Why does someone wait until January to read 'A Christmas Memory' ? There are a thousand more questions you could ask me for explanations of stupid stuff I do . But this was a really enjoyable treat that transcends a day , month or year . It was moving , personal and nearly brought me to tears on a few pages . If you have a Christmas memory , good or bad , recent or long gone , you might just enjoy Capote's recollection as much as I did .

A sweet *American* Christmas novel...although who remembers what fruitcake tastes like? Loved the boy's reaction to his Christmas gifts. Great symbolism of kites at the end. Can't remember the last time I had a book with pictures!

Anyone who knew that Marie Rudisill, the elderly white-haired Fruitcake Lady of “The Tonight Show,” was Truman Capote’s aunt raise your hand. She was his mother Lillie Mae’s younger sister and wrote several books before her death in 2006 at age 95. One was titled ‘Fruitcake: Heirloom Recipes And Memories Of Truman Capote And Cousin Sook.’

This short story, ‘A Christmas Memory,’ is Truman Capote’s own special reminiscences of his “best friend,” 60-year-old distant cousin Sook Faulk. The story centers on the winter Capote was seven years old and living with his mother’s family, including simpleminded Sook, in Monroeville, Alabama. Sook adored Truman and involved him in all her adventures, including the annual baking of fruitcakes, as many as thirty, for people they randomly selected as deserving: “Friends. Not necessarily neighbor friends: indeed, the larger share are intended for persons we’ve met maybe once, perhaps not at all. People who’ve struck our fancy. Like President Roosevelt...” But this touching story is about far more than fruitcake. There is so much love between these pages and wonderful celebrations of holiday tradition from selecting and cutting the perfect Christmas tree to hand-making special ornaments and gifts. For me, Truman Capote was at his best when writing about his childhood, particularly his time with Sook. I still have ‘The Thanksgiving Visitor’ to look forward to. Recommend this one to everyone, Capote fans in particular.

Sweet, tender and achingly sad, this beautiful childhood memory of Truman Capote gathering ingredients for and making fruitcake for Christmas with his childlike and much older cousin had me in tears by the end.

Cruelly separated by life (aka his mother) I wish these two lovely souls had been able to reunite - just once- before the real Sook's death.

I'm glad Truman carried this memory in his heart.

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https://wordpress.com/view/carolshess...n

Avevo letto Colazione da Tiffany tanti anni fa. Piaciuto, ma non entusiasmato. Poi mi è capitato questo tra le mani ed ora sono una fan di Truman Capote. Scrive bene, scrive molto bene! E sa passare tra generi diversi.
Le prime due storie, ambientate a Natale e nel giorno del ringraziamento, hanno un tocco di autobiografia e e di infanzia che le rende adatti alle feste. Poi si passa ad altri generi, dalla storia d'amore a scene decisamente più dark o surreali. Il racconto che mi è piaciuto di più è "Miriam", forse un fantasma, forse un'allucinazione, molto inquietante. Spesso manca un finale, o meglio un lieto fine, ma non se ne sente la mancanza.
La scrittura è eccellente, sicuramente leggerò altro di Capote.

In spite of their poverty, seven-year-old Buddy and his eccentric elderly cousin celebrate the small pleasures of life - gathering ingredients for the annual fruitcake baking, tramping through the woods in search of the perfect tree, and exchanging hand-made gifts on Christmas Day. Delightful watercolour illustrations by Beth Peck bring the story to life before the reader's eyes.

A lovely little memory, made my cry at the end for all the lost loves and memories before life takes us all beyond childhood into cold, regimented adulthood. As an autobiography, this is "frankly" true by Capote long before he was taken up into the modern New York vortex. Very sweet, authentic and a perfect read for the holiday season.

I love Truman Capote and this is such a heartwarming, nostalgic story to read this Christmas morning. It reminded me of my favorite aunt, now passed, who we spent so much time with. She also was "fun, not funny."
Good memories.

But fruitcake? No thank you.

Merry Christmas

Truman Capote once again proves himself a master storyteller.

In this autobiographical short stories collection, Mr. Capote's writing brings us back to his childhood days and meet his best friend, a childlike, lovable old lady; the pair went through one small adventure to another as Christmas and Thanksgiving roll along. Through these heart-warming stories, the wonder and bittersweet of childhood and friendship shine through.

PS: I am also glad to know a bit more about the author's estranged parents, they seem very interesting too.

Other recommendation:
Totto-chan: The Little Girl at the Window https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Not so fond of this one. A bit sugary and inauthentic. And I like Capote-In Cold Blood of course but even The Grass Harp over this one.
Ellie NYC

"Oh my," she exclaims, her breath smoking the windowpane, "it's fruitcake weather!"
A Christmas Memory ~~~  Truman Capote



I first read  Truman Capote's  A Christmas Memory when I was 13 years old. I fell love with this story instantly, & still love it to this day. I believed then, as I believe now, that  A Christmas Memory is one of the greatest short stories ever written.

Set in Alabama in the 1930s and inspired by his childhood, Capote tells the story of a Christmas he shared with his friend, Miss Sook, an aging woman in her sixties. Capote’s portrayal of his seven year-old self called Buddy is sweet, but the real charm is in his relationship with Miss Sook, whom he refers to as “my friend.” Despite her age, Miss Sook is very much a child herself. Together, they touch the lives of those around them, including a Mr. Haha Jones (ironically nicknamed this because of his serious disposition). The reader cannot help but feel touched, as well.



While  A Christmas Memory possesses a child-like charm, Capote counters this with a very dark and personal tone which lies below the surface of his story. In a tragic life and upbringing specifically, Capote can be grateful that he had someone like Miss Sook to impart her love and wisdom upon him, a gift that will surely resonate with all who read  A Christmas Memory.

Damn! Well, at least the story was true to form.

In this short story, which I'm told is autobiographical, there is a young boy (Buddy) who is friends with an elderly woman (Miss Sook Falk, who's also a distant cousin). It's about Christmas tradition and the cards life deals you.

More, I really shouldn't say. Except that I loved the image of the kites. Here, that's less something is doing around Christmas as it wouldn't be windy enough but too cold for it by then. Nevertheless, what person doesn't like kites? Or fruitcake, for that matter?

It's a short story that packs one hell of a punch - if not while describing rural life in Alabama, then by the end.

Didn't feel very Christmas-y, though, and Capote's writing was once again a bit ... demure. I know it's typical for him but I'm not too much a fan of it. Nevertheless, I'm glad I know this story now. And if this is indeed auto-biographical, I know why the guy was as depressed as his writing makes him seem. *lol*