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A Christmas Memory
First published in 1956, this much sought-after autobiographical recollection of Truman Capote's rural Alabama boyhood has become a modern-day classic. We are proud to be reprinting this warm and delicately illustrated edition of A Christmas Memory--"a tiny gem of a holiday story" (School Library Journal, starred review). Seven-year-old Buddy inaugurates the Christmas seas...more
Hardcover, 48 pages
Published
October 10th 2006
by Knopf Books for Young Readers
(first published 1956)
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I am always looking for books to read in the upcoming Christmas season. I saw this book in a catalog, and thought I would read it first from the library. I'm glad I saved my money and did not buy it.
While beautifully written it is a terribly sad and tragic book, not one that I would want to bring out from year to year and read over again. Perhaps a better title would have been "A Christmas memory -- some sweet but alot bitter and unhappy". It is largely autobiographic...more
While beautifully written it is a terribly sad and tragic book, not one that I would want to bring out from year to year and read over again. Perhaps a better title would have been "A Christmas memory -- some sweet but alot bitter and unhappy". It is largely autobiographic...more
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I can remember first hearing this story read to me when I was in 5th grade. The reader broke down crying, which even at a young age, struck me how emotionally powerful this story remains. It's my favorite Christmas tradition - every Christmas Eve, when I finally retire, I take my worn copy of Capote's A Christmas Memory, snuggle into bed, and transport to a different time. I have an old video of A Christmas Memory narrated by Capote, so I continue to hear his distinct high-pitched voice speak...more
I first heard A Christmas Memory on the radio sometime in the 1970's, read by Truman Capote. I was caught and held at once by the eerie quality of his voice, and as I listened to his words, it seemed to me that his voice was the only possible medium through which this southern-gothic Christmas tale could be properly rendered. His voice, the story: all of a piece; yet the written form allows me a langorous repetition of some of his most beautiful sentences. Nothing quite like it.
Nice short read over the Christmas season. A great part comes toward the end when the main character is flying kites with his elderly friend. The friend says, "My, how foolish I am! You know what I've always thought? I've always thought a body would have to be sick and dying before they saw the Lord. And I imagined that when He came it would be like looking at the Baptist window: pretty as colored glass with the sun pouring through, such a shine you don't know it's getting dark. And it...more
When I was in my junior year of high school, my English teacher Mrs. O'Brien brought this book in one day. She sat on the edge of her desk, and she held up a well worn copy of it, and told us that each year before Thanksgiving she reads the entire book (there are three novellas included). Then she proceeded to read to us. We were mesmerized. She read that entire period, and we all had tears in our eyes as she read "A Christmas Memory". The next day, we filed in, she sat on her des...more
“Oh my…it’s fruitcake weather!” begins this story in a homey little kitchen in rural Alabama. Seven-year-old Buddy and his dotty, 60-something cousin begin their Christmas fruitcake-baking ritual foraging for windfall pecans in a nearby grove.
Based on memories from Truman Capote’s childhood where he lived with a family of distant, elderly cousins. This story has Deep South written all over it, from the blackberry jelly, to the fig branches, the moonshine whiskey, the flies in Augus...more
Based on memories from Truman Capote’s childhood where he lived with a family of distant, elderly cousins. This story has Deep South written all over it, from the blackberry jelly, to the fig branches, the moonshine whiskey, the flies in Augus...more
Truman Capote's A Christmas Memory is a short, beautifully written story by one of my favorite authors. It's about the relationship between a woman in the latter years of her life and a boy just starting out. It is, according to the book jacket notes, “based on Capote's own boyhood in rural Alabama in the 1930's.” The edition I read was illustrated by Beth Peck. The pictures are as wonderful as the text.
