The Christmas Tree [Abridged, Audiobook] [Audio Cassette]

Julie Salamon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 8, 1996

1 cassette / 90 minutes
Read by David Birney

Winner of the Audie Award for Best Inspirational/Spiritual AudioBook for 1996

"The Christmas Tree is genuinely moving; and David Birney's sensitive and sympathetic reading does much to enhance the appeal of the winning contemporary fable."
--Los Angeles Daily News


Destined to become a Christmas classic, it is the magical tale of a little girl named Anna from New York City, who is orphaned and sent to live in a convent.  Lonely and unaccustomed to her new surroundings, Anna befriends a tiny fir tree.  "Tree" becomes Anna's best and most special friend.  They grow up together, unlocking the secrets of friendship as well as sharing the wonders of nature.  Indeed it is this profound appreciation and love of nature that Anna later, as Sister Anthony, passes on her adoring students.  When Tree is threatened by a cruel winter storm, Sister Anthony, now an old woman, decides finally to give up her dearest friend -- allowing him to become what is perhaps the most enjoyed and famous Christmas tree of all.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Trying not to behave like Scrooge may be a book critic's most difficult task this Christmas season. This thin holiday fable is based on a true incident, but it is saturated with sentimentality. Narrated by the unnamed, curmudgeonly chief gardener of Rockefeller Center, the tale concerns his annual search for the tree whose lighting heralds the holiday season in Manhattan. When the narrator says that he looks for a tree that has "character," whose "beauty comes from the inside and not just the outside," we know we must swallow some anthropomorphic whimsy. He discovers just such a tree on the grounds of a convent in New Jersey, but Sister Anthony, who has a special relationship with the magnificent Norway Spruce (she calls it simply Tree, and talks to it), is loath to let it be cut down. She tells the narrator the story of her life: how, as a lonely orphan child she was brought to the convent, where the tree became her only friend. When she decides to make the supreme sacrifice, her message?that we must look for beauty even when life is hard?melts the crusty old man's heart. Former Wall Street Journal reporter Saloman, who wrote such incisive books as The Devil's Candy and The Net of Dreams, seems to have overdosed on saccharine. Random House audio.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

A former Wall Street Journal reporter gets lighthearted with this story of a little girl who befriends a fir tree.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Random House Audio; Abridged edition (October 8, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679452680
• ISBN-13: 978-0679452683
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,211,506 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #21 in Books > Books on Cassette > Nonfiction > Seasonal

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A classic Christmas story for the whole family., December 25, 2001

By 

Denise Bentley "Kelsana" (The California Redwoods) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Christmas Tree (Hardcover)

As the chief gardener of Rockefeller Center in New York City the narrator of our story has a colossal job ahead of him each year at Christmas Days end. Another year begins and he is already scouting out possibilities for the next years most perfect tree to decorate the prestigious Center for all to take pleasure in.

It is when the perfect tree is found on the Bush Creek Convent grounds that his job gets just a little bit harder. Sister Anthony unfolds a splendid Christmas tale that will leave the reader with a story you will want to share with the whole family. I can see this book easily becoming a family tradition. Heartwarming and wonderful a 5 star Christmas tale for certain. [e-mail] 12/25/01

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Charming, Well-written and Illustrated Fictional Story, January 14, 2000

By 

B. Jean Strong (Northwest Arkansas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Christmas Tree (Hardcover)

I really enjoyed this book which I found on our local library shelf, and intend to buy a copy for myself. It would make an excellent gift.

It is a gem. Charming, well-told story. Beautiful, pastel-colored illustrations that greatly add to the charm.

I once worked in the old Time-Life Building in Rockefeller Center, New York City, and looked down on the Christmas Tree eight years running, but I would have enjoyed this book if I had never seen the The Tree from on high and at ground level.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just the Thing, November 21, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Christmas Tree (Hardcover)

I am buying several of these books as Christmas presents this year. In the wake of September 11, I think a wonderful, magical story about New York City is just what we need. To believe again in beauty, magic and the gift of connection and love. It is a story about connections, relationships -- between New York City folks and their tree, Sister Anthony and the gardener, her tree, and her past. It is a wonderful (sometimes teary) story that makes us appreciate the magic that still exists in the world and is personified at its best through the wonderful Rockefeller Center Christmas tree!