A Christmas Memory
Author: Truman Capote
Published by: Penguin Classics
Pages: 95
Format: Hardback
My Rating ★★★★
Published by: Penguin Classics
Pages: 95
Format: Hardback
My Rating ★★★★
Tender and bittersweet, these three interlinked stories, set in rural Alabama between the wars, are Truman Capote’s captivating tribute to the Christmas season.
Looking back on childhood Christmases oh his relatives’ sprawling farm, Buddy records his unlikely friendship with his beloved maiden ‘aunt’, Sook: foraging for pecans to bake into fruitcakes and greenery to decorate the house; rising before dawn to prepare feasts for a ragged assembly of family, farmhands and neighbours; making kites – too broke to buy gifts – to fly beneath crisp winter skies.
And he remembers how it was fair-minded, kind-natured Sook who comforted him when harsh realities – luckless parents, cruel classmates and the injustice of the adult world – intruded on this simple existence.
With her irrepressible sense of wonder and fun, Sook taught him the true meaning of good will. In. other stories, an unlikely festive miracle, of sorts, occurs at a local drugstore; and a lonely woman has a troubling encounter in wintry New York.
Looking back on childhood Christmases oh his relatives’ sprawling farm, Buddy records his unlikely friendship with his beloved maiden ‘aunt’, Sook: foraging for pecans to bake into fruitcakes and greenery to decorate the house; rising before dawn to prepare feasts for a ragged assembly of family, farmhands and neighbours; making kites – too broke to buy gifts – to fly beneath crisp winter skies.
And he remembers how it was fair-minded, kind-natured Sook who comforted him when harsh realities – luckless parents, cruel classmates and the injustice of the adult world – intruded on this simple existence.
With her irrepressible sense of wonder and fun, Sook taught him the true meaning of good will. In. other stories, an unlikely festive miracle, of sorts, occurs at a local drugstore; and a lonely woman has a troubling encounter in wintry New York.
My thoughts:
A Christmas Memory is a collection of short stories by Truman Capote. The majority of the stories are based on his memories of growing up in Alabama during the Depression era. Selected from across Capote’s writing life, the stories range from nostalgic portraits of childhood to more unsettling works that reveal the darkness beneath the festive glitter.
The first from 1956 reflects on it being ‘fruitcake weather’ and is one of the sweetest and most moving Christmas stories I have ever read. I was really emotional by the end. The stories that feature his elderly, unmarried cousin, Miss Sook, are the most touching of the collection, and by far my favourites.
Truman Capote’s writing is wonderful. You need to take your time to reading these stories in order to truly make the most of the experience. A Christmas Memory captures something incredibly precious and resonant. This is a very slim book, but the love that leaps from the pages is powerful and very touching.
This collection of festive short stories is the perfect antidote to the difficulties of 2020. Nobody writes like Capote. Beautifully written and totally captivating, this is a must. Humorous and heartfelt, it offers a heart-warming ending to what has been a strange year for us all and will make you feel ready for Christmas. I will certainly re-read several of these stories each Christmas and I love the cover of this Penguin Classics version.
Overall reaction:
A Christmas Memory is a collection of short stories by Truman Capote. The majority of the stories are based on his memories of growing up in Alabama during the Depression era. Selected from across Capote’s writing life, the stories range from nostalgic portraits of childhood to more unsettling works that reveal the darkness beneath the festive glitter.
The first from 1956 reflects on it being ‘fruitcake weather’ and is one of the sweetest and most moving Christmas stories I have ever read. I was really emotional by the end. The stories that feature his elderly, unmarried cousin, Miss Sook, are the most touching of the collection, and by far my favourites.
Truman Capote’s writing is wonderful. You need to take your time to reading these stories in order to truly make the most of the experience. A Christmas Memory captures something incredibly precious and resonant. This is a very slim book, but the love that leaps from the pages is powerful and very touching.
This collection of festive short stories is the perfect antidote to the difficulties of 2020. Nobody writes like Capote. Beautifully written and totally captivating, this is a must. Humorous and heartfelt, it offers a heart-warming ending to what has been a strange year for us all and will make you feel ready for Christmas. I will certainly re-read several of these stories each Christmas and I love the cover of this Penguin Classics version.
Overall reaction: