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A Christmas Memory including One Christmas and A Thanksgiving Memory (Modern Library)
Taking its place next to Breakfast at Tiffany's and In Cold Blood on the Modern Library bookshelf is this new and original edition of Capote's most famous short stories: "A Christmas Memory, " "One Christmas, " and "A Thanksgiving Memory." All three stories are distinguished by Capote's delicate interplay of childhood sensibility and recollective vision.
Hardcover, 128 pages
Published
2008
by Modern Library
(first published 1996)
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I'd read "A Christmas Memory" several times before, having been giving a copy as a gift as a teenager. The other two stories are in a similar vein--ostensibly about a specific holiday, more specifically about growing up, the innocent cruelty of children, and the bittersweetness of looking back with adult eyes.
It's an odd mixture, in which the subject matter is unsophisticated and childish and the writing is anything but. Capote writes about being so poor that the only prese...more
It's an odd mixture, in which the subject matter is unsophisticated and childish and the writing is anything but. Capote writes about being so poor that the only prese...more
A brilliant and sweet Capote collection of three short stories centered around his boyhood time while he was raised by cousins in Alabama, befriending a 60 year old cousin named Sook. In A Christmas Memory, Capote recounts he and Sook making fruitcakes together. The sweet sentimental story is filled with childhood smiles and a touch of sadness even. One Christmas centers around a holiday Truman spent with his father - how different they were and yet how much he dearly loved his father. And The T...more
I was so happy to read this as one of my holiday reads. I love Truman Capote's writing style. It was a great read because it was told through a child's eyes which is just what you want to be looking through when it is the holiday season.
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Perfect little story about a Christmas with Capote, the child, and his not quite right cousin "Sook." They make fruicakes, drink whisky, and exchange gifts in rural, Depression-era Alabama. Bring a kleenex.
I really liked the three short stories. Capote's vivid descriptions evoked a nostalgia for the holidays of my childhood - although they were quite different from his.
Recommended.
Recommended.
First of all, I am so so so excited to spend the next couple of weeks reading! If there's one nice thing about being in school until you're 30, it's got to be the relief & joy of breaks.
On to the book: I'd never read any Capote; I just found this on one of Ben's shelves & thought it seasonally appropriate. Three autobiographical short stories, a quick read. They're sweet and well-written. All center around the same period of Capote's life, early elementary school, when he was best ...more
On to the book: I'd never read any Capote; I just found this on one of Ben's shelves & thought it seasonally appropriate. Three autobiographical short stories, a quick read. They're sweet and well-written. All center around the same period of Capote's life, early elementary school, when he was best ...more
This short three-story collection was a surprise -- in a good way. I was expecting that it would be somewhat sentimental (and I usually view that kind of designation pejoratively as I'm not necessarily a huge fan of what I categorize as "domestic" fiction), but I was surprised at how warm, charming, and subtly captivating it was. Capote writes, in these stories, in a way that kind of snuck up on me, and before I knew it, I was engrossed and engaged and even feeling nostalgia for a time...more
Nostalgia and sentimentality are woven together beautifully in this brief memoir by Truman Capote. Written in the mid-fifties before the peak of his acclaim and subsequent dissolution, this is a touching story of friendship and the memories of youth. In a simpler time and place the young Capote shares the essence of Christmas with his elder cousin. The story is a prime example of what William L. Nance in The Worlds of Truman Capote calls Capote's ''fiction of nostalgia," in which the author...more
You must read this book; I insist. It is a quick read. Capote's writing is beautiful and the stories will transport you. These are holiday stories but there is a tinge of sadness, but that's often how we feel around the holidays as we think of those who aren't with us or of others less fortunate than we. I loved this book and it filled me with joy becuase of the wonderful writing and the friendship between Capote and Miss Sook.
My mom's book group read "A Christmas Memory" and all RAVED about it, so I had to read it. THankfully I had a book of three short stories by Capote, including "ACM." In each of the three stories there is a much older cousin (I think in her sixties when Truman was 7 or 8) who was "like a child." She and "Buddy" (as she calls Capote) had a close and endearing relationship. He writes the way I wish I could.
