Tag Archives: Christmas Story

A Christmas Card by Paul Theroux

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A Christmas Card by Paul Theroux was published in 1978. This is one of the books that I was reading to try to get me into the mood for Christmas, but so far non of them have been exactly what I expected, anyway, this was still a good read, certainly a very quick read at just 73 pages and is probabbly aimed at older children really. It’s very slightly spooky. It has some black and white illustrations by John Lawrence.

The tale is told by the elder of two young brothers, Marcel who is nine years old. Louis is his younger brother (yes, that Louis). Their father had decided to take them to their home in Indian Falls to spend Christmas there, they’ve never been there before and driving through a blizzard is not the most sensible thing to do, inevitably they end up lost. As it’s  a very rural area and the few houses and businesses around are closed up for the season they’re in trouble, but eventually they see what seems to be a hotel or road house and stop to ask for help.

An ederly man invites them in, his name is Pappy apparently, and they end up staying overnight, but in the morning Pappy is nowhere to be seen, but he has left a Christmas card behind and they realise that the card is as good as a map, according to the boys’ father the building on it is an image of their holiday home, and they can just follow the road to it – which they do.

It’s Christmas Eve and the older boy, Marcel, notices that as night falls outside the Christmas card becomes dark too, and he has also noticed that there’s a tiny spot of light on the card which moves, he guesses that it’s Pappy moving around and he’s coming in their direction. Earlier when they had gone to cut down their Christmas tree Marcel had thought he had seen the strange man and he is nervous.

This is quite an atmospheric read, but all’s well that ends well.

I was just surprised that the author, Paul Theroux had written a book using his sons as the charaecters, like A.A. Milne did disastrously to Christopher Robin, but it doesn’t seem to have done Marcel and Louis any lasting harm, that we know of anyway.

 

Christmas Holiday by W. Somerset Maugham

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Christmas Holiday by W. Somerset Maugham was first published in 1939. I was drawn to read it purely because of the title, I’ve read quite a lot of Maugham’s books over the last 40 odd years or so and really enjoy his writing, as ever Christmas Holiday was well written but I had been hoping the book might have helped get me into the Christmas spirit – I should have known better!

Charley Mason is from an upper class family and has just finished a year studying accountancy, straight after his three years at Cambridge, his has been a charmed life so far with money being no problem. Usually he goes to the country with his parents at Christmas to celebrate with friends, but this year as a treat for him his parents have suggested that he spends the Christmas holiday in Paris, instead of with family in England as usual. Paris is a place he knows well as he’s been there often with his parents, going around the galleries and museums, he has been brought up to appreciate the arts. However his grandparents had been of humble means – a gardener and a cook – not that the Masons are ashamed of that.

Charley has asked his old friend Simon who is a journalist in Paris to book a hotel room for his week in Paris, and he really expects Simon to meet him off the train in Paris, but Simon hasn’t bothered to do so, Charley is disappointed. It seems that Simon is not at all interested in the arrival of Charley and when they do meet up Charley is shocked at his appearance. Simon looks ill, which isn’t surprising as he’s only eating one meal a day, he’s determined to deny himself everything pleasant in life, apart from obviously enjoying unloading all his thoughts on politics and life in general onto Charley. Simon had been a keen communist when he was at Cambridge.

Simon decides to take Charley to a nightclub (of sorts) where Charley is introduced to a Russian princess. Her family’s wealth had supposedly disappeared with the coming of the Russian revolution and she is now working as a topless dancer/prostitute. Her family’s fortunes had fallen as Charley’s had risen. Charley is fascinated by her and her reasons for working where she does.

So, as you can see, this was not a barrel of laughs, but it was an enjoyable and interesting read, just not what I had expected.

This one is on my Classics Club list, so that’s another one ticked off.