The Gift of Story: A Wise Tale About What is Enough (Hardcover)

by Clarissa Pinkola Estes (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
In her still best-selling Women Who Run with the Wolves ( LJ 6/15/92), Estes, a Jungian analyst turned New Age guru, presented "myths and stories of the wild woman archetype." In this slim volume, she embeds within two other brief narratives a retelling of the story popularized by O. Henry in his "The Gift of the Magi," here set in Hungary during World War II. The moral--since Estes believes that stories not only teach but heal--is also similar to O. Henry's: "The young couple . . . like the magi, were wise too, for they gave the most golden of all things possible. They gave their love, their truest love to one another." Her twist: "And it was enough." "The Gift of the Magi" has become a well-loved classic, and while Estes's retelling is graceful and wise and Michael McCurdy's wood-cut illustrations are dramatic, is the story different enough from O. Henry's to warrant a new publication? And will the millions of fans of Estes's previous work find it to be "enough"? Recommended only where there is demand.
- Marcia Welsh, Guilford Free Lib., Ct.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description
In this enchanting book, Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes, author of WOMEN WHO RUN WITH THE WOLVES shares several small stories that, like Matriochka dolls, fit inside one another. Taken together, they are a moving testament to the enduring legacy of stories and to the triumph of love over loss. Dr. Estes masterfully blends the bitter and the sweet, the dark and the light, despair and hope, into a wonderful gift that illuminates and strengthens, a gift that will be cherished by all who receive it.


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Product Details

• Hardcover: 30 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (October 12, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345388356
• ISBN-13: 978-0345388353
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #378,365 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Looking at our prosperity, December 8, 1999

By	Dr. Daniel Ypkemeule (Ede, the Netherlands) - See all my reviews

This little book is true little gem about people that have less than nothing. All they have are their memories and sweet small desires, translated in exceptional stories. A masterpiece to be confronted by our greedy way of living. A must to read

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent story to be read again and again, March 29, 2002

By	"bayviewgehreds" (Wauwatosa, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Gift of Story (Audio Cassette)

I enjoy this story so much I buy it as a gift for friends. The story helps to maintian focus on what is important in this world, when possessions and ambition confuse and distract. This is true wisdom of the heart.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I Salute You Oh Cantadora, and Thank You for Your Precious Gift , April 25, 2007

By	Gopal Ramasammy-Cook "www.gopalrc.co.za" (Cape Town, South Africa) - See all my reviews

Being a student and practitioner of story, I guess I'm always subconsciously looking out for interesting stories that have some meaning or application in life. After reading Joseph Campbell and Christopher Vogler, I have also developed a keen interest in Jungian archetype theory and its application to the crafting of stories.

These were probably the elements that caused me to pick up the copy of this wonderful little book I found at the local second-hand bookshop (Obz Book). From an inscription in the front of the book, I gathered that it had been given as a Christmas gift in 1995 to someone called Colleen by her niece, Sarah.

To quote the author: "Stories that instruct, renew, and heal provide a vital nourishment to the psyche that cannot be obtained in any other way." Clarissa Pinkola Estés is a psychoanalyst in the Jungian tradition, an award-winning poet, author of Women Who Run with the Wolves and other works, a human-rights activist, and a Cantadora, or keeper of the stories. In A Gift of Story, she draws on the storytelling traditions of her Spanish-Mexican and immigrant Hungarian origins to weave a wonderful tapestry of short tales, both biographical and allegorical, that all link up, often in surprising ways. She sets out to answer the question: "What is 'enough' of a gift?" Starting with the story of the dying Bal Shem Tov, and ending with an account of her aunt's experiences in wartime Hungary which runs through the rest of the book (to say any more would spoil some of the twists and surprises), the author's commentary brings home some valuable life-lessons without coming across as too transparently didactic.

My only 'regret,' if one can call it that, is that the book is so short. I felt a few more stories would have been welcome. But having said that, perhaps its compactness allows one to take in the breadth of the experience in one comfortable read.

At the end of the book, the author issues a call for action - a call to give the gift of story, and to facilitate this process of story-giving for others by helping them tell their life stories. After reading the book - and you'll see why if you read it too - I imagined this chain of gift-giving stretching from some unknown stranger, to an old Hungarian man, to an old woman, to her niece, to Sarah, to Colleen and finally to me.

Today I will continue the chain by inscribing it with a message, and giving it as a gift to someone I love. I shall do so with a request that when she has read it, she should pass it on. Perhaps some day my old second-hand copy will reach you. But in the meantime I recommend that you get a copy for yourself, and start giving the gift of story.