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The Melodeon
A Christmas Gift is a reprint of a novel first published as The Melodeon by Doubleday in 1977. Glendon Swarthout later realized he'd given this holiday tale the wrong title and it was reissued in 1992 by St. Martin's Press with the missing "Christmas" in its title. This story was also made into a CBS Television movie in 1978, retitled yet again as A Christmas To Remember, starring Joanne Woodward and Jason Robards. That's were most readers have seen this story when it replays occasional winter holidays on TV. Very confusing to fans, though, with 3 different titles for this exact same Christmas story.
This novella did make the New York Times bestseller list when first published and was very well received. It became a Reader's Digest Condensed book and was also condensed in Good Housekeeping magazine in December, 1992. Obviously A Christmas Gift has become a classic holiday tale with all these different editions and titles and a TV-Movie made from it, too.
The season is Christmas, the place a remote Michigan farm during the Great Depression, and the miracles are many and wondrous, from a city boy's initiation into the marvels of nature to a thrilling journey that leads to a strange encounter with an ancestor long dead. A Christmas Gift is a remembrance of the American rural past and of the love, sacrifice, and devotion that unite four generations of a remarkable family. On a stormy Christmas Eve, young James and his old grandfather decide to give the family's heirloom melodeon (a small pump organ) to their impoverished local church so that, on Christmas morning, the congregation can sing to the accompaniment of inspiring music. But how are they to haul the heavy instrument through the most violent blizzard of the year? How? With fierce determination and the dubious help of four rambunctions girls -- and the intervention of the myserious Christmas "cavalryman" who will transform their lives. I challenge any reader to make it through this story's last poignant, memorable chapter without shedding a tear. No one has yet.
This novella did make the New York Times bestseller list when first published and was very well received. It became a Reader's Digest Condensed book and was also condensed in Good Housekeeping magazine in December, 1992. Obviously A Christmas Gift has become a classic holiday tale with all these different editions and titles and a TV-Movie made from it, too.
The season is Christmas, the place a remote Michigan farm during the Great Depression, and the miracles are many and wondrous, from a city boy's initiation into the marvels of nature to a thrilling journey that leads to a strange encounter with an ancestor long dead. A Christmas Gift is a remembrance of the American rural past and of the love, sacrifice, and devotion that unite four generations of a remarkable family. On a stormy Christmas Eve, young James and his old grandfather decide to give the family's heirloom melodeon (a small pump organ) to their impoverished local church so that, on Christmas morning, the congregation can sing to the accompaniment of inspiring music. But how are they to haul the heavy instrument through the most violent blizzard of the year? How? With fierce determination and the dubious help of four rambunctions girls -- and the intervention of the myserious Christmas "cavalryman" who will transform their lives. I challenge any reader to make it through this story's last poignant, memorable chapter without shedding a tear. No one has yet.
144 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1977
5 people are currently reading
144 people want to read
About the author
Glendon Swarthout
45books88followersGlendon Fred Swarthout was an American writer. Some of his best known novels were made into films of the same title, Where the Boys Are, The Shootist and They Came To Cordura.
Also wrote under Glendon Fred Swarthout. Twice nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in Fiction.
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Also wrote under Glendon Fred Swarthout. Twice nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in Fiction.
See
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
January 22, 2022
A simple homespun story of love, of giving without expectation of getting anything in return, and a special miracle at Christmas time.
What I appreciated most from this read was the recollection of old memories. It tickled me that Grandma used the expletive of "Fiddlesticks!" My own mother, now 89 years old, uttered that same "epithet" on occasion when I was a kid. She, who wouldn't say a curse word if a gun were held to her head. The other memory sparked was the mention of those old wooden wall-mounted crank telephones. They were still in use in North Missouri in the 1950's. To a little kid, they were fascinating. Each household had its own "ring". Two longs and a short. Or two shorts and a long. The honor system was in play, as you could pick up even if the ring wasn't for you and listen in. I suspect rather a lot of that went on. We were just visiting from the metropolis of a large city and already had those nifty rotary dial phones. Ha!