Here is how Capote introduces the relationship between the woman and the boy:...more
Here is how Capote introduces the relationship between the woman and the boy:...more
"It's fruitcake weather Buddy!" I read this only this past month after reading a review for it which said that it was a classic that always made them "realisitically nostalgic." I was looking for good books to add to my list that is already too long when that phrase stuck out. I had already read Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood," and knew him to be a writer I liked so I decided to put it on my list. Normally, I read my books in the order I get them, but since the book...more
A Christmas Memory
by Truman Capote
Book Review by Jay Gilbertson
Initially I was all set to review Olive Kitteridge but then I realized, this is the Christmas season and what book is more fitting than A Christmas Memory?
This wonderfully written short story (we’re talking an afternoon read here) is one that no one should pass by. Not only have I read this many times, I’ve dis...more
by Truman Capote
Book Review by Jay Gilbertson
Initially I was all set to review Olive Kitteridge but then I realized, this is the Christmas season and what book is more fitting than A Christmas Memory?
This wonderfully written short story (we’re talking an afternoon read here) is one that no one should pass by. Not only have I read this many times, I’ve dis...more
This is a sensitive and intricate rendering of a life memory--a story Capote has carried with him throughout his whole life. A memoir, the book recounts Capote's memories of one special holiday Christmas, spent with his elderly cousin whom he lived with "as long as I can remember." The young Capote refers to his cousin as "my friend", and she, in turn, calls him "Buddy". Their relationship is whole enduring; it transcends vast differences of age and circumstance. Th...more
This is one of the most beautiful stories I've ever read. A little slice of Truman Capote's past served up warm and delicious, just in time for the holidays.
This is the story of Capote's beloved cousin Sook, and the years that he (Buddy in the story) spent living with her as a young boy. She's a little daft, but has a heart of gold, and is one of those rare breeds who is a giver instead of a taker.
They don't have much money for the holidays, but Buddy and Sook make a game...more
This is the story of Capote's beloved cousin Sook, and the years that he (Buddy in the story) spent living with her as a young boy. She's a little daft, but has a heart of gold, and is one of those rare breeds who is a giver instead of a taker.
They don't have much money for the holidays, but Buddy and Sook make a game...more
I read this short story every year before Christmas, and every year, without fail, I cry. It's the story of a young boy and his aged relative and their annual adventure into the making of fruitcakes. For whom? For "people who've struck our fancy."
But it's more than a story about making fruitcake, it's a story about a boy who needs a caring relative in the midst of a whole lot of uncaring ones, and about their relationship as outcasts in that family.
But it's more than a story about making fruitcake, it's a story about a boy who needs a caring relative in the midst of a whole lot of uncaring ones, and about their relationship as outcasts in that family.
This is one of my favorite Holiday books. There was a TV version of it done in 1966 with Geraldine Paige which was excellent. A newer version was done in 1997 with Patty Duke which doesn't even compare. If you ever get a chance to see the first version , it is excellent.
What's so beautiful about this little book is its radiant nostalgia. Most well-read people know what Truman Capote was like as an adult. Jaded, cynical, sarcastic, self-serving... Here we meet lonely little boy that was in him all along.
An autobiographical memoir, this tells of the friendship between the seven-year-old “Buddy” and the eccentric sixty-something distant cousin with whom he lives (among other, less fun, more grown-up relatives). The pair’s affection is displayed in their Christmas traditions. Poor in money and with only each other for friendship, they collect money from the rest of the household by killing flies, bake fruitcakes, trek for miles on foot to cut a tree, and exchange meaningful homemade gifts.
...more
...more
What a sweet story of two unlikely friends: a seven year old boy and an older woman. Together, they make a bunch of fruitcakes to give away and enjoy the simplicity of Christmas morning.
