The Christmas Letters by Lee Smith

Reviewed by Jeanne

People tend to be divided about “the Christmas letter” often included in a card this time of the year.  Some see such letters as a chance for others to brag about their kids, their house, their vacations, etc., but I’m glad to get one.  There are a number of folks I only hear from once a year and it’s nice to know what is going on with their lives.   It also saves me from making embarrassing comments a la Ralph Emery.  (Emery was notorious for not prepping before an interview, which led him to ask a singer how a bandmate was doing.  There was a pause, and the singer replied, “He’s still dead, Ralph.”)

So I do appreciate getting news of those I don’t see often—or at all—so that at least I have some idea of what’s going on in their lives.

Lee Smith took this idea and ran with it in her novella, The Christmas Letters:   the story is told through letters written over decades, detailing family events.  The book starts with the 1944 letter, in which homesick young bride and new mother Birdie writes to her family in back in West Virginia.  She’s living with her husband’s family while he’s in service, serving the Pacific.  There are a lot of adjustments to be made and even more when her husband comes home from the war. The letters follow the expanding family until 1967 when daughter Mary—herself a new mother-- begins writing letters of her own. 

While the story is presented through the prism of a cheery holiday missive, Lee wisely allows doubts and sorrows to seep through.  The writer(s) have a bit of perspective:  there’s been time for situations and events to be evaluated, and yet often the emotions remain vivid. The personalities of the writers come through as well, and while they share common traits, they are individuals.  I particularly enjoyed seeing Birdie through her daughter’s eyes, just as I had watched Mary grow through her mother’s descriptions.

This is a sweet, but not saccharine little book with a surprising amount of depth to it.  Sure, there are recipes included in most letters, the kids are all above average, but there’s a dose of introspection at times.   I don’t want to say more, because this is a book to discover on your own.  At a mere 126 pages, it doesn’t take long to read but it’s memorable. Like Birdie, I’ll remember that catfish for some time.

Smith is a wonderful storyteller, and she uses the letters not only to illustrate the family but the changing world in which they live.  The cover conveys the idea beautifully as well, with a wreath constructed of photos, letters, recipes, addresses, all tied together with a ribbon. 

If you have an extra hour or two this year, treat yourself to The Christmas Letters.

Christmas Movie Memories

Thoughts by Jeanne

As a child, I looked forward to the Christmas specials:  Rudolph, A Charlie Brown Christmas, Amahl and the Night Visitors, Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol, The Little Drummer Boy, It’s a Wonderful Life, How the Grinch Stole Christmas (animated TV version, of course), and Frosty the Snow Man were favorites, eagerly awaited because they were only broadcast once a year and there were no home video versions available. 

Of course, these days one can just pop in a DVD and watch Frosty in July if the notion strikes, which is convenient but not “special.” I keep up the tradition in my own way by saving the movies to watch while I wrap packages or write Christmas cards.  Here are some of the films that usually find their way into my player these days:

•         A Christmas Carol with George C. Scott as Scrooge.  I’ve seen a number of versions, but I’m most convinced by Scott’s transformation from curmudgeon to philanthropist.  Also I like David Warner as Bob Crachit.

•           Muppet Christmas Carol is another winner as far as I’m concerned. No matter how . . . um, how to put this delicately… unconvincing (*cough* "Jaws:  The Revenge" *cough) the movie’s premise, Caine gives it his all as if he believes every word.  His interactions with the Muppets are, as was Mrs. Crachit’s pudding, a triumph.

•          We’re No Angels, a 1955 comedy caper starring Humphrey Bogart as one of three convicts who are on the lam after escaping Devil’s Island right before Christmas.  The plan is to lay low, steal some clothes and get the heck out of Dodge—er, French Guiana.  They end up befriending a family whose sweetness and gullibility are about to cost them their store and of course our guys decide to stop that from happening the only way they know how.  I’ll leave it at that.

•          The Man who Invented Christmas is a new entry on my list as the movie just came out in 2017.  Dan Stevens stars as Charles Dickens at a time when the writer desperately needed a hit book to provide some much needed cash to keep the family afloat.  It’s based on the book of the same title by Les Standiford; of course, I read the book first and was pleased at how well the movie followed.  Artistic license is taken by having Dickens imagine conversations with some of his soon to be famous creations, most notably Scrooge (delightfully played by Christopher Plummer). 