I read this on the heels of The Homesman by the same author, which was an easy 5-star read for me. This one had an entirely different "feel" to it, more wholesome. If you find something in there (the tractor, the hymns, etc.) that carries a particular significance for you, this will be a treat you won't want to miss. Some of the comment threads it has spawned are priceless.
What I appreciated most from this read was the recollection of old memories. It tickled me that Grandma used the expletive of "Fiddlesticks!" My own mother, now 89 years old, uttered that same "epithet" on occasion when I was a kid. She, who wouldn't say a curse word if a gun were held to her head. The other memory sparked was the mention of those old wooden wall-mounted crank telephones. They were still in use in North Missouri in the 1950's. To a little kid, they were fascinating. Each household had its own "ring". Two longs and a short. Or two shorts and a long. The honor system was in play, as you could pick up even if the ring wasn't for you and listen in. I suspect rather a lot of that went on. We were just visiting from the metropolis of a large city and already had those nifty rotary dial phones. Ha!
I read this on the heels of The Homesman by the same author, which was an easy 5-star read for me. This one had an entirely different "feel" to it, more wholesome. If you find something in there (the tractor, the hymns, etc.) that carries a particular significance for you, this will be a treat you won't want to miss. Some of the comment threads it has spawned are priceless.
December 17, 2021
I used half a box of Kleenex reading this Christmas story, written by the amazing Glendon Swarthout, an obviously versatile writer, who can put an unexpected twist on a story and wrench your heart.
A coming-of-age story, we meet James Chubb, a boy of fourteen, who is living on his grandparents� farm during the depression because his father is unable to find work and feeding a family has become all but impossible. The story is told by a much older James, looking back on his boyhood and the events of one Christmas that changed his life.
I was convinced until Christmas that grandparents were gray and kind and frail and full of legend and soon to die, and that was all.
Do we, as children, not usually view our parents and grandparents in this way, unable to see the young men and women they used to be and taking for granted the wisdom that seems natural but that is hard earned?
To grow up is sometimes just to realize the depths of someone else’s losses and know they can rival your own.
I had not realized that loss could be so long lived. I had not known that tears, like flowers pressed between the pages of a book, could be indefinitely preserved.
Swarthout brings this world to life with description and detail that make it real. There is a description of a soapstone and its use in warming a bed that made me feel the cold of the sheets and the warmth of the stone. There are details regarding a 1928 Rumely Oil Pull Model W Tractor that are as good as a video playing in your mind. I’m lucky enough to have seen the real thing at the Farmer’s museum in Burgess, VA, but if I had never seen one, I’d still have an accurate picture of the machine in my mind from reading this.
As well as the physical detail, Swarthout captures the time and the people of a rural small town beautifully. I was put in mind of Wendell Berry, and as anyone who knows me well could attest, I consider that high praise.
Charity then, unlike that of the present, was for the most part individual and spontaneous rather than impersonal and systematic. It had nothing to do with taxes. It was an act of addition rather than deduction.
I cannot tell you anything really about the story without chancing spoiling it, and that I would never do. To anyone who reads it with a heart that leans toward Christmas sentiment, be prepared to laugh, to cry and to marvel.
*
Postscript: Thanks to a GR friend, Wyndy, I thought I would share that was reissued under the title and is available on Kindle for $3.99.
It needs a Librarian to link the two differently named editions. I am not able to do that, but wanted others to know in case they were looking for the book.
A coming-of-age story, we meet James Chubb, a boy of fourteen, who is living on his grandparents� farm during the depression because his father is unable to find work and feeding a family has become all but impossible. The story is told by a much older James, looking back on his boyhood and the events of one Christmas that changed his life.
I was convinced until Christmas that grandparents were gray and kind and frail and full of legend and soon to die, and that was all.
Do we, as children, not usually view our parents and grandparents in this way, unable to see the young men and women they used to be and taking for granted the wisdom that seems natural but that is hard earned?
