A Christmas Memory

This made a perfect little book for my mom to read during her "quiet times" during the holiday. She loved it and promises to pass it along to her daughters. Good read for the holidays. Short and sweet stories.

I absoutely love this book. I've read it over and over again and have given it as a gift many times. Told from the innocent view of a child, these stories are sure to live in your heart forever. The writing is amazing. . .

This book was received in good condition and in a timely manner. I have not had a chance to read the book, but I do plan to read it next December before Christmas. I really enjoy Truman Capote's work.

These stories are lovely and well worth reading. However they're all present in "The Complete Stories of Truman Capote" from the same publishing house for only 2$ more, which, wanting to read more, I realised a mere hour later, after reading the first two stories. I got the other book of course, and so spent 9.99$ on this for nothing! I should have taken more time perusing before doing my purchase but I was so excited to see Truman Capote books finally available for the Kindle.

What a pleasant surprise. My daughter brought it home from the library and I read it to her and I fell in love with it. Beautifully written. Skillful and thoughtful metaphors. I had such empathy for the characters that I cried at the end. It’s a story about a young boy who lives with a grandmother type figure who doesn’t exactly play by the rules and gets the other adults in the house upset but she’s just being herself and she creates a deep bond between herself and the child through their annual holiday traditions. She endearingly wants to buy him a bike but can’t afford so she makes him a kite and he loves it because he loves her. The story resonated me as it would with anyone who has traditions to bond with with children and perhaps can’t afford to buy them material items but the memories created together are priceless . It’s not easy for a child of 3rd-5th grade to read alone, but a great read aloud to a child. Even if you don’t have a child to read it to, I think adults would appreciate the sentiment more.

A Christmas Memory, One Christmas, & The Thanksgiving Visitor is full of southern charm and nostalgia. Capote settles a seven year-old Buddy and his elderly cousin and best friend, Miss Sook, in rural Alabama. Buddy and Miss Sook's innocence and love for each other warms your heart.

Miss Sook lives life simply. She has never ventured five miles from her home. She is "sixty something" but her and Buddy speak the same language. Buddy understands when she refers to chrysanthemums as lions. Her genuine heart also helps Buddy to see his arch enemy and town bully, Odd Henderson, in a better light. A short separation from Miss Sook to visit his father in New Orleans causes Buddy great anguish. Miss Sook, Buddy, and their rat terrier, Queenie, were a delightful trio.

Fruitcake weather, simple yet thoughtful Christmas gifts, and Thanksgiving traditions are all spoken of with such imagery in A Christmas Memory, One Christmas, & The Thanksgiving Visitor. A Christmas Memory, One Christmas, & The Thanksgiving Visitor are three short holiday stories that can be read for a "pick-me-up" any time of the year. This was not the Breakfast At Tiffany's or In Cold Blood Truman Capote but a Truman that is remembering his southern roots.

Three short stories by Truman Capote make for a wonderful read. The stories are a nice representation of Capote's sharp wit and clever usage of words, and draw on his childhood experiences. A Christmas Memory is by far the strongest of the three, followed by the Thanksgiving Visitor. All are enjoyable, but be aware the entire book can quite easily be read in one evening.

A Christmas Memory, One Christmas, & The Thanksgiving Visitor is full of southern charm and nostalgia. Capote settles a seven year-old Buddy and his elderly cousin and best friend, Miss Sook, in rural Alabama. Buddy and Miss Sook's innocence and love for each other warms your heart.

Miss Sook lives life simply. She has never ventured five miles from her home. She is "sixty something" but her and Buddy speak the same language. Buddy understands when she refers to chrysanthemums as lions. Her genuine heart also helps Buddy to see his arch enemy and town bully, Odd Henderson, in a better light. A short separation from Miss Sook to visit his father in New Orleans causes Buddy great anguish. Miss Sook, Buddy, and their rat terrier, Queenie, were a delightful trio.

Fruitcake weather, simple yet thoughtful Christmas gifts, and Thanksgiving traditions are all spoken of with such imagery in A Christmas Memory, One Christmas, & The Thanksgiving Visitor. A Christmas Memory, One Christmas, & The Thanksgiving Visitor are three short holiday stories that can be read for a "pick-me-up" any time of the year. This was not the Breakfast At Tiffany's or In Cold Blood Truman Capote but a Truman that is remembering his southern roots.