Very enjoyable Christmas stories! I was a little leary about reading this since the only Capote I had read was In Cold Blood. I think the stories are somewhat autobiographical. They are full of sadness, joy and redemption. They point out how what seems awful can really be a blessing, and there are lessons to be learned everywhere. I recommend it for holiday reading. All three stories are very short and can be read quickly.
I had to read this for one of my book clubs. I had only read his In Cold Blood and Breakfast at Tiffany's so I had no idea what to expect. I liked the young boy's voice and his relationship with his older aunt who is his closest friend. I especially like how the three stories are all interconnected with the same characters. They are all simple stories which represent more complex issues.
These are great comfort stories. They make you feel warm and fuzzy inside. "Christmas Memory" and "One Christmas" are more vignettes than complete stories, but Truman Capote's childhood makes me think of Dill, the character inspired by Capote, in TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. Reading these stories felt like seeing an old friend again.
Of the three short stories, "The Thanksgiving Visitor" is the most poignant. In his reflections, Capote was able to recognize his own cha...more
Of the three short stories, "The Thanksgiving Visitor" is the most poignant. In his reflections, Capote was able to recognize his own cha...more
If you have never read this collection, it is truly very different from other Capote writings. These short stories are truly touching and evoke incidents we've all experienced in one way or another. The characters are memorable, and the stories touching. They could easily be read to a 10-11 year old. I will read them again.
A quick holiday read. I liked the touch of sadness amongst the excitement of the holidays. I think that is realistic for most people, especially a young boy separated from his parents. I especially liked Miss Sook and Capote's warm memories of their friendship.
Don't get me wrong, I love Capote and I love short stories.. I guess that's why I was expecting more from this collection. Out of the three stories I definitely enjoyed "The Thanksgiving Visitor" the most, and it's not because I hate Christmas, it just felt the most complete.
In these three short stories (memoirs), Capote paints a very realistic picture of holiday traditions in 1932 Alabama. The stories are humorous yet fulll of sentiment and emotion. I'm sure that I will read this little book again and again at this time of year.
The last time I read a Capote book was 1966 when In Cold Blood debuted. I found these 3 autobiographical short stories to be beautifully written. The friend that recommended these stories to me reads A Christmas Memory every December.
I read these stories every year. I read The Thanksgiving Visitor the day before Thanksgiving and read the other two on Christmas eve and day. I love Capote's style and the stories are so authentic and heartwarming without being cheesy or overwrought. This makes my fourth consecutive annual reading and I don't think I'll ever get tired of them.
These three super short stories work well as a collection. They are nostalgic without being sappy and have universal appeal without sacrificing depth and quality. A wonderful addition to your holiday library.
A small volume of three holiday themed short stories. All are autobiographical and set during the depression when Capote, as a very young boy, lived with relatives in Alabama. Very enjoyable.
I was interested in reading these 3 short stories of the author who wrote "In Cold Blood". It was interesting and at times very funny but I wish there was more. I kept thinking this could be so much like "A Long Way from Chicago or A Year Down Yonder" if only there was more.
A slim 3-short-story volume from Truman Capote to end 2011. Short and sweet. And who am I kidding, I wanted to add one more to my list for 2011.
The Christmas Memory was good, I didn't like the ending though, which was kind of abrupt after telling one week or less in full detail.
A glimpse into Capote's wonderful and strange childhood in the South. Capote was a gifted storyteller.
This classic should be read every year. It reminds me of my childhood holidays spent in rural Maine.
Both these books are so perfect it would be hard to choose. Sad and funny at the same time-- perfect books!
I first read this 12/06, but I love to go back and revisit "A Christmas Memory." To me it's a perfect story, so beautifully written and evocative. It's Truman Capote's reminiscence of being a seven-year-old boy in Alabama, living with a childlike elderly relative--his best friend. There’s a vivid sense of place and a clear portrait of a dearly loved relative. It’s easy to see the little boy in the writer and the writer in the little boy. My edition also contains "The Thanksgi...more
Three touching stories -
A very quick read - Worth reading
A very quick read - Worth reading
A delicious little holiday read -- sweet, bittersweet, and not sappy.
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Truman Capote was an American writer whose non-fiction, stories, novels and plays are recognised literary classics, including the novella Breakfast at Tiffany's (1958) and In Cold Blood (1965), which he labeled a "non-fiction novel." At least 20 films and TV dramas have been produced from Capote novels, stories and screenplays.
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