To grow up is sometimes just to realize the depths of someone else’s losses and know they can rival your own.
I had not realized that loss could be so long lived. I had not known that tears, like flowers pressed between the pages of a book, could be indefinitely preserved.
Swarthout brings this world to life with description and detail that make it real. There is a description of a soapstone and its use in warming a bed that made me feel the cold of the sheets and the warmth of the stone. There are details regarding a 1928 Rumely Oil Pull Model W Tractor that are as good as a video playing in your mind. I’m lucky enough to have seen the real thing at the Farmer’s museum in Burgess, VA, but if I had never seen one, I’d still have an accurate picture of the machine in my mind from reading this.
As well as the physical detail, Swarthout captures the time and the people of a rural small town beautifully. I was put in mind of Wendell Berry, and as anyone who knows me well could attest, I consider that high praise.
Charity then, unlike that of the present, was for the most part individual and spontaneous rather than impersonal and systematic. It had nothing to do with taxes. It was an act of addition rather than deduction.
I cannot tell you anything really about the story without chancing spoiling it, and that I would never do. To anyone who reads it with a heart that leans toward Christmas sentiment, be prepared to laugh, to cry and to marvel.
*
Postscript: Thanks to a GR friend, Wyndy, I thought I would share that was reissued under the title and is available on Kindle for $3.99.
It needs a Librarian to link the two differently named editions. I am not able to do that, but wanted others to know in case they were looking for the book.
October 27, 2022
Big thanks to Sara Steger for alerting me to this book. It was her wonderful review that made me order a copy of The Melodeon. I didn't think it would arrive before January, and with it being a Christmas story I had it in mind to read later on next year. And yet it arrived on the 23rd of December.
Picture this...
I'd done all my chores for the day, the weather was ghastly (Manchester winter- dank, cold, wet) and my wife was out doing stuff. I sensed an opportunity.
So I sat by the Christmas tree with a pot of green tea/beer and started reading. Sounds idyllic, but this only works if the book is good, if it's a bag of shite then there would be no story.
But it's a stunning read.
James, the narrator and in his mid 50's, reflects back on the time he became an economic orphan during the Great depression and goes to live with his maternal grandparents on a farm in Michigan. He was 13yrs old.
Key to the story are a melodeon and a Rumely OilPull Model 20-40. A weird old style tractor
''a monstrosity which has not been seen on American acreage for forty years or more, a whatchamachallit which may be marvelled at today only in museums such as the Smithsonian''
And would you believe it? I've got a miniature toy version of the same tractor that my father bought me about 50yrs ago (it's beautiful). So I fell in love with the tractor and the book.
The language in this coming of age story is beautiful. His grandmother's only expletive is 'Fiddlesticks' which I didn't even know was an expletive.
And it's a funny book, there is a gentle humour running all the way through it.
''I knew then that Adam had not tried the forbidden fruit to indulge his appetite. It was to save his sanity''
I can't tell you too much about the story because it's short and simple and beautiful. It took 2 hours to read and made me think about my dad, and tractors. I cried at the end because it finishes with the lyrics from Abide With Me, which was played at my dad's funeral. His birthday was on Christmas Day.
Without a doubt the best, most magical reading experience of my life.
Picture this...
I'd done all my chores for the day, the weather was ghastly (Manchester winter- dank, cold, wet) and my wife was out doing stuff. I sensed an opportunity.
So I sat by the Christmas tree with a pot of green tea/beer and started reading. Sounds idyllic, but this only works if the book is good, if it's a bag of shite then there would be no story.
But it's a stunning read.
James, the narrator and in his mid 50's, reflects back on the time he became an economic orphan during the Great depression and goes to live with his maternal grandparents on a farm in Michigan. He was 13yrs old.
