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rowanrelph's review
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
laurenjpegler's review
2.0
This is another collection of short festive stories by Vintage Classics - they also did one, Dickens at Christmas, which I read last year.
It started off really strong - I was enjoying most, if not all, the stories included. I found the writing engaging, interesting and I was eager to read more by the authors. However, towards the end, my interest started to falter. I found the stories difficult to read I don't know whether this was because I got a bad headache half way through and found it difficult to concentrate, or whether I actually starting losing interest, but either way I started skipping stories.
I haven't really come away feeling festive either, to be honest, which is the sole reason I bought this book (it cost me near £18 as well because it's out of print - that was the cheapest I could find it secondhand). Oh well, glad I read it nonetheless AND I read it all in one day (I mean, I skipped two because I had already read them before and I DNF'd another two but still, all in one day)!
It started off really strong - I was enjoying most, if not all, the stories included. I found the writing engaging, interesting and I was eager to read more by the authors. However, towards the end, my interest started to falter. I found the stories difficult to read I don't know whether this was because I got a bad headache half way through and found it difficult to concentrate, or whether I actually starting losing interest, but either way I started skipping stories.
I haven't really come away feeling festive either, to be honest, which is the sole reason I bought this book (it cost me near £18 as well because it's out of print - that was the cheapest I could find it secondhand). Oh well, glad I read it nonetheless AND I read it all in one day (I mean, I skipped two because I had already read them before and I DNF'd another two but still, all in one day)!
sietz's review
5.0
Beautifully curated collection of festive tales. Simply loved it. The Truman Capote finale was exquisite.
katevrst's review
4.0
I really enjoyed almost every single story in this book. Every story is written by well-known authors from classics. The, sometimes even old fashioned, writing style really fits Christmas stories, in my opinion.
hevleary's review
5.0
What a wonderful book of festive stories. Personal favourites were Dylan Thomas, Nancy Mitford and P.G Wodehouse but there wasn't a bad story in the whole collection. Perfect read for the Christmas season
booksbynoe's review
2.0
OVERALL RATING: 2.5 STARS
The rating for each story (those in bold were my favourites):
'Oh, whistle and I'll come to you, my lad' by M. R. James -> 2 stars.
'Afterward' by Edith Wharton —> 2.5 stars.
'Jeeves and the Yule-Tide Spirit' by P. G. Wodehouse —> 3.5 stars.
'Dancing Dan's Christmas' by Damon Runyon —> 1 star.
'Morning Most Brilliant' from the Diary of Rev Francis Kilvert -> 2 stars.
'A Nice Boy' by George & Weedon Grossmith -> 2 stars.
'I Don't Know What's Happened to Christmas Lately' by Sue Townsend -> 2 stars.
'Carol Barking' by Laurie Lee —> 2.5 stars.
'Dulce Domun' by Kenneth Grahame —> 2.5 stars.
'Lady Bobbin's Christmas Day' by Nancy Mitford —> 2.5 stars.
'Christmas at Cold Comfort Farm' by Stella Gibbons —> 1.5 stars.
'Christmas is a Sad Season for the Poor' by John Cheever -> 2.5 stars.
'The Gift of the Magi' by O. Henry -> 3 stars.
'There Never Was Such a Goose' by Charles Dickens -> 3 stars.
'A Conscience Pudding' by E. Nesbit -> 2 stars.
'A Child's Christmas in Wales' by Dylan Thomas -> 3 stars.
'A Christmas Memory' by Truman Capote -> 3.5 stars.
The rating for each story (those in bold were my favourites):
'Oh, whistle and I'll come to you, my lad' by M. R. James -> 2 stars.
'Afterward' by Edith Wharton —> 2.5 stars.
'Jeeves and the Yule-Tide Spirit' by P. G. Wodehouse —> 3.5 stars.
'Dancing Dan's Christmas' by Damon Runyon —> 1 star.
'Morning Most Brilliant' from the Diary of Rev Francis Kilvert -> 2 stars.
'A Nice Boy' by George & Weedon Grossmith -> 2 stars.
'I Don't Know What's Happened to Christmas Lately' by Sue Townsend -> 2 stars.
'Carol Barking' by Laurie Lee —> 2.5 stars.
'Dulce Domun' by Kenneth Grahame —> 2.5 stars.
'Lady Bobbin's Christmas Day' by Nancy Mitford —> 2.5 stars.
'Christmas at Cold Comfort Farm' by Stella Gibbons —> 1.5 stars.
'Christmas is a Sad Season for the Poor' by John Cheever -> 2.5 stars.
'The Gift of the Magi' by O. Henry -> 3 stars.
'There Never Was Such a Goose' by Charles Dickens -> 3 stars.
'A Conscience Pudding' by E. Nesbit -> 2 stars.
'A Child's Christmas in Wales' by Dylan Thomas -> 3 stars.
'A Christmas Memory' by Truman Capote -> 3.5 stars.
quietkristina's review
3.0
"The Christmas Stories" is a collection of short stories Charles Dickens wrote for the Christmas editions of a magazine he founded and edited, entitled "Household Words." His more famous holiday works, such as "A Christmas Carol" and "The Cricket on the Hearth" aren't included in this volume. What you do get are several lesser known works: "A Christmas Tree," "What Christmas is as We Grow Older," "The Poor Relation's Story," "The Child's Story," "The Schoolboy's Story," "Nobody's Story," "The Seven Poor Travelers," and "The Holly-Tree."
The included stories all take place around Christmas time, and deliver the message that the holiday season should be focused on family and kindness. Most of the stories are very sweet and allow Dickens to show off his flair for creating quirky characters and tugging on our heartstrings. My favorite story of the bunch was probably "The Poor Relation's Story," which was quite depressing, but very relatable. I also enjoyed "The Child's Story" and "The Schoolboy's Story. The second chapter of "The Holly-Tree" was pretty good as well.
I feel like a heel for saying this, but I didn't exactly click with this collection. The stories were entertaining enough, but none of them stood out as being especially memorable to me. I probably won't remember much of what I read here in a couple of weeks. I initially read this looking to get into the holiday spirit, but none of the included works really struck me. In fact, many of them had nothing to do with Christmas aside from the fact that they were set in December.
Reading Dickens is always a treat, but I regret to say that this isn't my favorite of his works. I would recommend reading his better known Christmas stories if you are looking for some Christmas warm-fuzzies.
The included stories all take place around Christmas time, and deliver the message that the holiday season should be focused on family and kindness. Most of the stories are very sweet and allow Dickens to show off his flair for creating quirky characters and tugging on our heartstrings. My favorite story of the bunch was probably "The Poor Relation's Story," which was quite depressing, but very relatable. I also enjoyed "The Child's Story" and "The Schoolboy's Story. The second chapter of "The Holly-Tree" was pretty good as well.
I feel like a heel for saying this, but I didn't exactly click with this collection. The stories were entertaining enough, but none of them stood out as being especially memorable to me. I probably won't remember much of what I read here in a couple of weeks. I initially read this looking to get into the holiday spirit, but none of the included works really struck me. In fact, many of them had nothing to do with Christmas aside from the fact that they were set in December.
Reading Dickens is always a treat, but I regret to say that this isn't my favorite of his works. I would recommend reading his better known Christmas stories if you are looking for some Christmas warm-fuzzies.
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