•          I might as well confess now:  I am the person who loved Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever. Yep, I’m the one.  I don’t have a lot of patience with the sappy, cookie cutter Christmas movies that seem to flood the airwaves this time of year.  Most of them feature shiny actors with shiny teeth and shiny hair who rediscover the Spirit of Christmas in under two hours and live Happily Ever After.  Sure, Grumpy’s movie rather follows the formula but it has the ever adorable Grumpy and a dose of snark supplied by Aubrey Plaza aka Voice of Grumpy.  I think it’s fun.  Sue me.

Of course, everybody has his or her own “must-see” films.  I know two people who both love The Shop Around the Corner and another whose holiday isn’t complete without a viewing of White Christmas.  What are your favorite holiday films?

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (read by Jim Dale)

Reviewed by Christy

            In 2007, the tv show Pushing Daisies premiered on ABC. It was a whimsical take on the popular crime procedural genre. Ned, a pie maker, has a very special gift. With his touch he can wake the dead but touch them again, and they’ll remain dead forever. When a private investigator stumbles onto Ned’s gift, they team up to solve crimes together. Though it was only on for a short period of time, its pop of colors, eye-catching costumes, and fairy tale-like quality made a lasting impression. It even had a narrator. The narration of Jim Dale brought all the elements together, and this is where he first caught my attention.

            Though he has a long storied career as a singer and actor in the UK, in America he is known as the voice of “Harry Potter” because he narrates all seven audiobooks and the video games. (He also holds a Guinness World Record for creating 146 voices for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows). He has narrated several other audiobooks as well including The Night Circus and A Christmas Carol.

            Though we probably all know the story of Ebenezer Scrooge by heart, I had never read the actual book. When I saw that Jim Dale narrated the audiobook, I put it on hold on READS and was excited when it finally popped up in my loans.  He does an absolutely wonderful job. His character voices are distinct, and his voice has a relaxed but dignified grandpa quality that is very cozy to listen to. There’s not much to say about the text itself since it’s so iconic but I enjoyed the story including the darker elements (I still think Disney’s A Christmas Carol with Jim Carrey is one of the best adaptations. It can be quite dark for an animated movie – truly a Christmas ghost story). If you’re someone having trouble getting into the holiday spirit, I think listening to this book, a comfy blanket, and some steaming hot cocoa could work wonders.

If you like Dickens but aren’t interested in A Christmas Carol, he wrote several other short Christmas stories. We have a collection available at Main and another collection available on audiobook through READS.

NOTE: for those of you who prefer CDs to downloads, we also have the Jim Dale A Christmas Carol on CD.

Murder for Christmas by Francis Duncan

Reviewed by Jeanne

Mordecai Tremaine, retired tobacco seller and amateur criminologist, has arrived at an English country house for a good, old fashioned Christmas, courtesy of an invitation from Benedict Grame, a man he knows only slightly.  It’s the post script from Grame’s assistant Nicholas Blaise that intrigues him, an ending that reads, “But I can tell there’s something wrong, and frankly, I’m getting scared.”

Once he arrives, Tremaine meets an interesting assortment of characters, all of whom seem to have secrets. He’s particularly taken with two young lovers, kept apart by an apparent whim of the girl’s guardian, but then Mordecai is a romantic at heart. He even reads romance magazines.

 Before the sleuth can quite sort out all the relationships between the guests, Father Christmas is murdered—or rather, a member of the party in full Father Christmas robes.  The police are called, but in the best classic amateur sleuth tradition, it’s Mordecai Tremaine who will figure out the who, why, and how of the crime.

This is actually the second in the series by the pseudonymous Duncan, a reprint of the 1949 edition.  It’s in the mold of the classic mysteries of the sort done by Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, and Marjorie Allingham.  I’m a fan of novels of that era, and often find modern takes on the themes to be somehow lacking, as if the author is trying too hard to replicate a style. This one flows very well and it feels fresh, not any sort of imitation.   Not only does it set up a fascinating puzzle (or, rather, set of puzzles) but the characters are deftly sketched.  There were a number of surprises along the way for me,  but in retrospect the groundwork had been fairly laid. Most of all, I was charmed by Mr. Tremaine.  He is interesting without being too quirky.  He’s genuinely interested in other people, keenly observing them, but without being coldly analytical.  Being a gentleman, he has a certain reserve but he comes off as being pleasant and good-natured. He's quietly confident, not egotistical.

If you like the classic cozy mystery style, by all means give this series a try. I intend to read all five.

As for the author, the mystery of his identity was solved when one of his children saw the reprinted books in a shop.  The author was one William Underhill of Bristol, England, who served in World War II and spent the rest of his working life as a teacher, supplementing the family income with his writing.  Besides the five Tremaine mysteries, he wrote over a dozen standalone novels between 1937 and 1959.  He died in 1988, at the age of 80.