Three short stories by Truman Capote make for a wonderful read. The stories are a nice representation of Capote's sharp wit and clever usage of words, and draw on his childhood experiences. A Christmas Memory is by far the strongest of the three, followed by the Thanksgiving Visitor. All are enjoyable, but be aware the entire book can quite easily be read in one evening.

This small collection of three short stories will make you feel,well,dare I say it, good. There is no other word to describe it.Short,but packed with wonderful prose and imagery transmitted in a style and clarity that only Truman Capote could convey via the written word.Even in this form he excelled and must be considered one of America's great writers.Descriptions of his world as a child and use of imagery and language are what most writers only dream about.The stories are simple enough, have a common thread and can be read cover to cover in a few hours.The impression it will leave will stay with you.If you want a change of pace from Dickens this Christmas then read Capotes' contribution on his youthful memories. You won't be disappointed.They're solid,compact and will assault the senses like a Mack truck. So pour yourself a brandy or a hot chocolate and curl up in your comfy chair this holiday and read this forgotten, oft overlooked classic of literature.In these waning days of excess, sometimes having less, as Truman conveys in his stories, can mean so much more in the long run.Happy Holidays to all and to all a good night.

I love this book! Plain and simple. I always save it for the holiday season though and never read it at any other time. It's become a holiday tradition.
The three short stories all take place in holiday seasons during the depression and feature the same setting and characters, so they form a nice group for a single volume.
"A Christmas Memory" is my favorite short story ever. I've read it every Christmas for six or seven years now and I have the same powerful, emotional reaction every time. I smile, laugh, cry, and daydream about my own memories every time I read it. No other story affects me like this one, and I think everyone will see a little of themselves or their childhood somehwhere in these pages.
The other two stories are very well done. I'd probably rave about them much more if I could value each on its own merits, but they do get lost in the glare of "A Christmas Memory."
Excellent literary work, but I really value the beauty, simplicity, and truth in these stories. Highly recommended for a holiday evening with hot chocolate, a lit tree, and Xmas carols playing.

While as other reviewers have stated, these three stories unfailingly and unflinchingly touch the heart and celebrate the spirit in ways far too many holiday tales only aspire to, Capote's stories, like his longer finished works like IN COLD BLOOD, are also pure literary delights. The characters of Buddy, Miss Sook, Odd Henderson, and Buddy's New Orleans father are richly individual and fully realized, yet resonant of some of the most colorful characters in the vast and lovely muddy swamp of Southern literature. Capote has often been reviled as a dissipate, degenerate, and decadent social butterfly, but these tales show him to hold the highest moral standards, of such degree that his defamers could never mete. The appeal of his work is wide and varied. There is a bit of the Dickensian in his characters as well as echoes of Faulkner, Tenessee Williams, Flannery O'Connoer and his chum, Carson McCullers. Stylistically, if one listens carefully, Poe and Melville, even Hawthorne and Cooper, and especially Capote's beloved Proust ring through and true. Truly, a holiday treat. Read it annually.

Truman Capote does an amazing job of telling us three delightful stories of a young boy's favorite Christmas & Thanksgiving memories. Told with the candor and innocence that only a child can hold, you'll fall in love with Buddy and his favorite Aunt Sook. Buddy's love and affection for his dear Aunt Sook are evidenced in how he refers to her throughtout the stories...always calling her "my friend." Buddy & Sook will feel like your friends too! Plagued by a painful childhood and seemingly drawn on Capote's own life, Buddy is the victim of his parent's bitter divorce and custody battle and ends up living with his spinster aunts & hermit like uncle. It is during his time living here, that he recalls some of his most cherished memories. You'll remember the troubles of your youth as well as be amazed at this young boy's insightfulness. A great holiday tradition would be to re-read this book once a year.

Perhaps there are too many similarities with my own childhood in LA (if you do not know, that's Lower Alabama), but so much of it will be heart warming and identifying for many. Story 1: The love between a young boy and his geriatric primary care giver through the Thanksgiving- Christmas season. Story 2: The young boy visits his estranged father in New Orleans, who incidentally appears to be the male protagonist to Holly Golightly (Breakfast at Tiffany's). Perhaps a little fantasy on Truman's part here, as Holly appears to be his Mother. (Sorry, I'm buying B @ T tonight). And Story 3: the bully from school is invited to Thanksgiving. All are excellent and highly recommended. I could never understand why Truman was so frequently seen on the talk shows (Merv, Dick Cavett etc as I grew up.) I am now infatuated and will probably read all of his works. Buy It!

