Christmas Book At Bedtime

by Laurie Lee

This recording contains a wonderfully festive selection of eight Christmas stories and excerpts read originally for the BBC Radio 4 series by different British actors:

1. Winter (from Cider with Rosie) by Laurie Lee, read by Patricia Routledge.
2. Baboushka by Arthur Scholey, read by Diana Rigg.
3. Christmas at Dingley Dell (from the Pickwick Papers) by Charles Dickens, read by Derek Jacobi.
4. The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen, read by Judi Dench.
5. Dulce Domum (from The Wind in the Willows) by Kenneth Grahame, read by Richard Briers.
6. A Second Christmas in Kenya (from The flame trees of Thika) by Elspeth Huxley, read by Felicity Kendal.
7. Christmas Eve in New York (from A Tree Grows in Brooklyn) by Betsy Smith, read by Miriam Margolyes.
8. Christmas Truce (from A Fox Under My Cloak) by Henry Williamson, read by Tim Pigott Smith.

It runs for 1 hour and 51 minutes.

Genres: Christmas, Short Stories, Audiobook

Audio CD

About the author

Laurence Edward Alan "Laurie" Lee, MBE, was an English poet, novelist, and screenwriter. His most famous work was an autobiographical trilogy which consisted of Cider with Rosie (1959), As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning (1969) and A Moment of War (1991). While the first volume famously recounts his childhood in the idyllic Slad Valley, the second deals with his leaving home for London and his first visit to Spain in 1934, and the third with his return in December 1937 to join the Republican International Brigade.

Reviews

[Fern A · Rating 4 out of 5]

A selection of excerpts taken from books about Christmas and combined making an audiobook of eight gentle Christmas short stories.

[Nicola Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great compilation of bedtime stories, from the king following a nighttime star, to tales of winter, Charles dickens, Hans Christian Anderson’s The Snow Girl and a Christmas truce 1914 to name a few.

It was a great collection of short stories which were read by a wide range of narrators to bring a different feel to every story (Derek Jacobi and Miriam Margoyles were the real highlights!). I really enjoyed listening to a few of these every night and they were the perfect reads for cosy December nights.

[Booksnpieces · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good selection of short stories read by some of a most wheel known actors.

[Mavis Hewitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice collection to get you into, or reinforce, a festive mood.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice collection, though the Snow Queen is very edited.

[Rachel Groves · Rating 2 out of 5]

Couple of great stories

[Emiley · Rating 3 out of 5]

These beautiful stories are short selections and stories narrated wonderfully well by some very talented and well known British actors. This collection absolutely set the mood for my Christmas season this year and I expect for many more to come. 'Christmas Eve in New York' does contain language that may not be appropriate for children or those who do not enjoy that sort of thing. I don't have kids, but it's the reason I gave 4 out of 5. Otherwise there are some real gems here for listening on a cold December night with a hot drink in your hand.