Dickens gave his first formal expression to his Christmas thoughts in his series of small books, the first of which was the famous "Christmas Carol...
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Dec 20, 2011
Jillian
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I didn't cry when I read this one like I did with "The Chimes," but I did love it, perhaps even more than "The Chimes." (It was way easier to read aloud, for one thing!) A little cricket and a kettle compete for the louder music note as a man strolls up the wintry steps toward a house with a warming hearth. So begins this charming, winter-warm story about a mail carrier named John Peerybingle who experiences a turbulent winter when he sees his dear little wife Dot in the arms
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Dec 20, 2011
Eric
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The best single word description I can think of for this story is unconventional. Consider this quote, spoken by a young housewife: “To have a Cricket on the Hearth, is the luckiest thing in all the world!” [sic]
I can't think of a housewife who wouldn't want to evict the trespassing cricket as soon as possible. Yet she turns out to be correct about the luck brought by the cricket, which along with some kitchen implements exhibits certain super-natural behaviors.
I first be More...
I can't think of a housewife who wouldn't want to evict the trespassing cricket as soon as possible. Yet she turns out to be correct about the luck brought by the cricket, which along with some kitchen implements exhibits certain super-natural behaviors.
I first be More...
Dec 27, 2011
Kate
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A Fairy Tale of Home, this third Christmas book of Dickens was a greater commercial success at the time than its predecessors, though A Christmas Carol would be remembered, where The Cricket on the Hearth gradually faded in its notoriety. The reason for this lies, I think, in the merry and novel plot of the former, and indeed its more blatant stance as Christmas-themed. The latter is a quaint and not unlovely story, but has no especial qualities to render it a seasonal favourite.
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Oct 13, 2011
Parikhit
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‘The Cricket on the Hearth’ is a sweet, moving tale of love, loyalty, happiness, and resurrection. The description used by Dickens is charming.
Love and what it means to love transcends in this short novel. Love between a loyal wife and his older husband; love between a blind girl and her father who has painted an ideal world for her; love between a girl and her lost lover. A misunderstanding painted by an unkind toy merchant was mounting to break the trust between the loving husband More...
Love and what it means to love transcends in this short novel. Love between a loyal wife and his older husband; love between a blind girl and her father who has painted an ideal world for her; love between a girl and her lost lover. A misunderstanding painted by an unkind toy merchant was mounting to break the trust between the loving husband More...
Apr 27, 2010
Andrea
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A little parable about what it means to love. I gave it to my dd, age 11, to read and she complained that she couldn't get a handle on what it was about. Dickens pens follows his eye as he sees first the woman, the dog, the fog, the carrier's cart, the baby...there is a lack of direction. It has only three chapters. By the second chapter all the characters are set to play their part. Everything becomes clear at the "picnic" at poor Caleb's house where the blind girl, the carrier's
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Dec 27, 2011
Chris
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Unfortunately, this was one of my least favorite Dickens stories I've read to date. I wanted to read something by Dickens for Christmas to take a break from reading A Christmas Carol like I do each year at this time. I was disappointed to discover that, even though this story was in a volume called "Stories For Christmas" by Dickens, it wasn't about Christmas at all. It was basically about a couple families, simple and rustic, that redefine/renew their love for each other through a ser
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Dec 13, 2010
Laura
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Sep 27, 2010
John
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Dec 21, 2011
Amy
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I wanted to read one of Dickens' less well-known Christmas stories, and I'd heard that this one was even more popular in Dickens' time than A Christmas Carol. If you can make it past the first four pages, which is a laborious description of a kettle and a cricket, then it is definitely worth the read.
In true Dickens fashion, there's an unexpected twist with a brilliant set-up. One of the things I love about Dickens is the way he can take the most commonplace information and present More...
In true Dickens fashion, there's an unexpected twist with a brilliant set-up. One of the things I love about Dickens is the way he can take the most commonplace information and present More...
Jan 29, 2010
Lacie
rated it:
Disgruntling. Misleading. Humorous. Intriguing. Maddening. Mysterious. Confusing. Superstitious. And… Dickens.
In short, I was angry with the main character until the very ending of the book, due to intentionally deceptive descriptions on the part of Mr. Dickens. Therefore, I did not enjoy the book as much as I probably should have while reading it. I was better able to appreciate the full storyline after I had completed the book. Interesting read.
In short, I was angry with the main character until the very ending of the book, due to intentionally deceptive descriptions on the part of Mr. Dickens. Therefore, I did not enjoy the book as much as I probably should have while reading it. I was better able to appreciate the full storyline after I had completed the book. Interesting read.
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Dec 23, 2009
Kathy
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This is a delightful story about a devoted wife and her older husband, a blind girl and her adoring father, a young lady and her long lost bethrothed and the toy maker who almost destroys the life of all six of them.
The novella set around the Christmas season makes me proud to be a wife and mother. It also ends with the most delightful little dance scene. It's a fun, light read that makes one happy to be alive.
The novella set around the Christmas season makes me proud to be a wife and mother. It also ends with the most delightful little dance scene. It's a fun, light read that makes one happy to be alive.
