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klparmley's review against another edition
5.0
These are sweet
3 stories of life with young Truman's friend, Miss Sook. You can never doubt their abiding love for each other.
3 stories of life with young Truman's friend, Miss Sook. You can never doubt their abiding love for each other.
book_concierge's review
5.0
I've read and reviewed [b:A Christmas Memory|9919|A Christmas Memory Book and CD|Truman Capote|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1320404365s/9919.jpg|386792] previously. Here I'll concentrate on the other two stories in this collection.
One Christmas relates how the young Truman is summoned to New Orleans to spend the holiday with his father – a man who is as foreign as any stranger, and equally as frightening to the impressionable boy. The child doesn’t really want to make the trip; he’d rather stay with his old-maid cousins in the familiar, rural Alabama setting where he feels loved and protected. Still New Orleans does have its charms and his father’s lovely, large home in the French Quarter is a marvel. He is disturbed by what he witnesses during a Christmas Eve party, and doesn’t come to understand until later when his beloved friend (and elderly cousin) Miss Sook explains to him.
In The Thanksgiving Visitor the seven-year-old Truman is being bullied by an older and bigger boy, who has been held back several times and is in his class. He describes the Henderson family as poor put proud, and Odd Henderson as a boy who is “just plain mean.” Worried that her beloved young friend is having nightmares, Miss Sook seeks to help him convert Odd into a friend, and invites the bully to join their family Thanksgiving feast.
Capote’s writing is never so brilliant as when he is mining his childhood for stories such as these. The emotion is evident and genuine. His descriptions are gloriously vivid without overwhelming the story. The lessons learned – about kindness, tolerance, family, love and forgiveness – are gently told but ring loud and clear in the reader’s heart.
One Christmas relates how the young Truman is summoned to New Orleans to spend the holiday with his father – a man who is as foreign as any stranger, and equally as frightening to the impressionable boy. The child doesn’t really want to make the trip; he’d rather stay with his old-maid cousins in the familiar, rural Alabama setting where he feels loved and protected. Still New Orleans does have its charms and his father’s lovely, large home in the French Quarter is a marvel. He is disturbed by what he witnesses during a Christmas Eve party, and doesn’t come to understand until later when his beloved friend (and elderly cousin) Miss Sook explains to him.
In The Thanksgiving Visitor the seven-year-old Truman is being bullied by an older and bigger boy, who has been held back several times and is in his class. He describes the Henderson family as poor put proud, and Odd Henderson as a boy who is “just plain mean.” Worried that her beloved young friend is having nightmares, Miss Sook seeks to help him convert Odd into a friend, and invites the bully to join their family Thanksgiving feast.
Capote’s writing is never so brilliant as when he is mining his childhood for stories such as these. The emotion is evident and genuine. His descriptions are gloriously vivid without overwhelming the story. The lessons learned – about kindness, tolerance, family, love and forgiveness – are gently told but ring loud and clear in the reader’s heart.
kathleenguthriewoods's review
5.0
What beautiful command of language. Such a gifted storyteller.
This was hard to find, so I didn't get it till now (January). Hope to re-read it shortly ahead of this year's November-December holiday season. Perhaps an annual tradition!
This was hard to find, so I didn't get it till now (January). Hope to re-read it shortly ahead of this year's November-December holiday season. Perhaps an annual tradition!
the_enobee's review against another edition
5.0
Read the Christmas Memory last year and just read the Thanksgiving Visitor. Capote is amazing; I really need to read more of his books.
kk1311's review
5.0
This was pretty special. Buddy and Miss Sook are maybe some of the sweetest characters I’ve ever met. I wish there were more stories. I’ll definitely be reading this annually for the holidays.
sydneysreading's review
5.0
Three short stories that capture holiday-season nostalgia perfectly. Loved
mimiep's review
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
marcsmithnj's review
5.0
One main takeaway from these three stories by Truman Capote is the enduring power of childhood memories and the bittersweet nature of nostalgia. Each story is a poignant reflection on a particular holiday and the ways in which it is celebrated or remembered by the main characters.
Through vivid descriptions of people, places, and events, Capote brings to life the innocence, wonder, and joy of childhood, as well as the pain and longing that can accompany the passage of time. In particular, "A Christmas Memory" emphasizes the importance of sharing love and kindness with those we care about, while "One Christmas" and "The Thanksgiving Visitor" explore the complexities of family relationships and the struggle to find acceptance and belonging.
