خاطرهای از کریسمس از کارهای مهم و کلاسیک ترومن کاپوتی است. مجموعهای از سه داستان که دو شخصیت اصلی آن ثابت هستند؛ پسرکی هفتساله که شباهت زیادی به...
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Dec 27, 2011
Rebecca
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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...
Mar 31, 2011
Shannon
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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
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Jan 23, 2012
Cherry
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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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Feb 13, 2012
Brandi
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This collection of stories is, hands down, the best set of holiday stories ever written by an American or otherwise. Even better than Dickens' Christmas Carol and Louisa May Alcott's many Christams shorts.
In particular, A Christmas Memory is so wonderful. When I think of one author I would like to emulate (aside from F. Scott Fitzgerald) it would be Capote...and all because of this story. He really knows how to capture childhood without sounding like a reminiscent adult. His prose is gorgeo More...
In particular, A Christmas Memory is so wonderful. When I think of one author I would like to emulate (aside from F. Scott Fitzgerald) it would be Capote...and all because of this story. He really knows how to capture childhood without sounding like a reminiscent adult. His prose is gorgeo More...
Jan 23, 2012
Mary
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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.
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Feb 11, 2012
Jquist
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One morning during the Christmas Holidays, before I even got out of bed, I picked up this book. I didn't get up until I had finished it! These 3 short stories took me back to my Alabama roots. My mother was the same age as Truman Capote and grew up in the same area that he writes about. When he describes the landscape, the houses and the characters I am there....the places and people are familiar to me. The day I read this book was a good day. BTW-I read the Modern Library Version that I didn't
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Dec 18, 2011
Marcie
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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...
Jan 23, 2012
Yanchovy
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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
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Jan 23, 2012
James
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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
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Feb 25, 2011
Becky
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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.
Dec 22, 2011
Amy
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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.
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Dec 18, 2011
Theresa
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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.
Nov 28, 2008
Kelly
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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.
Apr 10, 2009
Lisa
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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...
Jan 26, 2011
Karen
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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.
Nov 24, 2011
Andi
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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.
Nov 18, 2010
Earline
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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.
Nov 27, 2008
Jean
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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.
Jan 12, 2009
Gretchen
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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.
Dec 28, 2011
Nicki
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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.
Dec 23, 2010
Nichelle
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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.
Dec 13, 2008
CarolAnn
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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.
Dec 31, 2011
Jessica
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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.
Sep 29, 2010
Flora
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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.
Dec 30, 2011
Gábor
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A glimpse into Capote's wonderful and strange childhood in the South. Capote was a gifted storyteller.
Nov 02, 2009
George
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Both these books are so perfect it would be hard to choose. Sad and funny at the same time-- perfect books!
Jan 23, 2012
Kristine
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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
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