Name: The First Time
Rating: 3.225 (40 reviews)
ISBN: 9780743407069

Joy Fielding

After her husband, a high-profile defense attorney, leaves home to live with his new lover, Mattie Hart falls ill, a situation that prompts her guilt-ridden husband to return to care for her.

The First Time

John Grisham

Skipping Christmas

Entertaining but not as funny the second time around

I listened to this with my mom when I was in middle school. I remember finding it hilarious at the time. So this Christmas, I thought it would be fun to listen to it with my husband.

While still entertaining, I didn’t find it nearly as funny the second time around. The extra years of dealing with the suffocating commercialism of Christmas certainly made it feel more real. I feel the years of ever-increasing amounts of social obligations, spending money on pointless things, and pointed comments from neighbors about how the previous owners of the house used to put up so many more outdoor holiday decorations. So I 100% understand the urge to skip Christmas and tell all judgmental people to stuff it.

But a bigger hindrance to enjoying the humorous parts was that younger me really did not pick up on the sexism in the story. I didn't remember Luther being such an ass let alone a misogynistic one with such a wondering eye.

I don’t think it is an exaggeration to say that any mention of a female character in Luther’s sections was reduced to how hot he thought they were. The second time around, it definitely felt like Luther would have traded Nora in for a younger model in a heartbeat if he could actually get ahold of any of the younger women he was constantly ogling. Their marriage was dysfunctional, and it made the story far less enjoyable.

While there were some funny moments and while I empathize with the storyline, I don’t think this is a book I will recommend any longer due to all of the casual sexism and the fact that the funny parts were overshadowed by the rather depressing thought that many people really are that judgmental and materialist about Christmas.

Characters and Character Development: 2 Stars

Colleen

Entertaining but not as funny the second time around


I listened to this with my mom when I was in middle school. I remember finding it hilarious at the time. So this Christmas, I thought it would be fun to listen to it with my husband.



“Who would ever dream that two otherwise sensible adults would skip Christmas and go on a cruise?”


While still entertaining, I didn’t find it nearly as funny the second time around. The extra years of dealing with the suffocating commercialism of Christmas certainly made it feel more real. I feel the years of ever-increasing amounts of social obligations, spending money on pointless things, and pointed comments from neighbors about how the previous owners of the house used to put up so many more outdoor holiday decorations. So I 100% understand the urge to skip Christmas and tell all judgmental people to stuff it.

But a bigger hindrance to enjoying the humorous parts was that younger me really did not pick up on the sexism in the story. I didn't remember Luther being such an ass let alone a misogynistic one with such a wondering eye.



“Women handled Christmas, not men. They shopped and decorated and cooked planned parties and sent cards and fretted over things the men never thought about.”


I don’t think it is an exaggeration to say that any mention of a female character in Luther’s sections was reduced to how hot he thought they were. The second time around, it definitely felt like Luther would have traded Nora in for a younger model in a heartbeat if he could actually get ahold of any of the younger women he was constantly ogling. Their marriage was dysfunctional, and it made the story far less enjoyable.

While there were some funny moments and while I empathize with the storyline, I don’t think this is a book I will recommend any longer due to all of the casual sexism and the fact that the funny parts were overshadowed by the rather depressing thought that many people really are that judgmental and materialist about Christmas.


RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 4 Stars
Writing Style: 3 Stars
Characters and Character Development: 2 Stars
Plot Structure and Development: 3 Stars
Level of Captivation: 2 Stars
Originality: 3 Stars

Jonathan Tysick

Mildly amusing with a heartwarming end. If you've seen the movie adaptation you'll find few surprises. If only the Kranks had a bit more tact and communication skills. A nitpicky thing: it irritated me that the Kranks called their Methodist minister "Father" since Methodists don't do that.

Alexandra Stanbrook

Nothing to write home about. It was a quick read. Published in 2001, there’s definitely some problematic racist moments that wouldn’t fly today imo.

Dana Paduraru

This book was pretty cute, I enjoyed reading it and it relaxed me. However, it feels to me like a movie-ish book, and by that I mean that I feel that I could've watched the movie and I wouldn't have missed anything important from the book.. This is just my opinion because I don't fancy this kind of books anymore, I like reading them occasionally. 
Like Blaire said, "it makes me feel guilty about the mindless materialism of our culture".

In this hilarious look at the chaos and frenzy that have become part of our holiday tradition, a weary couple is about to discover skipping Christmas brings enormous consequences and isn't half as easy as they had imagined.

A Novel

Dandelion

Interesting perspective of how some people really see the Christmas holidays. I liked the ending very much. 

I laughed my ass of when Luther hung upside down from his roof and the neighbors called the fire brigade. 🤭

The First Time

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