The Gift of the Magi and The Last Leaf

By: O. Henry

Narrated by: B. J. Harrison

Length: 34 mins

Publisher's Summary

A poor young couple demonstrates the meaning of love and self-sacrifice in the Christmas Classic, "The Gift of the Magi". Also included is "The Last Leaf". This tale follows a young woman artist who is stricken with pneumonia. She watches the leafy vine opposite her window with hollow eyes, and she determines to stay alive until the last leaf falls. O. Henry, always a master with the surprise ending, delivers two fine tales of his beloved New York City.

Public Domain (P)2007 B.J. Harrison

Not what you think it is.

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Had this been the O. Henry Story!

Any additional comments?

This isn't a verbatim version of the story.

O. Henry's two best stories, well told.

Two thirds of a dollar. That's all I paid for this half hour of truly great heart-warming listening on Audible. The narrator (B. J. Harrison) is perfect for these two stories. He does not just read the words. He tells the story. He is a story teller's story teller. A story teller par excellence. Soft-spoken. Not rushed. In a word, natural. As I listened, I was drawn into the story. I was eased in. I was invited in. So, I went in. And there I was. I was in the same room as the characters themselves. I was breathing the same air that they were breathing. Even so, the characters went about their business as if I wasn't there. Why? Because, so far as they were concerned (with their own concerns), I really wasn't there. I was invisible, unheard, unnoticed. And yet, I saw, I heard, and I noticed everything. Every thought, every feeling, every word, every action. To me, the characters were as real, and as alive, as you and I are real and alive right here, right now, at this very moment. As I listened, I let go of myself. I gave myself over to the story. I put aside my own reality. Never mind right here right now. In my mind, I was back there, back then, more than a hundred years ago, eavesdropping, witnessing what the characters were experiencing, live, in that best of all possible worlds, the world of make believe, where everything is "as if."

Beautiful short wise story

Even though, it's pretty succinct book
I liked it.

They are the wisest as they gave all they had!

Interesting and soft spoken story

The great lessons in life are timeless and both these stories highlight that. It really shows how across clearly different points in time , they suffer from the same issues. Humans always suffer from outside sources but are healed by internal human empathy.

O. Henry, one of my favorite authors

These are two of my favorite stories by O. Henry. I love his compassion for the sick child who was saved by an old man by giving back her hope. The love of the couple for each other, by selling their most precious posessions in order to give them a special gift. The gifts were for each to adorn their pride and joy. What a specal Christmas it was.
The narration, however, was too slow and put me to sleep. Good voice.

classic greatness

The vice of magi is one of the greatest classics ever written. I was so pleased to find it in audio form.

OLD FAVORITES

The Magi is an old familiar fable I've heard many times in one form or another . The Last Leaf is new to me. I enjoyed both shorts; each with its own unique characters , storyline and outcome. I now will be searching for more O. Henry material. As usual, B. J. Harrison does an excellent job of narrative.

Great short stories

These were my first pieces by O Henry and I enjoyed them both. Good narrator.