A Child's Christmas in Wales

This is what an audio book should be. Read with zest, relish and love of the story, Thomas's words are rhymthic and poetic even in the prose portion. Very moving.

This reading by Thomas himself has become a Christmas classic in our house. All at once, one is transported to Wales, hearing the cats, picturing the aunts and uncles, and recalling the wonder of Christmas as experienced by a child.

The words and voice of a Master. What more could one want?

There is a barely perceptible pause between the various pieces on this recording, so I'm providing an index for those who are looking for a particular one.
00:01 -- 20:48 A Child's Christmas in Wales
20:50 -- 25:53 Fern Hill
25:55 -- 26:28 Do Not Go Gentle
26:30 -- 44:21 In the White Giant's Thigh
44:23 -- 48:21 Ceremony After a Fire Raid

The sound quality of the recording is not as excellent as we have become used to with contemporary recordings, but the benefit of hearing Thomas's own rich voice is worth a little background fuzziness, in my opinion.

This poem captures the magic of Christmas, and the quirkiness of the adults. To hear Dylan Thomas read it, is an absolute joy. I'm so happy to replace my old, worn cassette with this to continue the tradition of hearing about Mrs. Prothero, the cats, firemen, Useful Presents, and the wonderful list of Useless Presents. The other poems thrown in is simply a wonderful bonus.

Great reading by a great poet!

The only thing I think I had a problem with was that there was no pause or introduction between readings. It is almost as if he didn't even take a breath! It would have been nice to be able to play just the Christmas in Wales portion and have a sense of when it ended so my kids listening would not be so confused by all that came after.

Don't get me wrong, the rest of the readings are just as great and very seminal, just hard to swallow or understand for my 7, 11 and 13 year old. Just not quite appreciative of works such as ... "gentle into that good night."

Every year, this the first book I "read" of the season- Dylan Thomas has recaptured his child's imagination of how Christmastime was back in the day. The humor is subtle, yet innocent and rich with imagery. I only wish it were longer!

Narrator's accent was so thick and dull, I could only listen for about 30 minutes. I usually try to stick with a story, hoping it will get better, but not this time. Might be okay for someone who is familiar with the tale.