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idgey's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
godotwillseeyounow's review against another edition
slow-paced
4.75
"[Our snow] came shawling out of the ground and swam and drifted out of the arms and hands and bodies of the trees; snow grew overnight on the roofs of the houses like a pure and grandfather moss, minutely ivied the walls and settled on the postman, opening the gate, like a dumb, numb thunder-storm of white, torn Christmas cards.”
Right from the first few pages I knew I would want to read this little old book all over again. God, to read it by a roaring fire, snuggled under blankets, sheltered from the snowy cold outside the window; maybe even with some faint caroling heard off in the distance; maybe even lost in a small town somewhere in Wales.
And I'm a little in awe, of his use of language, of the adjectives, the alliterations, the verbs as descriptors, his whimsy. I definitely want to read more Dylan Thomas again.
numberoneoliverhater's review against another edition
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Quick Christmas read
camisanchez's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Muy keprecioso. Me recuerda un poco a Dickens.
happylilkt's review against another edition
5.0
October 2023: Read this aloud to my children on the way back from looking at fall color in the scenic Columbia River gorge. The same things that cracked me up as a kid make them giggle and I catch a quiet smile from my husband--so. much. joy.
---
"Years and years ago, when I was a boy, when there were wolves in Wales, and birds the color of red-flannel petticoats whisked past the harp-shaped hills, when we sang and wallowed all night and day in caves that smelt like Sunday afternoons in damp front farmhouse parlours, and we chased, with the jawbones of deacons, the English and the bears, before the motor car, before the wheel, before the duchess-faced horse, when we rode the daft and happy hills bareback, it snowed and it snowed."
In my childhood, my father would read this to our family at LEAST once a year at Christmas time. My father was Welsh American and loved his Welsh heritage, so reading this to his children was a labor of love. He also had a wonderful narrator's voice: a deep, rich, actor's voice that dwelled lovingly on poetry and prose.
The humor, the crackling style of Thomas's writing, the nostalgia of a Christmas that you never experienced (and that in all probability Thomas never did either) are all present and Trina Schart Hyman's illustrations are at her best.
We now read this with our children with layered nostalgia—it is still one hundred percent joy to read aloud Thomas's beautiful language matched only by the tenderness of missing my daddy.
---
"Years and years ago, when I was a boy, when there were wolves in Wales, and birds the color of red-flannel petticoats whisked past the harp-shaped hills, when we sang and wallowed all night and day in caves that smelt like Sunday afternoons in damp front farmhouse parlours, and we chased, with the jawbones of deacons, the English and the bears, before the motor car, before the wheel, before the duchess-faced horse, when we rode the daft and happy hills bareback, it snowed and it snowed."
In my childhood, my father would read this to our family at LEAST once a year at Christmas time. My father was Welsh American and loved his Welsh heritage, so reading this to his children was a labor of love. He also had a wonderful narrator's voice: a deep, rich, actor's voice that dwelled lovingly on poetry and prose.
The humor, the crackling style of Thomas's writing, the nostalgia of a Christmas that you never experienced (and that in all probability Thomas never did either) are all present and Trina Schart Hyman's illustrations are at her best.
We now read this with our children with layered nostalgia—it is still one hundred percent joy to read aloud Thomas's beautiful language matched only by the tenderness of missing my daddy.
sportula's review against another edition
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
book_concierge's review against another edition
5.0
When one of my book groups chose this title for our December meeting, our hostess got her hands on a recording of Dylan Thomas himself reading this tale. We sat enraptured as little children and listened to the whole thing.
carrvan3's review against another edition
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
lambageddon's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0