As someone who doesn’t normally read much historical fiction, The Snow Globe by Judith Kinghorn was definitely a little bit out of my comfort zone. However I can honestly say that I am so incredibly glad that I picked this book up, because it was truly wonderful. With what is a very stunning cover, The Snow Globe was the first of Judith’s books that I have ever read before and I thought that it provided a fabulous introduction to her writing.
Within the book we meet Daisy whose most treasured possession is a snow globe which she was given by her beloved father when she was just five years old. Featuring a perfect replica of their family home within it, Daisy proudly displays it every Christmas. As we join Daisy and her family in the run up to Christmas 1926, she soon discovers that her dear father is not as perfect as he’s always seemed. As huge secrets are revealed, Daisy’s life is thrown into turmoil and the question is just how will it all turn out for her?
One thing that became apparent whilst reading The Snow Globe is how talented Judith is at creating characters. Each character that we met throughout the book, really came alive in my imagination and seemed incredibly realistic. Whilst I didn’t relate to all of them, I was still interested in their stories and I thought that Daisy was a wonderful lead character. Despite the difficulties she was experiencing, Daisy was a character who was very easy to like thanks to her strength and determination.
With writing that flows so nicely, Judith Kinghorn has created a book that is an absolute dream to read despite a few occasions when I found myself a bit lost as to who all the characters were and where they all fitted in. One thing I particularly loved about this novel was the way in which the title of the book was so very appropriate and really summed up the story as a whole - Daisy’s life and everything she thought she knew had been shaken up like a snow globe leaving her to watch it all land and see what the repurcussions would be. Judith’s writing was incredibly engaging and kept me interested from beginning to end.
The Snow Globe is a book which I feel would definitely appeal to fans of shows such as Downton Abbey and Upstairs, Downstairs. It was such a pleasure to read this novel, to try and love something that was so very different to what I would normally read. Having finished The Snow Globe feeling nothing but entirely satisfied, I’m really looking forward to discovering more of Judith’s novels.