My favorite part: "My, how foolish I am!" my friend cries, suddenly alert, like a woman remembering too late she has biscuits in the oven. "You know what I've always thought?" she asks in a tone of discovery and not smiling at me but a point beyond. "I've always thought a bod...more
My favorite part: "My, how foolish I am!" my friend cries, suddenly alert, like a woman remembering too late she has biscuits in the oven. "You know what I've always thought?" she asks in a tone of discovery and not smiling at me but a point beyond. "I've always thought a bod...more
"My, how foolish I am! You know what I've always thought? I've always thought a body would have to be sick and dying before they saw the Lord. And I imagined that when He came it would be like looking at the Baptist window: pretty as colored glass with the sun pouring through, such a shine you don't know it's getting dark. And it's been a comfort: to think of that shine taking away all the spooky feeling. But I'll wager it never happens. I'll wager at the very end a body realizes the Lord h...more
a VERY short, sweet Christmas read. I don't usually go for Christmas books, but my mom does, and knowing this was Capote, I had to make sure it was something her tender heart could handle. despite the sad ending, almost an afterword, I think she will. She grasps the beauty in life the same way his "friend" in the book seems to. I think this memory of his is a testament to the power of some sweet and innocent souls to rise above the things that surround them and see only the joy and be...more
This tears me up every time- I read it first in 9th grade but every now and then I read it again. It's so sad...when they're making the cakes...
I saw a whole new side of Truman Capote after reading this story. Before this, like a lot of people, I only knew him from reading "In Cold Blood". The soul of this story is tender and beautiful and after reading it I am in love with his writing. It came in a book of the author's short stories and the way this man uses words, the way he puts common words together, they form wonderful word pictures. I'm convinced that words can be "eye candy" and I can't wait to get more of it....more
We read this one aloud every Christmas. I was fortunate enough to be in the audience at Van Meter Auditorium as Mr. Capote read this memoir. "It's fruitcake weather!" Put something sweet to bake in the oven and curl up by the fire with a box of tissues. Read this book aloud and sample each delicious sentence slowly. It's all there: goodness and meanness, mystery, yearning and so much love. Don't forget to take your goodies out of the oven and get some milk to go with whatever yo...more
I read this almost every year during the holidays. It is a small book and includes "The Thanksgiving Visitor" as well as "A Christmas Memory."
The story is considered to be mostly autobiographical, and that is part of its appeal to me. It is filled with lovely memories of Buddy and his much older cousin Sook, and their holiday traditions.
It is also bittersweet, as it addresses how time and life change our relationships, even those we hold most dear.
...more
The story is considered to be mostly autobiographical, and that is part of its appeal to me. It is filled with lovely memories of Buddy and his much older cousin Sook, and their holiday traditions.
It is also bittersweet, as it addresses how time and life change our relationships, even those we hold most dear.
...more
I remember watching the PBS special based on this short story years ago starring Geraldine Page. As an English teacher, I read it with my sophomore English classes. Everytime, my heart would ache and my breath would catch at the simplicity of the story and the pure emotion at the very heart of the memory. Last night, I read the picture book version to my 8-year-old daughter. I am not sure she fully understood the beauty of the story, but I am hopeful she will come to recognize it for what it...more
This was a lovely touching story of the friendship between a seven year old boy and a distant cousin of his, a childlike woman in her sixties. They live in a household with other relatives but the two of them share a special bond as they make fruitcakes together, chop down and decorate their Christmas tree, and fly kites together. This is largely autobiographical and takes place in the thirties in small town Alabama. Capote's writing beautifully evokes the period as do the illustrations by Beth ...more
A Christmas Memory was my first Truman Capote book and I'm now wondering why I have never read one of his books before. Capote is a magnificent writer with the ability to make the reader a part of the story without being too wordy or descriptive. Each story in A Christmas Memory (there are 3) was captivating and left me feeling the emotion that Capote probably felt at the time. A very enthusiastic 5 starts for this one! I recommend this book for all readers -- it's quick, inspiring and power...more
Jeff
rated it
Recommends it for:
ANYBODY who disagrees w/the following statement "All stories must be happy"
Recommended to Jeff by:
KDP
Shelves:
2011
What a great short story and a nice little read, especially perfect for any non-pollyanna and even more especially for the day after Christmas.