Key to the story are a melodeon and a Rumely OilPull Model 20-40. A weird old style tractor
''a monstrosity which has not been seen on American acreage for forty years or more, a whatchamachallit which may be marvelled at today only in museums such as the Smithsonian''
And would you believe it? I've got a miniature toy version of the same tractor that my father bought me about 50yrs ago (it's beautiful). So I fell in love with the tractor and the book.
The language in this coming of age story is beautiful. His grandmother's only expletive is 'Fiddlesticks' which I didn't even know was an expletive.
And it's a funny book, there is a gentle humour running all the way through it.
''I knew then that Adam had not tried the forbidden fruit to indulge his appetite. It was to save his sanity''
I can't tell you too much about the story because it's short and simple and beautiful. It took 2 hours to read and made me think about my dad, and tractors. I cried at the end because it finishes with the lyrics from Abide With Me, which was played at my dad's funeral. His birthday was on Christmas Day.
Without a doubt the best, most magical reading experience of my life.
January 7, 2022
4� 🎹🎹🎹🎹
This gem of a Christmas story had the same effect on me that the very best episodes of Little House on the Prairie did. Remember the Christmas episode where Laura sold her beloved horse Bunny to Mr. Olesen so she could buy an iron stove for her mother, then breaks down crying because Pa spent so much time making a saddle for her to ride?
Thanks to friend Sara Steger for the heads up on this one.
This gem of a Christmas story had the same effect on me that the very best episodes of Little House on the Prairie did. Remember the Christmas episode where Laura sold her beloved horse Bunny to Mr. Olesen so she could buy an iron stove for her mother, then breaks down crying because Pa spent so much time making a saddle for her to ride?
Thanks to friend Sara Steger for the heads up on this one.
December 28, 2021
I'll let others reviews tell the story of this one, and just say that it is all they claim it to be. A beautiful story of family and Christmas, leavened with humor and a little miracle that makes it pretty special.
December 14, 2023
This was a touching story about the importance of the meaning of Christmas. What a heartwarming message of the love of family and the meaningful things we do to create joy for others. This one has a very special miracle that could only be seen by the eyes of a child. I fell in love with this beautiful story!
December 20, 2022
A lovely young adult novel that captures the spirit of the holiday season. Now in his 50s, the narrator tells the story of the time during the Great Depression when he was sent alone by train at age 13 to live with his maternal grandparents on their farm south of Howell, Michigan. He is ready now to tell the story of what happened that Christmas Eve so many years ago. Miracles can happen!
December 17, 2018
Warm old fashioned book that got me in the Christmas spirit!
January 19, 2022
A beautifully written, heartfelt story. While the events center around Christmas, it's much more than a Christmas tale. And even though most of it takes place over only a couple of days, I've shelved it as a coming-of-age story, it being a life changing and life affirming experience. It is enormously enriched by a deep sense of place and time: depression-era hard times, farm country, depths of winter and the compelling presence of an iron behemoth: a primitive oil-fueled tractor which almost becomes a character in the story. The old Melodeon is also far more than a homely musical instrument, it's symbolic of a family's tragic history and the abiding love that holds the successive generations together. The sense of privation � an aging farmer, falling behind the times even when compared to some of his neighbors, adds poignancy, while the richly emotional family environment steeped in love draws the reader into this simple story. All of which sets us up to accept the entry of magical realism, because we find ourselves wanting this boy and his struggling grandparents to succeed, to realize their modest dreams, regardless of how that can be made to happen.
Overly sentimental? I suppose so but I cared not. Only the book's brevity prevents me from assigning 5 stars.
Overly sentimental? I suppose so but I cared not. Only the book's brevity prevents me from assigning 5 stars.
March 24, 2010
This is one of my all-time favorite stories to read in the winter. I read my original copy so many times that it finally fell apart. It's taken me years to hunt down another one--and I just finished rereading it.
This would be a good holiday read for anyone sixth grade and older (or could be read to someone perhaps in the third or fourth grade). For an adult, it could be read in a day or a weekend, easily. It is defintely worth the effort of hunting down a copy of this book for yourself, and perhaps even a second copy to share.
