|
Our Simple Gifts: Civil War Christmas Tales | 
 enlarge | Author: Owen Parry
Publisher: William Morrow
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
Buy New: $14.55
You Save: $0.40 (3%)
New (1) Used (10) from $2.98
Rating:  14 reviews
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 160
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.3 x 5.5 x 0.7
ISBN: 0060013788
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780060013783
Publication Date: October 2002
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: From the Museum of the Confederacy (stamp inside) Bookmark inside reproduction of a confederate note. Unique, Mint, gift quality!
Tell A Friend
| |
| Also Available In:
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
A Union officer struggles homeward through a Christmas Eve snowstorm, haunted by loss and doubtful of the future. Paroled from a brutal prison camp, a young southern soldier yearns to find the one person he loves most in the world -- and worries over the devastation rumored to have reached his family's mountain. An immigrant private plans a startling Christmas surprise for his comrades. And a newly freed slave must choose between the desire for revenge and his longing to be a better man than his master . . . From northern colliery towns to ruined Old South plantations and the divided loyalties of the Appalachian Mountains, Owen Parry casts his storyteller's spell with a collection of unforgettable tales celebrating the enduring spirit of Christmas. Moving from darkness toward the light in the grand tradition of holiday tales, these stories are bound to become classics of the American yuletide season. Whether whispering an old-fashioned Christmas ghost story or reminding us that not all who suffered war's losses wore uniforms, the author always leads us back to the joyous beauty -- the miracle -- of Christmas. Moving and heartfelt, Our Simple Gifts revives the tradition of Christmas tales for grown-ups. As quietly as snow falls on holly, these Civil War Christmas tales will insist on being read again, year after year.
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 9 more reviews...
Wonderful! December 12, 2005
History Buff (Vermont)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
What else is there to say? Those familiar with Mr. Parry's work will recognize the great "voices" he creates and the way the book's world wraps you up like a cozy blanket. If you're not already a Parry fan, just pick this up for a quick, delicious taste. Like sneaking some of the Christmas fixin's before the feast, and you'll want to have more.
 SATISFYING May 3, 2005
Sandy Rhoad (Branchville, SC United States)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This little book will take you back before Christmas became an event that starts in October and is a money and advertizing glitz headache. It will transport you to a time when people thought Christmas greetings and a warming drink to celebrate the day with friends was enough. No matter what time of day you read it you will find yourself lost in another era and wish it was now. A short book - just an hour or so read that will instill your faith in humanity again. Please take the time to read.
Adult Christmas Tales January 13, 2005
Andrew Wong (Sacramento, CA USA)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Having just finished this book, I'm left with an impression tht Owen Parry has done it again. He is a master craftsman at writing. Having other books of his, under his real name, I'm struck by his Civil War era stories like this work. They reveal a lyrical and poetic side of him that I'm surprised and impressed with.
These Christmas tales are not intended for children, just like the bookflap said. In the flashbacks, there are enough hints of violence to leave the reader the knowledge that Christmas isn't the day to read this aloud to children. When they getter older and wiser, they'll appreciate what these stories mean.
The four stories contained in this book are full of what Christmas is all about: forgiveness, love, charity, and faith. Family is all important and no matter what emotional baggage and hurts, slights, and grievances there are, for one day at least, all of that is put aside.
I look forward to his next collection of Civil Christmas stories.
A New O. Henry November 28, 2004
Robert Roser (Stafford, VA USA)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
This little book has a wealth of imagery and stories of amazing death. Owen Parry is a modern O. Henry with these stories reminding me of his Christmas tales. Some of the writing also reminds me of Dylan Thomas, but not overwhelmingly so. All those people who think that only talking about religion and faith and not acting it (like the current occupant of the White House) should read this and hopefully learn something from it.
A Modern Christmas Carol February 12, 2003
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
In his other persona, Owen Parry is a prominent retired army officer who writes brilliantly on national defense and strategy. It comes as a surprise, therefore, to find these gentle stories written by the same hand. This is fine historical fiction. Not only do the characters stay within their historical period - no distracting anachronisms here - but so does the writing. The stories are upbeat and completely ingenuous. They might not be cynical enough for modern tastes, so here is a test: if you enjoy A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, you will love this book. If your tastes run more toward Tim Burton's Christmas tale, you probably won't enjoy it, although you should read it anyway: it would be good for your head. No matter what your tastes, however, no one should miss the last story in the collection. It is not only the finest in the book, but a classic work which illustrates the human condition better than any other story written in the last 100 years. The protagonist is a newly freed slave who had been unspeakably abused by his "masters." Now the tide has turned, the men are dead in the war and the mistress of the house is on the verge of losing everything to the bank and about to be cast out with her retarded daughter. The simple act of Christian kindness which the slave shows toward the women brilliantly illustrates the evil of slavery and the importance of religion. This isn't Dickens; it's much much better than that.
|
|
|
| |
