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    The Gift of the Magi: An O'Henry Story
    The Gift of the Magi: An O'Henry Story
    The Gift of the Magi: An O'Henry Story
    Audiobook22 minutes

    The Gift of the Magi: An O'Henry Story

    Written by O. Henry

    Narrated by Deaver Brown

    5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    The Gift of the Magi may be the second most widely read O’Henry story in grammar, middle, and high school. The Ransom of Red Chief rates number one. Young readers have a slightly more difficult time relating to two young married people, old after all to them, than can relate to 10 year old Red Chief, his father who makes the kidnappers pay him back in order to take Red Chief off their hands plus come in darkness so others don’t jail them, and all the antics and excitement of it all. The Gift of the Magi is not read or heard widely after one leaves high school, which is a shame because it is such a magical story about expectations being crushed by realities, and the turn of events which O’Henry was so masterful at achieving, as in The Ransom of Red Chief, the other best known O’Henry story that Simply has also recorded. The interesting twist is these two people both sacrifice for the other but that means neither gift works as planned. However, and O’Henry is full of howevers, the two are deeply in love and shrug it off and move on in their happiness. A final thought for the reader: Is there anyone similar to O’Henry in style? We can’t think of one and that is another reason to listen to these stories. As with all Simply short stories, you should enjoy the ideas put forth in the introduction and afterword. Things to think about or write about if a student. O'Henry's other two best loved stories are also recorded: The Cop and the Anthem and A Retrieved Reformation. Keywords: Ransom of Red Chief, Southwestern humor, Mark Twain, Gift of the Magi, O’Henry, New York, the Four Million, The Trimmed Lamp.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimply Magazine Inc.
    Release dateFeb 3, 2011
    ISBN9781614961086
    The Gift of the Magi: An O'Henry Story
    Author

    O. Henry

    O. Henry (1862-1910) was an American short story writer. Born and raised in North Carolina, O. Henry—whose real name was William Sydney Porter—moved to Texas in 1882 in search of work. He met and married Athol Estes in Austin, where he became well known as a musician and socialite. In 1888, Athol gave birth to a son who died soon after, and in 1889 a daughter named Margaret was born. Porter began working as a teller and bookkeeper at the First National Bank of Austin in 1890 and was fired four years later and accused of embezzlement. Afterward, he began publishing a satirical weekly called The Rolling Stone, but in 1895 he was arrested in Houston following an audit of his former employer. While waiting to stand trial, Henry fled to Honduras, where he lived for six months before returning to Texas to surrender himself upon hearing of Athol’s declining health. She died in July of 1897 from tuberculosis, and Porter served three years at the Ohio Penitentiary before moving to Pittsburgh to care for his daughter. While in prison, he began publishing stories under the pseudonym “O. Henry,” finding some success and launching a career that would blossom upon his release with such short stories as “The Gift of the Magi” (1905) and “The Ransom of Red Chief” (1907). He is recognized as one of America’s leading writers of short fiction, and the annual O. Henry Award—which has been won by such writers as William Faulkner, John Updike, and Eudora Welty—remains one of America’s most prestigious literary prizes.

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    • 5/5
      O Henry was a master of the short-story format, and it's a pity that he's not regularly taught in high school any longer. This is the classic Christmas tale of sacrifice, love and giving. The date read here refers to when our book club discussed it; but I first read in the early 1960s and have read it several times since.
    • 5/5
      First time reading this, I LOVED it!!! Really beautiful story!!!!