This would be a good holiday read for anyone sixth grade and older (or could be read to someone perhaps in the third or fourth grade). For an adult, it could be read in a day or a weekend, easily. It is defintely worth the effort of hunting down a copy of this book for yourself, and perhaps even a second copy to share.
December 24, 2015
A soulful tale perfect for Christmas. In this beautiful story a young boy describes the transformative Christmas he spent with his grandparents, learning about what it truly means to give from the heart. Full of description about farm life during the Depression. Much of the vocabulary was unfamiliar to me. If you are looking for a book to uplift your heart this is an ideal pick!
December 15, 2019
I love this book and read it every Christmas. It is the story of a 13 year old boy who has been sent to his grandparents during the depression and it is also about a child's realization that grandparents are people too. And about a couple of Christmas miracles - believable and mystical. A lovely, quick read.
February 2, 2015
A lovely Christmas story.
February 28, 2022
This was a wonderful story about family and the spirt of Christmas. Well written. A must for your next holiday season reading list.
June 19, 2014
A Christmas Gift is a reissue of a Doubleday novella originally published in 1977 under the title The Melodeon. The 1978 TV-Movie for CBS starring Joanne Woodward, Eva Marie Saint and Jason Robards was much altered from the original story and appeared under the title A Christmas To Remember. A condensed version of this same story also appeared in a Good Housekeeping December holiday issue under a 3rd title, "Journey Into Christmas." Finally Glendon and St. Martin's Press realized any Christmas story needed "Christmas" in the title, so A Christmas Gift is the final title of all these confusing name changes for the very same fine holiday story.
The season is Christmas, the place a remote Michigan farm during the Great Depression, and the miracles are many and wondrous, from a city boy's initiation into the marvels of nature to a thrilling journey that leads to a strange encounter with an ancestor long dead.
A Christmas Gift is a remembrance of the American past and of the love, sacrifice, and devotion that unite four generations of a remarkable family. On a stormy Christmas Eve, young James and his old grandfather decide to give the family's heirloom melodeon (a small pump organ) to their impoverished local church so that, on Christmas morning, the congregation can sing to the accompaniment of inspiring music. But how are they to haul the heavy instrument through the most violent blizzard of the year? How? With fierce determination and the dubious help of four rambunctious girls--and the intervention of the mysterious Christmas "cavalryman" who will transform their lives.
I challenge any reader to make it through this story's last poignant, memorable chapter without shedding a tear.
More information about the writing Swarthouts and descriptions of their adult novels and YA novellas, plus movie trailers of the 9 films made from their stories as well as screenplays (originals and adaptations), are posted on their literary website --
Book Reviews--
"A genuine Christmas story...Warm with human goodness and love."
Christian Science Monitor
"There is both charm and a nostalgic ability to recapture times past in Swarthout's enchanting fictionalized memoir of a city boy's days on a farm...An appealing Christmas book." Publisher's Weekly
"Builds the suspense to a lump-in-the-throat climax that will draw many a tear from tender-hearted readers. This kind of story is supposed to have become a victim of our materialist age, but see if you can read it without feeling a surge of sentiment in that closing church scene. It's a charming tale written without a false note and perfectly attuned to the Christmas spirit."
John Barkham Reviews
"Triggers memories, tugs at the heartstrings and makes you live inside the minds and souls of the characters...An excellent novel, particularly for this time of year, and a novel that you will want to share with those you love, particularly if that love is deep."
Bob Shotwell Arizona Republic
"A story spun of the simple and homely old human struggles
and virtues that will startle the reader like an unexpected dawn...Here is a book which, while its theme and its attractive illustrations make it a suitable Christmas gift, will provide interesting reading for any time of year."
Stanton A. Coblentz the Los Angeles Times
"A tender, haunting tribute to a time gone by. A book to be listened to, in laughter and tears, and to be treasured...Isn't it right that once in a while a book like this should come along?"
James E. Alexander Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Glendon Swarthout has written a touching tale for the entire family. It's short and simply written, and its message is clear: Christmas is love and miracles, though small, do happen."
