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Loading... The Gift of the Magiby O. Henry
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will love Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. This collection of short stories was oddly familiar, considering I hadn't actually read any of them! These stories reflect a view of the world that is more benign than what is usually served up in modern fiction. Even the 'bad' guys in Mr. Henry's stories are really 'good' guys in disguise (the kidnappers who pay to get rid of an annoying kid, the burglar who takes his intended victim for a drink instead). Some of the stories are quite heart-warming, depicting the sacrifices of one person for another. As many have remarked, Mr. Henry's stories turn on the amazing coincidence, but that is part of their charm. (  ) tjsjohanna | Nov 4, 2009 |  I found O. Henry’s stories to be refreshingly delightful, poignant, and easy to read. I think everyone should read some of O. Henry’s stories: they are enjoyable. O. Henry’s stories are full of irony. His stories focus on the base aspects of human nature: poverty, crime, dying, focusing on self-improvement and the “love your neighbor” aspects of human nature. The characters in O. Henry’s stories were loving, and the endings were poignant and “tender." O. Henry's writing is nothing spectacular, but it doesn't need to be with his simple stories. I found the Dover Thrift edition, with just a 16 short stories, to be a very quick (and fun) evening read. More detailed review on my blog rebeccareid | Nov 19, 2008 |  no reviews | add a review
Amazon.com Amazon.com Review (ISBN 0486270610, Paperback)Born William Sidney Porter in 1862, O. Henry first lived a checkered life as a cowhand, bank teller, reporter, embezzler, and convict. Then, in a last-minute reversal worthy of one of his own stories, he turned to fiction, and became a celebrated author of ironic miniatures. "The Gift of the Magi" is perhaps his most famous creation. And while this exploration of love and gift-giving doesn't exactly plumb the depths of human behavior, it does leave us with the final picture of Jim (sans watch) and Della (sans hair, or most of it), which has induced even the crankiest readers to shed a tear since it first appeared in 1906. Get out your handkerchiefs!(retrieved from Amazon Tue, 05 Jan 2010 12:12:22 -0500) The first test round has been closed. Visit the Open Shelves Classification group for details. |
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