A Christmas Memory

Each Christmas for the last 5 or 6, I am taken back to a two hundred year old home in CT, where I first heard Sister Cassidy read aloud to us A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote. To say read aloud is not quite right, for when you are surrounded by sepia toned pictures, large floral throws, sipping hot cocoa with goodies to munch, and the reader, who could be the main character herself and all ready has a lilt to her words, you know you are in for a delightful memorable experience. Of course we all know that the best Christmas gifts are not in satin tied cellophane, for they are as Capote remembers, time spent with loved ones, memories of kite flying, and cousins like Sook, who may give you a "dime wrapped in toilet paper." This story is a wonderful remembrance.

This book is my favorite gift to give.

The three stories in this little book--it's a hardback only slightly bigger than a paperback, and barely 100 pages--are skilfully told and charming; all are based on Capote's southern childhood. "A Christmas Memory" is the most straightforwardly nostalgic, told in the present tense, and covering the Christmas rituals the narrator, a little boy, shares with Miss Sook Faulk, an eccentric little old lady who appears in all three of these tales. The narrator of "One Christmas" is six years old and the child of divorced parents. He travels to New Orleans by bus to spend Christmas with his father, and the story is about his coming to terms with reality, as much as he can. The third story, "The Thanksgiving Visitor", is the tale of how Miss Sook invited the school bully to Thanksgiving dinner one year, and what happened.
All three are perfectly formed short stories. The first two are sad, or at least nostalgic; the third, the longest of them, is surprisingly upbeat. Capote was witty, precise and talented, and these three stories are a wonderful showcase for his talents. Recommended.

I never thought of Capote as a writer of books for children, then I picked up A Christmas Memory, One Christmas, & Thanksgiving Visitor. What a delicious treat! If you have anyone in your life who likes to read, you can't go wrong with this trilogy. It will transport you back to childhood immediately... a childhood where family holidays meant weeks of excitment and preparation, and where Christmas sent your heart pounding with such delight you thought you would burst with happiness! A book which you would be proud to give to your parents, grandparents, young children, and even those teenagers that you can't get to read anything more important than a fashion magazine! This book is on my "most treasured" book list. It stresses Family, Faith, Friendship, Country, and most of all, kindness. Highly recommended.

E. Perry

I read "Children on their Birthdays" twenty years ago. I found so many peculiar characters in the story, but they were all innocent. Also I felt a small dusty town in the south. Peculiar, innocent, and dusty−they still impress on me. Three stories of literary calendar−two Christmas stories and one Thanksgiving in this book also take on peculiarity and innocence. Old cousins, dogs, and bullies they are all innocent. And so was Capote. However, I never found "dusty", but "breezy" in these stories. Capote is one of Haruki Murakami's favorite authors, and he translated some Capote's stories into Japanese. He translated them so good that we sometimes notice his original stories and his translation indistinguishable from one another.

This book was given to me last year by my dearest book friend and I read it right away and loved every page. As the holiday season approached us again this year, I was very upset because I could not find this book but when I unpacked my decorations, there is was. I was so grateful to see this collection, I sat down and re-read it and treasured it just as much the second time around.

The three stories in this collection are about Buddy as a child remembering very important times in his life and the people or person who made them special.

It is very refreshing to read stories about a simpler time and the true meaning of love and friendship. Share this book with someone you love.

CAPOTE DRAWS THE READER IN WITHIN A FEW SHORT PARAGRAPHS . EACH CHARACTER IS CLEARLY DRAWN AND THE READER GETS TO KNOW "BUDDY" AS A CHILD AND AS HE MATURES INTO ADOLESCENCE. HE IS
SELF-SUFFICIENT, CLEVER AND LOYAL. WHEN HE IS "BULLYED" IN JUNIOR HIGH THE READER CAN IDENTIFY
THE WITH BUDDY'S DILEMMA. THE SOLUTION - INVITE HIM FOR THANKSGIVING DINNER ALLOWS BUDDY TO
SEE REVENGE WHICH HE LATER REGRETS. WHEN WE FINALLY MEET BUDDY'S PARENTS WE BETTER
UNDERSTAND HIM BOTH AS A CHILD, A TEENAGER AND AN ADULT.
CAPOTE'S STYLE OF WRITING DRAWS IN THE READER AS NOT ONE EXTRA WORD IS USED AND IN THESE STORIES WE EXPERIENCE , LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP TWO UNIVERSAL ASPECTS OF ALL OUR LIVES.