Pam Brown Macon, Georgia Telegraph and News
"All the virtues we associate with Christmas are present--love, faith, and miracles. It is a gentle tale that could bring tears to the eyes of a couple generations who will recall life in that long ago, far-away time." Chattanooga, Tennessee Times
"The Melodeon is a book that should be a Christmas classic in the tradition of Clement C. Moore. It's a beautiful story of love, and I could hardly read the last two chapters for pausing to mop my streaming eyes. Swarthout's story of small miracles is guaranteed to touch the heart of even the coldest Scrooge." Delores Ballard, Jackson, Tennessee Sun
"What an ideal Christmas book this is! It's all about miracles... The rest of the charming, beautifully illustrated little book is another Christmas miracle, one the entire community shared."
Margaret E. Wiggins, Ft. Wayne, Indiana News-Sentinel
"True lessons of giving and sharing are conveyed in the sensitive story about the donation of a family heirloom, a melodeon, achieved through a small miracle that reunited a family. Swarthout's moving story succeeds in its simplicity and its setting in an earlier time, full of hope." the Booklist, of the American Library Association
"This is the sort of story that makes you feel good all over, compounded of love and family and unabashed acceptance of the Christmas miracle. It is told by novelist Glendon Swarthout as an autobiographical vignette, but whether you believe it or not, it's a little treasure...Short and perfect, The Melodeon is the work of a man who can also take credit for The Shootist and The Tin Lizzie Troop and other outstanding fiction.
Anniston, Alabama Star
"It is the refreshing candor and humor of author Glendon Swarthout that elevates The Melodeon above the standard children's story or the paternalistic vanity tale...It is the kind of Christmas tale that even the coldest and oldest of cynics wouldn't mind reading to a child. There's a balanced reward for both."
Bill Jones, Phoenix, Arizona Gazette
"The story is told concisely but with evident delight in the magic of words: 'It was a dashing winter day, colder than a dogcatcher's heart'...The Melodeon, illustrated with pleasing line drawings by Richard Cuffari, is a short but expertly crafted addition to Mr. Swarthout's output...It may well become one of those novels to which I return whenever I need cheering up."
Malcolm Pain Sheffield, England Morning Telegraph
The season is Christmas, the place a remote Michigan farm during the Great Depression, and the miracles are many and wondrous, from a city boy's initiation into the marvels of nature to a thrilling journey that leads to a strange encounter with an ancestor long dead.
A Christmas Gift is a remembrance of the American past and of the love, sacrifice, and devotion that unite four generations of a remarkable family. On a stormy Christmas Eve, young James and his old grandfather decide to give the family's heirloom melodeon (a small pump organ) to their impoverished local church so that, on Christmas morning, the congregation can sing to the accompaniment of inspiring music. But how are they to haul the heavy instrument through the most violent blizzard of the year? How? With fierce determination and the dubious help of four rambunctious girls--and the intervention of the mysterious Christmas "cavalryman" who will transform their lives.
I challenge any reader to make it through this story's last poignant, memorable chapter without shedding a tear.
More information about the writing Swarthouts and descriptions of their adult novels and YA novellas, plus movie trailers of the 9 films made from their stories as well as screenplays (originals and adaptations), are posted on their literary website --
Book Reviews--
"A genuine Christmas story...Warm with human goodness and love."
Christian Science Monitor
"There is both charm and a nostalgic ability to recapture times past in Swarthout's enchanting fictionalized memoir of a city boy's days on a farm...An appealing Christmas book." Publisher's Weekly
"Builds the suspense to a lump-in-the-throat climax that will draw many a tear from tender-hearted readers. This kind of story is supposed to have become a victim of our materialist age, but see if you can read it without feeling a surge of sentiment in that closing church scene. It's a charming tale written without a false note and perfectly attuned to the Christmas spirit."
