeded drama.

[Vicki Chicago-Marsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this holiday story! It totally brings together the concept of how very important family is always, not just at Christmas. I thoroughly loved the characters with all of their quirks, & totally related to the resentments & strained relationship between mothers & daughters. But, in the end, it’s all about the love & loyalty between family members! Give this book a read this holiday season; you will be glad that you did.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the second Holly Chamberlin book I have read and I will be looking out for more. I enjoyed the book, particularly since I'm reading it during my lockdown - it's good to shut the world out for a while, and this book did that for me. The story is not a long complicated one, but just ideal for a day and a bit's read (if you're doing chores as well...)

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want a little bit of what it feels like to be a family at Christmas than this is a book for you ! It has family bonding , love of family , compassion and what it feels like to celebrate Christmas with a beloved parent after the other one dies and how the elderly hides there true feelings from their children so not to burden them !

[Mary Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gincy goes back home when her brother Tommy calls with concerns about their mother six months after their father passed away.

Gincy has always felt that her mother didn’t love her and she was always embarrassed by her mother. Spending time together brings about so many sad and happy memories. By the end of the book I was crying.

[Ameena · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a terrible waste of time. It was poorly written, characters were dull, flat, and predictable, and the end was even worse than the beginning.

Holly Chamberlin used to be a fairly decent writer...not sure what happened but I doubt I'll pick up another one of her books any time soon.

[Laura Aase · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first I didn't like this because I wasn't wild about the main character. However, her selfishness and self centeredness soon made way for growing and family understanding which sent some good messsages about seeing both sides of the human coin.

[Janice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Virginia visits her small hometown after several months' passing since her father has died. She finds her critical mother in sad shape. Is her irresponsible brother looking after their mother? Things gradually improve, as Virginia sees her mother and brother in new ways, with love.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was just an okay book for me. I have to wonder if this might have been a better book if it hadn't been set at Christmas and let this be a story of a family I think it would have been so much better.

[Becky Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. Reading this book was like living my own life. Like it was written about my life, with my Mom and brother. I would definitely recommend reading this book if you and your family are not close. It really opens your eyes

[Rhonnie Cough · Rating 2 out of 5]

Readable, but nothing really happens. It’s not a cozy Christmas story, not a traditional love story, and it’s boring. Kept waiting for something dramatic to happen with her brother Tommy because of comments the others kept making, “do you know who that guy with Tommy is?” but it never did.