A Christmas Story

The Book That Inspired the Hilarious Classic Film

By: Jean Shepherd

Narrated by: Dick Cavett

Length: 3 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

The holiday film A Christmas Story, first released in 1983, has become a bona fide Christmas perennial, gaining in stature and fame with each succeeding year. Its affectionate, wacky, and wryly realistic portrayal of an American family's typical Christmas joys and travails in small-town Depression-era Indiana has entered our imagination and our hearts with a force equal to It's a Wonderful Life and Miracle on 34th Street.

This audio production of A Christmas Story gathers together in one hilarious volume the gems of autobiographical humor that Jean Shepherd drew upon to create this enduring film. Here is young Ralphie Parker's shocking discovery that his decoder ring is really a device to promote Ovaltine; his mother and father's pitched battle over the fate of a lascivious leg lamp; the unleashed and unnerving savagery of Ralphie's duel in the snow with the odious bullies Scut Farkas and Grover Dill; and, most crucially, Ralphie's unstoppable campaign to get Santa, or anyone else, to give him a Red Ryder carbine action 200-shot range model air rifle. Who cares that the whole adult world is telling him, "You'll shoot your eye out, kid"?

The pieces that comprise A Christmas Story, previously published in the larger collections In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash and Wanda Hickey's Night of Golden Memories, coalesce in a magical fashion to become an irresistible piece of Americana, quite the equal of the film in its ability to warm the heart and tickle the funny bone.

©2003 The Estate of Jean Shepherd (P)2004 Random House Inc. Random House Audio, a divison of Random House, Inc.

Christmas Story

Dick Cavatt does prefect job of narrator. I thought better done than movie .... particularly on Bumpus family next door.

Great but not the Movie.

I really liked this Book. It’s a better story then the Movie. The Dad & the Dogs, & a Moon on the small shed put back.lol

Great Holiday Fun

I loved the stories that inspired one of my favorite movies. I had to remind myself not to compare the book and the movie, because the movie can’t be topped!

Overall, the stories were fun and comical, but I feel that a different narrator would have made it more enjoyable.

Charming just like the movie!

I thought this book was extremely charming and very very similar to the term in the movie version. As I own a small DVD player (no television) and did not have a DVD of this book I thought I would give the audiobook a listen. When I told my mom about the audiobook of her favorite Christmas movie she responded, "Jean Shepherd is a good writer and you will most likely enjoy it!" I have to admit that my mother was correct. I found the added sound effects really increased the charm of the story and made it feel like you were listening to an old time radio broadcast. I thought the narration was spot on. I plan on listing to this book again during the next holiday season and starting a new tradition!

Best without preconceptions

Familiarity with the movie influenced selection, relatable family traditions and challenges make for good listening

grate story

reminds me of my own youth loved it more then the movie of the story

A great adult Christmas read

If you could sum up A Christmas Story in three words, what would they be?

Funny - heart-warming - characters you can identify with

What was one of the most memorable moments of A Christmas Story?

the famous leg lamp, of course

What about Dick Cavett’s performance did you like?

He really helps the story come to life; you can clearly picture each scene.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Laugh

Any additional comments?

If you like the movie you'll love the book!...there is some language so not appropriate for little ears.

So worth it!!!

So good, narration is not gene Shepard but you’ll get used to it. Great story

A holiday classic

Anyone who hasn’t read the original stories that inspired the movie is missing out on inflection and imagery that the movie, as timeless as it is, doesn’t quite capture 100%. Jean Shepherd aka “Shep” is an icon in Americana who can’t fully be appreciated unless you’ve listened to his radio show or read his works. For anyone interested, the stories that comprise this production are taken from “In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash” and “Wanda Hickey’s Night of Golden Memories.” That being said, listening to them here is a great introduction to the marvel that was Shep.

A lot of reviewers for this production seem to have a problem with the narrator. I get it. Shep had a voice that was unrivaled, filled with excitement and bliss when recounting the shenanigans that went on during his childhood (or at least, a fictionalized version of it) in Depression-era Indiana. However, I think having a talk show legend whose name is just as synonymous with Americana as Shep is an appropriate choice. Dick Cavett’s voice may not be as whimsical and animated as Shep, but he still gives a good read. Most importantly, he delivers the writing in a way that makes sure the humor gets across.

I quite enjoyed listening to this and I highly recommend picking up a copy of Shep’s other published works after listening to this.

Poor Jean Shepherd

I guess Jean Shepherd and J.K. Rowling have something in common -- the movies are never quite like the book. I love the "Christmas Story" movie and watch it ritually every Christmas season. I have to admit, I like the movie better than the book -- but like with Harry Potter, that is probably not a fair comparison -- directors take too much license with these stories. This is a great story. Shepherd writes in such a descriptive manner -- I almost feel as if I lived in that house and fought the Bumpuses dogs. I probably listened to the audiobook six times last Christmas season, and will probably do so again next season. It is just that good!