John Barkham Reviews
"Triggers memories, tugs at the heartstrings and makes you live inside the minds and souls of the characters...An excellent novel, particularly for this time of year, and a novel that you will want to share with those you love, particularly if that love is deep."
Bob Shotwell Arizona Republic
"A story spun of the simple and homely old human struggles
and virtues that will startle the reader like an unexpected dawn...Here is a book which, while its theme and its attractive illustrations make it a suitable Christmas gift, will provide interesting reading for any time of year."
Stanton A. Coblentz the Los Angeles Times
"A tender, haunting tribute to a time gone by. A book to be listened to, in laughter and tears, and to be treasured...Isn't it right that once in a while a book like this should come along?"
James E. Alexander Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Glendon Swarthout has written a touching tale for the entire family. It's short and simply written, and its message is clear: Christmas is love and miracles, though small, do happen."
Pam Brown Macon, Georgia Telegraph and News
"All the virtues we associate with Christmas are present--love, faith, and miracles. It is a gentle tale that could bring tears to the eyes of a couple generations who will recall life in that long ago, far-away time." Chattanooga, Tennessee Times
"The Melodeon is a book that should be a Christmas classic in the tradition of Clement C. Moore. It's a beautiful story of love, and I could hardly read the last two chapters for pausing to mop my streaming eyes. Swarthout's story of small miracles is guaranteed to touch the heart of even the coldest Scrooge." Delores Ballard, Jackson, Tennessee Sun
"What an ideal Christmas book this is! It's all about miracles... The rest of the charming, beautifully illustrated little book is another Christmas miracle, one the entire community shared."
Margaret E. Wiggins, Ft. Wayne, Indiana News-Sentinel
"True lessons of giving and sharing are conveyed in the sensitive story about the donation of a family heirloom, a melodeon, achieved through a small miracle that reunited a family. Swarthout's moving story succeeds in its simplicity and its setting in an earlier time, full of hope." the Booklist, of the American Library Association
"This is the sort of story that makes you feel good all over, compounded of love and family and unabashed acceptance of the Christmas miracle. It is told by novelist Glendon Swarthout as an autobiographical vignette, but whether you believe it or not, it's a little treasure...Short and perfect, The Melodeon is the work of a man who can also take credit for The Shootist and The Tin Lizzie Troop and other outstanding fiction.
Anniston, Alabama Star
"It is the refreshing candor and humor of author Glendon Swarthout that elevates The Melodeon above the standard children's story or the paternalistic vanity tale...It is the kind of Christmas tale that even the coldest and oldest of cynics wouldn't mind reading to a child. There's a balanced reward for both."
Bill Jones, Phoenix, Arizona Gazette
"The story is told concisely but with evident delight in the magic of words: 'It was a dashing winter day, colder than a dogcatcher's heart'...The Melodeon, illustrated with pleasing line drawings by Richard Cuffari, is a short but expertly crafted addition to Mr. Swarthout's output...It may well become one of those novels to which I return whenever I need cheering up."
Malcolm Pain Sheffield, England Morning Telegraph
November 26, 2024
What a beautiful, heartwarming Christmas story about family, love, and tradition.
During the depression, James' father had unfortunately lost his job in Philadelphia. Therefore, his parents sends him to live with his mother's parents on their farm in Michigan.
On Christmas Eve, James receives two Christmas presents - a walnut-handled pocket knife from his grandfather and a hand-knitted scarf from his grandmother. Afterwards, Ella, James' grandmother, plays Christmas songs on the melodeon organ. Thereafter, Ella tells Will, James' grandfather, that they should give the melodeon to the church for Christmas since she does not play it anymore because of her arthritis. Unfortunately, Ella insists that the melodeon be delivered to the church that night despite the severe snowstorm.
With some help from Christmas magic, Will and James successfully transport the melodeon to the church just in time for Christmas morning!
During the depression, James' father had unfortunately lost his job in Philadelphia. Therefore, his parents sends him to live with his mother's parents on their farm in Michigan.