"A Christmas Memory, One Christmas, & The Thanksgiving Visitor" are a wonderful trio of short stories, combined into a lovely book. Truman Capote wrote my favorite book, "The Grass Harp," so I was looking forward to these three stories and I was not let down. Each story is full of warmth, love, and has a moral within them. If you're looking for a new holiday story, then you must read these stories. I recommend.

Truman Capote is the champion of the human heart in these tales of childhood memories that echo the spirit of love and celebration that we all wish for and find in these pages. Keep this volume on your bookshelf to warm the hearts of yourself and your loved ones throughout the year, and especially during those times that we rejoice in the love we have for one another.

"The Thanksgiving Visitor" was an absolute treasure. Beautiful, wistful writing, quite clearly evoking the time (1932) and the place (rural Alabama). "A Christmas Memory" also just beautiful. Not as long as the former, but dense-packed with wonderful imagery. I never knew Capote could write so well.

I grew up about 45 miles from Monroeville Ala, where Truman Capote lived with his Aunt Sook. This story more accurately portrays the kind of Christmas we had at our home. We were poor, but Christmas was always a time of real family feelings.We did not get many gifts. We made most of our gifts and decorations as they did in "A Christmas Memory." My mother made fruit cakes and they were the highlight of our Christmas season. My favorite part is when Aunt Sook goes to the frosted window and announces"its fruit cake weather,Buddy"
Any one who was a child in the late 40's or 50's and who grew up in the country should own a copy of this book.
Paul H Story (Grew up in Ramer Alabama)

I just have to add my two cents. "A Christmas Memory" is perhaps the most lovely short story I've ever read. Each time I read the final paragraphs I cry. If you know someone who appreciates fine literature, buy them this volume for Christmas, it will be the gift they will treasure most.

I do love these people. I had a Miss Sook too and she taught me to be kind. I gave this book to my new daughter-in-law who really does like to bake and eat fruitcake, and does not use them for doorstops.
Miss Sook and Buddy are very real to me. I am tired of what goes for good writing these days. I gratefully pick up Mr. Capote's books when I need to read lovely words. I sit down, turn off the phone, and have some PEACE as I read these stories. Raise a glass to Miss Sook and Truman Capote, wherever they may be, and they are somewhere good. You have to be somewhere, you can't be nowhere. Cheers.

This was my first taste of Truman Capote away from Breakfast at Tiffany's, and I have to admit that I was blown away by these stories. Rarely does a story pull at my heart strings anymore, but these stories practically left me in tears. Incredibly moving.

Last year and this year I purchased this exact edition (which is the best because it includes three holiday short stories by Mr. Capote) at my local bookstore in San Francisco. It only cost me $15! I don't know why the store has no other copies available. Try another source.

I read the story, A Christmas Memory for the first time in Jr. High School some twenty-five years ago. A few weeks ago, some friends and I were talking about great short stories and Truman Capote's name to the forfront of my mind as I remembered this sad little story . Reading it again, I felt akin to Mr. Capote, being brought back to a time in my own life that was alittle slower and more innocent. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to read...

Three very touching short stories by Capote that are sure to bring back memories of your own childhood in some way or another. Capote has the power to somehow make everyone relate to his experiences in a way some authors can't. So good that I own the book and "A Christmas Memory" makes me cry every time I read it...every single time. Touching stories about how little his family had but how much he was loved by Sook and how happy that love made him. Great book!

A Christmas Memory:

A short little story about seven year old Buddy and her sixty-something year old cousin. They live together and often conspire together. They are each others best friends. They scrounge up money all year long in order to buy the ingredients to make fruitcakes for friends and acquaintances. This was a very simplistic short story. Not bad per se, but not really entertaining either.

One Christmas:

A short story about the original Buddy, a little boy, and a Christmas that he was forced to spend with his father. Buddy has been raised by Mrs. Sook in Alabama whole life and has little to do with either of his parents. Thus, when he has to travel to New Orleans to spend Christmas with his father, he is unhappy.

If you liked Breakfast at Tiffany's and In Cold Blood you may like this as well, but I don't think so.
Capote once again shows that he is a very capable prose writer, but its the subject matter that turns me off. Its a very sweet story (think sugar coma) about a young boy visiting with his grandmother to make pies. That's about it.
If you like your books with more substance than that, go read Breakfast at Tiffany's or In Cold Blood.