Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
My favourite Christmas story, 2 Dec 2003
This review is from: The Thirteen Days Of Christmas (Paperback)
I am delighted to see that this wonderful story is back in print, I was given it for Christmas in 1972, and have re-read it every Christmas since. It tells the story of the Kitson family, who live in a coastal town in a a vaguely medieval/Tudor/Stuart period. The three younger children, Prudence, James and Christopher, are desperate to get their elder sister Annaple married off so that they no longer have to endure her awful cooking and bossy ways. They encourage her eager suitor,Francis, a rich merchant, to be more romantic, and he thinks up more and more elaborate presents to send her. Being a merchant, he is used to buying in bulk, so as the days of Christmas pass, more and more gifts arrive, swamping the Kitsons home with unsuitable quantities of partridges, hens, geese, swans etc. The Christmas customs of each day are described in detail that makes you long for the time when each day had it s own distinctive customs and carols. Full of humour and fun, this is the most enjoyable Christmas story I've ever read.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Thirteen Days of Christmas, 2 Sep 2003
This review is from: The Thirteen Days Of Christmas (Paperback)
I first picked up this book by pure chance in a college bookshop when I was 18. I was enchanted by it then and continue to be so. I have reread it every Christmas ( sometimes at other times aswell ) firstly for myself and then for my children. My original copy has literally fallen apart and I have only recently located a new one in order to continue the tradition for my younger children. I would recommend this for any age of reader. The blending of old and new Christmas rituals gives a picture of pre- Dickensian festivals and the inclusion of carols that have fallen out of favour is another insight into how Christmas used to be celebrated. Altogether a delightful story with thoroughly believable family relationships, a bit of fantasy, a love story and , of course, an explanation as to how a famous Christmas carol came to be written.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best book I have ever read, 12 Dec 2002
This review is from: The Thirteen Days Of Christmas (Paperback)
How do I love this book? Let me count the ways... I first read it in 1972 with the original publication and spent the next twenty nine years trying to find a copy; in the meantime I re-told the tale again and again to myself, my family and anyone who wanted to hear a story. It is my favourite book of all time; beautifully written in language that children and adults will enjoy,understand and appreciate. It is funny and moving by turns but always true to itself and, despite the absurd situation the poor Kitson family finds itself in - being besiged by a besotted lover trying to win the fanciful eldest daughter's heart by showing that even a boring merchant can be imaginative and romantic - it all seems so possible! It is a wonderful story to read aloud, beginning in Advent then a chapter for each of the Twelve Days of Christmas - and to share the joy of the Thirteenth Day... Jenny Overton was an editor of children's books and it is evident that she used her experience to write a story that is easy to read and yet full of imagination and beauty. I have already bought half a dozen copies as gifts and will get more - I am not risking another thirty years to get another read!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|