But how is it that (as of Dec 26, 2011) the topmost and presumably most frequently read Goodreads review has a 1-star rating when of the ~2300 ratings for this book only NINE are 1 star?! It's a bizarre first impression for Goodreadsters and it ought to be remedied, if you axe me (but you didn't; sorry).
Must every Xmas story be "...more
But how is it that (as of Dec 26, 2011) the topmost and presumably most frequently read Goodreads review has a 1-star rating when of the ~2300 ratings for this book only NINE are 1 star?! It's a bizarre first impression for Goodreadsters and it ought to be remedied, if you axe me (but you didn't; sorry).
Must every Xmas story be "...more
Mike
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Anyone
Recommended to Mike by:
Mr. and Mrs. R.H. McConnell, beloved grandparents
Perhaps I should say this is not so much the review of a book, but the response "A Christmas Memory" still draws from me each year when I read it. Perhaps it is just a simple statement of the preciousness of memory and the gift it brings us to keep things alive within us, though those things have been gone from us for many years.
Things. Toys, books, friends, parents, lovers, spouses, children. What would we do without the gift of memory? How would we survive? Without it...more
Things. Toys, books, friends, parents, lovers, spouses, children. What would we do without the gift of memory? How would we survive? Without it...more
This autobiographical novella is a wonderful, touching story of family love. Capote is at the peak of his writing ability here. Our hearts embrace Buddy and Sookie. The date listed is when our book club discussed it, but I've had this book for ages and I read it every December on my birthday.
Update: December 2010
This autobiographical story is based on Capote’s own childhood, living with relatives in Alabama. It’s a memory of the innocence of childhood and the anticipation of somet...more
Update: December 2010
This autobiographical story is based on Capote’s own childhood, living with relatives in Alabama. It’s a memory of the innocence of childhood and the anticipation of somet...more
This story was tucked into a version of Breakfast at Tiffany's I read years ago. I know some reviewers have commented on the sadness of it-and it is very sad in places-but whatever you do, don't let that dissuade you from seeking this story out. It's also funny in places and may be the greatest thing Capote ever wrote. It tells the depression era story of a boy named Buddy who is largely neglected by his relatives. Luckily, he has an older female relative who is an outcast herself and their uniq...more
I've seen Truman Capote's short story A Christmas Memory in the Chinaberry catalog for a couple of years now, but didn't actually pick it up until readers of Seven Impossible Things for Breakfast mentioned it recently. I have to thank both Chinaberry and the 7-imp readers...once again, you did not steer me wrong.
Truman Capote (author of Breakfast at Tiffany's and In Cold Blood) wrote A Christmas Memory in 1956, and it's a beautiful story about the friendship between a 7 year old boy ...more
Truman Capote (author of Breakfast at Tiffany's and In Cold Blood) wrote A Christmas Memory in 1956, and it's a beautiful story about the friendship between a 7 year old boy ...more
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| Capote's Memory | 1 | 10 | Dec 13, 2007 05:55am |
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.
He was born as Truman Streckfus Persons to a sale...more
More about Truman Capote...
He was born as Truman Streckfus Persons to a sale...more
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“It's bad enough in life to do without something YOU want; but confound it, what gets my goat is not being able to give somebody something you want THEM to have.”
—
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“My, how foolish I am! You know what I've always thought? I've always thought a body would have to be sick and dying before they saw the Lord. And I imagined that when He came it would be like looking at the Baptist window: pretty as colored glass with the sun pouring through, such a shine you don't know it's getting dark. And it's been a comfort: to think of that shine taking away all the spooky feeling. But I'll wager it never happens. I'll wager at the very end a body realizes the Lord has already shown Himself. That things as they are, just what they've always seen, was seeing Him. As for me, I could leave the world with today in my eyes.”
—
2 people liked it
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