The Cricket on the Hearth: and Other Christmas Stories (Dover Thrift Editions) [Paperback]

Charles Dickens (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 20, 2011 | Age Level: 11 and up | Grade Level: 6 and up | Series: Dover Thrift Editions

Dickens's delightful evocations of a Victorian Christmas include the title story, a heartwarming fable of home life; "The Holly-Tree," concerning love reclaimed at a country inn; and "The Haunted House," an entertaining account of a belligerent ghost. Combining realism and fantasy, these tales attest to their author's flair for characterization and the picturesque.

Editorial Reviews

Review

(in full The Cricket on the Hearth: A Fairy Tale of Home) Short tale written by Charles Dickens as a Christmas book for 1845 but published in 1846. The title creature is a sort of barometer of life at the home of John Peerybingle and his much younger wife Dot. When things go well, the cricket on the hearth chirps; it is silent when there is sorrow. Tackleton, a jealous old man, poisons John's mind about Dot, but the cricket through its supernatural powers restores John's confidence and all ends happily. --The Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia of Literature --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

With all of his works still in print, Dickens is without a doubt one of the most popular authors of all times. Flourishing in the Victorian era, this English novelist is renowned for his unforgettable characters and vivid story lines. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 11 and up
  
• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications (October 20, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 048628039X
• ISBN-13: 978-0486280394
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.2 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #68,732 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #15 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > Authors, A-Z > ( D ) > Dickens, Charles
  • #19 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > Short Stories > Anthologies
  • #42 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > British > Classics

More About the Author

One of the grand masters of Victorian literature, Charles Dickens was born on February 7, 1812, in Landport, Portsea, England. He died in Kent on June 9, 1870. The second of eight children of a family continually plagued by debt, the young Dickens came to know not only hunger and privation,but also the horror of the infamous debtors' prison and the evils of child labor. A turn of fortune in the shape of a legacy brought release from the nightmare of prison and "slave" factories and afforded Dickens the opportunity of two years' formal schooling at Wellington House Academy. He worked as an attorney's clerk and newspaper reporter until his Sketches by Boz (1836) and The Pickwick Papers (1837) brought him the amazing and instant success that was to be his for the remainder of his life. In later years, the pressure of serial writing, editorial duties, lectures, and social commitments led to his separation from Catherine Hogarth after twenty-three years of marriage. It also hastened his death at the age of fifty-eight, when he was characteristically engaged in a multitude of work.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Some Good Some Bad, January 3, 2011

By 

Love To Read (Bucks County, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Cricket on the Hearth: and Other Christmas Stories (Dover Thrift Editions) (Paperback)

The Cricket on the Hearth was a great story. It kept my interest and was an effective short story. The Holly-Tree was good in the sense that it provided a really good picture of British inns and "Dickens" England. The Haunted House was quite boring. I gave it many chances thinking that it would improve but it only got worse. If it wasn't for the third story, I would have given the book a 4 star rating but it's worth buying for the first two. And reading it around Christmas time is a good idea.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Must have right mind set..., December 11, 2007

By 

Mary W. "AvidReader" (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Cricket on the Hearth (Paperback)

When reading this book, you've I think you got to have the right mind set. Dickens' A Christmas Carol was one of those literary miracles that rarely happen. And these stories should not be judged by A Crhistmas Carol. If you can adopt that mind set (which I had to do) you will find these stories enjoyable and even inspiring.

I think one thing that comes across in all of Dickens' writing is that he sincerely loved his fellow beings--and it shows in his stories.

Also recommended: Christmas Gifts, Christmas Voices--my new favorite Christmas story.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Odd size, May 17, 2008

By 

Beaumont Hardy "Beaumont Hardy Editing" - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Cricket on the Hearth (Paperback)

You can't beat Charles Dickens, and The Cricket on the Hearth is a great story. The book is surprisingly large and has a strangely homemade look to it. That adds to its charm.