A CHRISTMAS MEMORY

I am utterly spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing books to read , primarily because of my ever expanding TBR pile.Wasnt it Maud Casey who rightly said 'I was born with a reading list I will never finish'?!But I am determined to at least successfully complete the 50 book challenge I have so gullibly taken on.Now,I know its not a mean feat in the book blogging world but at least its a humble start somewhere! So in keeping that in mind I endeavour to write about a book every week.

Here goes the first one.

I picked up  ' A Christmas Memory' because I had always been very intrigued about Truman Capote and his writing and especially because I enjoyed 'Breakfast At Tiffanys' ,what with Holly Golightly and her curious lifestyle! Moreover this book promised to be a much sought after autobiographical recollection of his childhood in rural Alabama.Also theres something special about Christmas and it makes me feel good about everything around me and I wanted to temporarily bask in the warmth of the season.

Based on memories from Truman Capotes childhood where he lived with a family of distant , elderly cousins, this reads like a memoir wherein he recounts memories of one special holiday Christmas when he is barely 7 years old , spent with his elderly cousin who he refers to as a 'friend'.The cousin is an old woman,looked upon as senile but exceedingly sharp in her observations and having the sincerity and innocence of a child.It is an unforgettable portrayal of an odd but endearing friendship and the memories they share of holiday rituals.

My Views:

Very few books literally manage to transport you to another world and this one managed to not only do that but it took me back in time as well ,right in the cozy kitchen in Alabama ,redolent with the aroma of fruitcake baking.It is a book which talks about the innocence of simple emotions,the joy of sharing despite having so little,the unexpected happiness in the simplest things.Inspite of their poverty , they celebrate the simple pleasures of life--gathering ingredients for the annual fruit cake baking,searching for the perfect Christmas tree and exchanging hand made gifts.There is warmth exuding from each page and it is one of those books in which the underlying message is so impactful though it is not blatantly stated that it shakes you to the core.

"Its bad enough in life to do without something you want, but confound it, what gets my goat is not being able to give somebody, something you want them to have"---This is said when the cousin (Miss Sook) is unable to give a bicycle to Buddy as a present.The selflesness in those lines is so visible yet they are said so simply.

What a terrific contrast it is to the times we live in today,when everything is so easily available and yet we lead dissatisfied lives.What a remarkable friendship which transcends age!I will aways delight in Sooks excited call to Buddy, "Its fruitcake weather"!

I was overwhelmed after reading it.Just too many emotions coursing through.

And as Sook rightly remarked ,albeit in a different context ,"Theres never two of anything in this world" and this is indeed one gem of a book.

I rate it a 4 out of 5.