The Gift of the Magi, and Five Other Stories

From AudioFile O. Henry's classic story has been embellished in this adaptation performed by the St. Charles Players. In this production, Della is rummaging through the attic on a Christmas Eve with her granddaughter. This brings back memories of a Christmas Eve many years before, and she tells the story of how she and Jim Dillingham met and courted, leading to the story we know so well. All of the performers in this work are splendid. Della, young and not so young, is vivacious and full of spunk. Jim is a confident, ambitious young man who is smitten by Della. Granddaughter cannot get enough of the story. While not faithful to the story in many respects (the setting, for example), this delightful and entertaining production is faithful to its spirit. M.T.F. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine Product Description Why buy our paperbacks?Standard Font size of 10 for all booksHigh Quality PaperFulfilled by AmazonExpedited shipping30 Days Money Back GuaranteeBEWARE of Low-quality sellersDon't buy cheap paperbacks just to save a few dollars. Most of them use low-quality papers & binding. Their pages fall off easily. Some of them even use very small font size of 6 or less to increase their profit margin. It makes their books completely unreadable. How is this book unique?Unabridged (100% Original content)Font adjustments & biography includedIllustratedAbout The Gift of the Magi By O. Henry"The Gift of the Magi" is a short story, written by O. Henry (a pen name for William Sydney Porter), about a young married couple and how they deal with the challenge of buying secret Christmas gifts for each other with very little money. As a sentimental story with a moral lesson about gift-giving, it has been a popular one for adaptation, especially for presentation at Christmas time. The plot and its "twist ending" are well-known, and the ending is generally considered an example of comic irony. It was allegedly written at Pete's Tavernon Irving Place in New York City. From Publishers Weekly O. Henry's classic tale of Della and Jim, the struggling newlyweds so anxious to give each other a Christmas gift that each sells the one thing the other holds most dear, receives an oddly lifeless treatment here. Heyer's meticulously detailed illustrations are pretty but stilted; the characters look like mannequins. The rueful Jim fares better than poor prematurely middle-aged Della, who at times looks more like his mother than his wife. Still, the story is as touching as ever, and neither time nor mediocre artwork can dim its glory. All ages. Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. About the Author Born William Sydney Porter in 1862, O. Henry lived a turbulent life including a brief spell in jail on a charge of embezzlement. Whilst there, he began writing and, once released, made a name for himself as a prolific short-story writer. He has ten collections and over 600 short stories in print. He died in 1910. P. J. Lynch is one of today's most talented and revered illustrators. He has twice won the Kate Greenaway Medal, in 1995 for The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey, and in 1997 for When Jessie Came Over the Sea (9780744569636). He is also the illustrator of the bestselling A Christmas Carol and East O' the Sun and West O' the Moon (9781844284986). P. J. lives in Dublin. Review ""Lisbeth Zwerger's biting line and soft, evocative palette illuminate the characters with an aura of gaslit nobility, and burnish an antique until it shines.""-- ""Time"" From Booklist Gr. 5 and up. A classic story becomes a picture book for older readers in this oversize edition. Heyer's paintings reflect the turn-of-the-century setting and are nicely executed, if occasionally stiff. Because the protagonists are both adults, there will not be automatic appeal for younger children, but preteens, and especially teenagers, should find the romantic appeal that has been apparent to