On Christmas Eve, James receives two Christmas presents - a walnut-handled pocket knife from his grandfather and a hand-knitted scarf from his grandmother. Afterwards, Ella, James' grandmother, plays Christmas songs on the melodeon organ. Thereafter, Ella tells Will, James' grandfather, that they should give the melodeon to the church for Christmas since she does not play it anymore because of her arthritis. Unfortunately, Ella insists that the melodeon be delivered to the church that night despite the severe snowstorm.
With some help from Christmas magic, Will and James successfully transport the melodeon to the church just in time for Christmas morning!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 10, 2013
I read this book when I was a teenager and remember loving it very much. Upon reading it again for my bookclub, it was apparent why I enjoyed it so much.
It's a short read, with the feel of a modern (1920s-30s era Michigan) fairy tale. The characters are few and are not well-developed. But this isn't the type of story where that is needed.
The main character, 13 year old James, helps his grandfather throughout an adventure-filled, night-time blizzard on Christmas Eve. And the experience allows the reader to reflect on the ways in which people make various sacrifices in order to achieve a good deed.
It's a short read, with the feel of a modern (1920s-30s era Michigan) fairy tale. The characters are few and are not well-developed. But this isn't the type of story where that is needed.
The main character, 13 year old James, helps his grandfather throughout an adventure-filled, night-time blizzard on Christmas Eve. And the experience allows the reader to reflect on the ways in which people make various sacrifices in order to achieve a good deed.
June 4, 2008
My Grandpa Nelson had this book. I would stay with them in Boulder City, NV quite often on the weekends or when my parents would go out of town.
I only read "The Fan" from this book. It was SO good and scared me half to death. It was about an actress being stalked by her Fan. I read it in the mid 70's in about 5th grade before we heard about obsessive fans stalking Hollywood. It was before its time.
I only read "The Fan" from this book. It was SO good and scared me half to death. It was about an actress being stalked by her Fan. I read it in the mid 70's in about 5th grade before we heard about obsessive fans stalking Hollywood. It was before its time.
December 6, 2014
This us a coming of age story set in the depression. A young man and his grandfather decide to carry out the Christmas wish of the grandmother - to give their small rural church their organ. After she falls asleep the boy and his grandfather start the journey in a raging snow storm using a tractor and stone boat that is able to plow through the snow but not without incidents.
This is a sweet story of love and miracles and growing up.
This is a sweet story of love and miracles and growing up.
September 4, 2012
A lovely and endearing read not just for Christmas but the entire year through. A touching tale for all ages about how a young boy sees love through so many different ways, his grandparents, the neighbors, and an unexpected surprise visitor. Love seeps through its pages. Go ahead feel a little unconditional love today!
November 29, 2014
Quick, fun read about a boy sent to live with his grandparents on a farm during the depression. He and his grandpa, in order to please and surprise his grandma deliver an organ in the middle of a severe snow storm on Christmas eve. I liked the cleverness of the author's writing.
December 18, 2020
The True Meaning of Christmas
A beautifully written book that will carry you back in time when life was wasn't easy but values and the belief that we are all here to care for each other made life richer and fuller.
A beautifully written book that will carry you back in time when life was wasn't easy but values and the belief that we are all here to care for each other made life richer and fuller.
July 19, 2008
A wonderful story!!!! (I think it's true!)
January 11, 2009
One of my favorite Christmas stories!
July 14, 2010
very moving novel.
December 26, 2014
Such a sweet story, and so nice to have a quick little feel good read during the busy times.
January 3, 2018
This was a reread (I almost never reread) of one of my favorite Christmas stories. Zero saccharine, just a warm family story. Highly recommended.
November 30, 2020
A wonderful book about the true meaning of Christmas.
December 10, 2020
A fun read at Christmas time. Heart-warming story of how those separated by generations can learn from each other and grow together. It's also fun to believe in a little bit of Christmas magic!
February 3, 2021
A must read Christmas. Sweet, touching, poignant, and then some. I really like this author- his books are great coming of age stories for boys.
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