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A Christmas Memory, One Christmas, & The Thanksgiving Visitor (1996)

by Truman Capote(Favorite Author)

4.23 of 5 Votes: 5

languge

English

genre

Memoir & Autobiography

publisher

Random House

review 1: These are such lovely--and lovingly told--stories. Strangely enough, the only work by Capote I had previously encountered was "In Cold Blood," which is written in a very different style. The author's delicate touch in these largely autobiographical works was thus a revelation for me. The three stories also introduced me to the memorable character of Miss Sook Faulk, the elderly and childlike cousin who was the best friend of the very young "Buddy" (Capote himself). Sook is indelibly etched; the description of her apparel alone is beautifully evocative. It's so tragic that Capote's life and writing career simply sputtered out too early. He had a vast talent, but so many demons obviously inhabited his head.
review 2: A Christmas Memory is told as a 7 year o... moreld ,who lived with assorted relatives in a big old house .He and his cousin Sook, who was in her 60's ,and had never grown up "mentally", were best friends. They did everything together . He tells of his memories with her and their pet dog Queenie, who always tagged along .He tells of them earning money in any way possible to buy ingredients to make 40 fruitcakes each year to give as gifts to friends and family. He tells of cutting down the tree and dragging it home on the sled, decorating it with handmade ornaments .They were poor, but so were most people during the Depression. You can tell Truman loved Sook with all his heart and she loved him the same .A few lines in the story brought tears to my eyes, as I have the same feeling of closeness with my Grandson . I was there the day he was born. I cared for him every day til he started school ,and he spends every weekend with us .HE is my best friend .Only he can make me laugh when times get bad ,and I hope I've always been there for him when he has bad times too .The following lines were the real tear-jerkers : Sook -- "Seems like your hand used to be so much smaller . I guess I hate to see you grow up. When you're grown up ,will we still be friends ? I say "Always " .Sentences like these are why Truman Capote is an all time favorite of mine. His words are magical .One Christmas This story is bittersweet ,as it tells of a Christmas when Truman's father insisted on having Truman spend Christmas with him . His parents had a marriage that lasted a year . His mom was 16, his dad ,28. They divorced and both had multiple marriages afterwards. They both went their separate ways, leaving Truman in the care of his mother's family.His dad married many times, all elderly rich widows ,so he lived fairly well off on their money. His mother went to New York ,married a rich man ,and killed herself 30 years later .Truman was never close to either one, and his Chistmas with his dad went pretty badly. His dad tried so hard to make Christmas special, but Truman wasn't close to his dad .The last day he was there his dad got drunk and tried to force Truman to tell him he loved him. As his dad got angrier, Truman became more afraid of his dad .All he wanted was to go back home. He told of the bus ride home .how he felt a crushing pain that hurt everywhere. He said : " in a way , the pain has never left him " .Such a sad story, a dad trying so hard to make up for lost time, but a boy who couldn't love a parent he didn't know and wasn't raised withWhen Truman got home, his cousin Sook told him the right thing to do was to write a postcard to his dad, thanking him for the Christmas .At the end of the story : "That same postcard exists today . It was found in my father's safety deposit box when he died last year ."The Thanksgiving VisitorThis is the longest of the 3 stories ,and tells of a Thanksgiving when Truman was a schoolboy . He was bullied that year by a much bigger boy that bullied everyone at one time or another. Truman's cousin Sook made him invite the Bully to Thanksgiving Dinner . This is the story of whether the bully attended and what happened as a result. It also gives you some words of wisdom at the end , so it's a good story too .A lot of Truman's stories with his elderly relatives remind me of my Grandma's house. She was very elderly as I was growing up and always had lots of other family to visit when we went . She also had a brother who was somewhat like Sook. He had been brain-damaged at birth, being a 10 pound baby and hos mother (my great-grandma) being very tiny. They both almost died . Anyhow , he was my Great Uncle Harold , but was always fun to hang out with ,as he was like a little kid too. He loved going to the store to buy candy with us .Truman's descriptions of all the home-made food reminded me of my Grandma's house ,too .What else can I say ? Truman is a Gem . His stories really touch me . 5/5 .of course !!! less

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