TRAVELING HOME FOR CHRISTMAS

by O. Henry, Leo Tolstoy, Anthony Trollope | Read by John Rhys-Davies, Finty Williams, Chris Larkin, Julia McKenzie, Simon Jones, Kate Maberly, Phil Proctor

Classics • 1.75 hrs. • Anthology • © 2005

This is an outstanding dramatization of four stories of Christmas: "Gift of the Magi" and "Christmas by Injunction" by O. Henry, "The Shoemaker's Gift" by Tolstoy, and "Christmas Day at Kirkby Cottage" by Trollope. All are feel-good tales that celebrate the inherent goodness of people. The dramatization includes 24 actors who do a remarkable job of tailoring their performances to the stories. The main character in "Shoemaker" sounds like an elderly European, while a miner in "Injunction" sounds like the uneducated Westerner he is supposed to be. Background noises--wind in the trees, wagon wheels creaking--all add to the verisimilitude. The listener is transported into a performance-of-the-mind. R.E.K. 2006 Audie Award Finalist © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine [Published: JUN/ JUL 06]