Customer Reviews

The Twelve Terrors of Christmas

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Bah to those who found this book slight and unfunny. This is the anti-Christmas cold pricklies for those who don't enjoy the warm fuzzies of the season (and even for those who do). This is a sarcastic, cynical look at some Christmas traditions, and I found it funny and even a little insightful. I thought the illustrations were gloomy and in keeping with the tone of the book. Ebenezer Scrooge would have kept this book on his coffee table, but he was probably too cheap to buy it. A nice gift for someone who prefers hemlock to holly and avoids mistletoe.

The Twelve Terrors is as demented as I'd hoped for. John Updike's prose gives Christmas the kick in the teeth it secretly wants, and Edward Gorey's illustrations are just the right wrapping paper for the beating.

I'm only disappointed that Updike isn't as good a vehicle for Gorey's illustrations as Gorey himself. I was hoping for another dose Gashlycrumb Tinies (Gorey at his best) but I set my hopes too high with this collaboration.

Twelve Terrors is a bedtime story that steers kids away from piggish consumerism, carries them through angry cynicism, and finally ushers them into thoughtful enlightenment.

A lovely volume of pure Gorey-esque mystique. If you are familiar with Mr. Gorey's fashion of examining the world, you will not be disappointed. If you have not tasted the decadent simplicity of evil delight that feeds the macabre monster, this, my friend, is your Christmas goose.

The Twelve Terrors of Christmas--a delightful tongue-in-cheek revelation in 12 vignettes of the situations we mere mortals find ourselves while seeking the perfect, unblemished holiday--has quickly become a holiday classic. It may be anti expectations but never anti Christmas. Twelve cheers for a true winner.

This was a stocking stuffer that everyone in this all adult family loved. I have shown it to three neighbors who also thought it was great. How can you go wrong with John Updike and Edward Gorey?

I strongly urge you to see this book in person before buying. I was not only disappointed in the size (yes, it is listed, but who really looks at the dimensions? For $10 I did not expect a miniature book)but the text is neither witty nor humorous. Edward Gorey's illustrations do not seem to match the text: almost like, okay here's some droll insights, what do we have in the discard pile that might vaguely match in tone and message? Really, do yourself a favor--do not buy sight unseen.

There comes a time in the "Holiday Season" when it all gets just a little cloying and maddening. Here's the antidote - "The Twelve Terrors of Christmas" - a delightfully clever and dark take on some of our most cherished traditions and unspoken fears. Kudos to Updike's witty and sightful prose and Gorey's perfectly rendered and suggestive drawings! A perfect stocking stuffer for those who need a break from the festivities (as well as curmudgeons everywhere).

This book is an utter delight! It had me laughing out loud! I am a HUGE fan of Edward Gorey and when I saw a brief review of this I knew I had to have it. It's perfect for any of us Grinchy or Scroogey types who have seen the absurdity of buying gifts for people who literally have everything (let's face it Christmas is for kids and that's what makes Christmas fun), so I recommend it for anyone who feels the whole Christmas thing is a bit forced.

John Updike passed away on Jan 27 09, and still feels heavy to repeat it a week later. But I look forward to re-reading some of his books again; I'm certain it'll feel different this time. `Twelve Terrors' was chosen as the first, and it still made me laugh. It reminds me of David Sedaris's Santaland Diaries, only with the brevity of pocket poetry and the wonderfully worrisome drawings by Edward Gorey. I only wish it was longer.

Updike gives a unique point of view about Christmas in this book that made me smile as I was reading. The late Gorey's drawings are, as usual, one of a kind.