Dec 25, 2010
Steve
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I had no idea what to expect in this short story, and remain a bit confused. A man wrongly suspects his wife of infidelity, when she is actually bringing a long lost love together with her friend. Apparently the main theme is how love overcomes trials and setbacks, which is good, but it’s a bit sentimental. Tackleton and Ebenezer Scrooge from Christmas Carol are similar, each changing from grouch to benefactor.
Dec 04, 2008
Kelly
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Same story as Christmas Carol, except instead of ghosts, it's a cricket, and instead of a lame boy, it's a blind girl. But rest assured, the predictable "It's a Christmas Miracle!" occurs.
I was forced to read this book as a teen by my Dickens-admiring, Victorian Era worshipping mother. Clearly I should be telling this to my therapist, not Goodreads...
I was forced to read this book as a teen by my Dickens-admiring, Victorian Era worshipping mother. Clearly I should be telling this to my therapist, not Goodreads...
Dec 30, 2011
Amy
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(spoiler alert)
A Cricket on the Hearth is an enjoyable story, which takes place in January - a typically dreary time of year; it is included in many Christmastime collections however. It has lots of good twists and turns like all of Dickens'...there were a couple of loose ends in this one though, particularly, Bertha, the good, blind girl.
A Cricket on the Hearth is an enjoyable story, which takes place in January - a typically dreary time of year; it is included in many Christmastime collections however. It has lots of good twists and turns like all of Dickens'...there were a couple of loose ends in this one though, particularly, Bertha, the good, blind girl.
Dec 13, 2011
Heather
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I'm glad that I got a chance to read this "Christmas" novella by Dickens. Christmastime seems almost over-saturated with A Christmas Carol lately. While I enjoy A Christmas Carol, too, The Cricket on the Hearth was a breath of fresh air. I put Christmas in quotes because this novella doesn't have a lot of the typical elements of a Christmas story: no Santa, no presents, no caroling, no nativity, etc. However, it has the warm, loving feeling of home and Christmastime. And a dose of
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Dec 28, 2011
Megan
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I saw a bizarre animated version of this book from the 60's and wanted to set myself straight on the storyline. I thought it was good but only gave it 2 stars mostly because I felt it introduced too many characters for a short story and didn't delve deeply into any of them. It was a cute, sweet story but nothing incredibly compelling.
Jun 25, 2011
Jeane
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This seems to be one of those stories which you have to read twice to understand what it is about. I didn't have a clue what it was about till maybe the last twenty pages. Those explained more and summarized kind of the whole story. The end made me appreciate it a bit more.
Apr 10, 2011
Natalie
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Dickens is one of my favorite authors. In this short work the "Cricket on the Hearth" is the narrator for a narrowly averted tragedy resulting from a misunderstanding between a husband and wife. Not my favorite but a quick read.
Nov 28, 2011
Beth
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Read for the December 2011 bookgroup. A short story about a man and his wife and a miscommunication/misunderstanding that almost wrecks their happy home. It was a bit difficult to get into the writing style, but once I did I enjoyed the story very much.
Dec 01, 2011
Jenevieve
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I don't know why it took me so long to get around to reading this as it was part of a treasury of classics that I've had since I was little but I always just read A Christmas Carol and never kept going. It was the 13yr old's bookclub read for December so I decided to go ahead and finally read it.
It was a sweet tale and endearing although I could have wished that John had trusted in Dot enough to speak with her although that wouldn't have given us the scene of hearth and home.
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It was a sweet tale and endearing although I could have wished that John had trusted in Dot enough to speak with her although that wouldn't have given us the scene of hearth and home.
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Dec 25, 2011
Susan
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Next year, I'm going back to a Christmas Carol. This Dickens' Christmas story was so sweet it put my teeth on edge. I did like the story of Caleb's daughter, with her fiction-telling father and their house of toys.
Jan 06, 2012
Sheryl
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It's such a homey little tale, with passages of prose that are poetry, that I love it despite the fact that I roll my eyes over how unbelievable some of the characters' actions are.
Dec 11, 2011
Audra
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I've been trying to read this story for three years, and finally pulled it off this year through sheer force of will. It's a bit of a slow starter, but in the end, a beautiful work.
Oct 11, 2011
Gena
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This obscure book by Dickens is the one I have read the most. It is so homely and peaceful. It is nostalgic and peopled with those witty creatures Dickens was famous for. I love it.
Dec 20, 2011
Will
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Another Dickens "Christmas Book" that is not really set at Christmas. One of the characters is a toy maker though. Lots of twists had me guessing until the very end.
Dec 15, 2009
Angela
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I enjoyed the book more then I thought I would. The first section was a bit slow but it picks up in the "Chirp the 2nd". I was impressed with the love in the book.
Dec 17, 2011
Emily
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aww, Charles--this was a good story with a fun twist. I especially liked Boxer, the dog. :) Not quite a Christmas story as advertised though.
Feb 15, 2011
Jason
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Review is compiled together with the other Christmas books
http://olioscholar.blogspot.com/2011/01/...
http://olioscholar.blogspot.com/2011/01/...
Sep 20, 2011
Gail
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While i love Dickens, I felt this one was one of his weaker stories as it lacked a lot of the fun and rich characters of his other books.
Feb 10, 2011
Bridgette
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3.5 I think I am losing my smarts the longer I am out of school. I had a really hard time with the language style and never use to.