Overall, these stories encourage readers to cherish their own memories and relationships, while recognizing the inevitability of change and the need to appreciate the present moment.
Through vivid descriptions of people, places, and events, Capote brings to life the innocence, wonder, and joy of childhood, as well as the pain and longing that can accompany the passage of time. In particular, "A Christmas Memory" emphasizes the importance of sharing love and kindness with those we care about, while "One Christmas" and "The Thanksgiving Visitor" explore the complexities of family relationships and the struggle to find acceptance and belonging.
Overall, these stories encourage readers to cherish their own memories and relationships, while recognizing the inevitability of change and the need to appreciate the present moment.
carolpk's review
5.0
The Hook - A review by my GoodReads friend Mike. I could not say it better than him. You can find Mike’s reviews at
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/3025547-mike
be certain to search his shelves for A Christmas Memory
The Line - The first two paragraphs will draw you in:
”Imagine a morning in late November. A coming of winter morning more than twenty years ago. Consider the kitchen of a spreading old house in a country town. A great black stove is its main feature; but there is also a big round table and a fireplace with two rocking chairs placed in front of it. Just today the fireplace commenced its seasonal roar.
A woman with shorn white hair is standing at the kitchen window. She is wearing tennis shoes and a shapeless gray sweater over a summery calico dress. She is small and sprightly, like a bantam hen; but, due to a long youthful illness, her shoulders are pitifully hunched. Her face is remarkable—not unlike Lincoln's, craggy like that, and tinted by sun and wind; but it is delicate too, finely boned, and her eyes are sherry-colored and timid. "Oh my," she exclaims, her breath smoking the windowpane, "it's fruitcake weather!"
The Sinker - I chose to read The Modern Library edition, A Christmas Memory, One Christmas, & The Thanksgiving Visitor to have the experience of all three special remembrances of Capote’s holidays. I loved them all but particularly was drawn to A Christmas Memory. It strongly evokes the feeling of coming or going home, the smells, the sounds and sights of a busy kitchen as preparations are made for Christmas Day. It’s all about the memories. Perfect gift to yourself or for someone you love.
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/3025547-mike
be certain to search his shelves for A Christmas Memory
The Line - The first two paragraphs will draw you in:
”Imagine a morning in late November. A coming of winter morning more than twenty years ago. Consider the kitchen of a spreading old house in a country town. A great black stove is its main feature; but there is also a big round table and a fireplace with two rocking chairs placed in front of it. Just today the fireplace commenced its seasonal roar.
A woman with shorn white hair is standing at the kitchen window. She is wearing tennis shoes and a shapeless gray sweater over a summery calico dress. She is small and sprightly, like a bantam hen; but, due to a long youthful illness, her shoulders are pitifully hunched. Her face is remarkable—not unlike Lincoln's, craggy like that, and tinted by sun and wind; but it is delicate too, finely boned, and her eyes are sherry-colored and timid. "Oh my," she exclaims, her breath smoking the windowpane, "it's fruitcake weather!"
The Sinker - I chose to read The Modern Library edition, A Christmas Memory, One Christmas, & The Thanksgiving Visitor to have the experience of all three special remembrances of Capote’s holidays. I loved them all but particularly was drawn to A Christmas Memory. It strongly evokes the feeling of coming or going home, the smells, the sounds and sights of a busy kitchen as preparations are made for Christmas Day. It’s all about the memories. Perfect gift to yourself or for someone you love.
iamjudgedredd's review
4.0
A very short (107 small pages) collection of three seasonal short stories. I read In Cold Blood a few years ago and loved it. Both literary, and yet tragicall real. As such when I saw this small volume in a second hand bookshop I was intrigued. I put it back on the shelf. When, three months later, I was at a different bookshop just after Thanksgiving I found another copy in a different second hand bookshop, I felt the universe telling me to read it.
I'm inclined to recommend that you read the stories back to front (the last last one is a Thanksgiving Story, and the first two Christmas ones).
Touching, intimate, and melancholic nostalgia is crammed into every word. I really liked it. Only takes a couple of hours to read at most. A great winter read.
I'm inclined to recommend that you read the stories back to front (the last last one is a Thanksgiving Story, and the first two Christmas ones).
Touching, intimate, and melancholic nostalgia is crammed into every word. I really liked it. Only takes a couple of hours to read at most. A great winter read.