Christmas at Thompson Hall

by Anthony Trollope

Christmas at Thompson Hall by Trollope, Anthony, 1815-1882 "Rediscover This Timeless Classic - The Ultimate MP3 Audiobook CD Experience!" Journey back in time and immerse yourself in a world of timeless stories with our classic MP3 Audiobook series. Why Dive into Our Classic Title MP3 Audiobook CDS? Historical This masterwork, has shaped literature, inspired countless adaptations, and touched the hearts of generations. Authentic Faithfully reproduced to capture the essence of the original publication. High Quality Narrated by a cutting-edge AI voice. Consistent AI narration ensures a consistent tone and pace throughout the book. There's no risk of the narrator becoming fatigued or any variations happening in the audio quality. Universal This MP3 CD is compatible with any device that supports MP3 playback - from vintage CD players to modern car stereos and computers Made in the Meticulously produced in a specialized duplication facility right here in the USA. Reacquaint yourself with the tales that have withstood the test of time and embark on a audible journey through literature's golden age! The text of this book is deemed to be in the public domain in the United States. Any use or redistribution of this item outside the United States is done at the user's own risk and liability.Listed

Genres: Christmas, Classics, Audiobook, Fiction, Holiday, Short Stories

43 pages, Paperback

Published December 1, 2023

About the author

Anthony Trollope became one of the most successful, prolific and respected English novelists of the Victorian era. Some of Trollope's best-loved works, known as the Chronicles of Barsetshire, revolve around the imaginary county of Barsetshire; he also wrote penetrating novels on political, social, and gender issues and conflicts of his day.

Trollope has always been a popular novelist. Noted fans have included Sir Alec Guinness (who never travelled without a Trollope novel), former British Prime Ministers Harold Macmillan and Sir John Major, economist John Kenneth Galbraith, American novelists Sue Grafton and Dominick Dunne and soap opera writer Harding Lemay. Trollope's literary reputation dipped somewhat during the last years of his life, but he regained the esteem of critics by the mid-twentieth century.
See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_...

Reviews

[Terris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute! Sometimes we get ourselves into the most impossible situations!! :)

[Taury · Rating 2 out of 5]

Christmas at Thompson Hall by Anthony Trollope was boring and weird.

[Emma R. Pilcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel perfectly justified in my dislike of mustard now.

[Ali Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

When her husband needs some mustard for his throat Mrs. Brown goes down in the middle of the night from their hotel room in search. But one lie leads to another leaving her in quite a mess.
This is such a funny silly short story I very much enjoyed it.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Between 3.5 and 4. This was silly but witty and fitting for Christmas. A bit predictable but I like Trollope's writing a lot and plan to read more.

[Φερειπείν · Rating 4 out of 5]

Μια χριστουγεννιάτικη ιστορία και γέλια και για κλάματα, θα μπορούσε να ισχυριστεί κάποια που δεν είχε προηγουμένως επαφή με
έργα του Trollope.
Κάποια όμως που έχει γνωρίσει εκ των προτέρων τα έργα του, ξέρει πως όσο παλαβό κι αν είναι αυτό που διαβάζει, δε θα οδηγήσει σε κάτι πραγματικά δυσάρεστο.
Τι είναι λοιπόν το "Χριστούγεννα στο Thompson Hall";
Ένα ουσιαστικά σύντομο στιγμιότυπο μιας μοιραίας και αδιανόητης συνάντησης μερικών ανθρώπων που για άγνωστη αιτία, κάνουν την τρίχα τριχιά, θυμίζοντας φορές την αξιολάτρευτη τρέλα του Γκόγκολ και τη λεπτοδουλεμένη απόδοση του κωμικού απ' τον Τσέχοφ στα διηγήματά του.
Ο Trollope μπλέκει απολαυστικά την "τελετουργική" ευπρέπεια της εποχής του που συχνά αγγίζει την υπερβολή και ενσωματώνει την αγωνία του φαίνεσθαι και των τύπων στις αντιδράσεις των πρωταγωνιστών, με την, έτσι κι αλλιώς, παραδοξότητα των ανθρώπων εν γένει, και όλο αυτό το κάνει με χιουμοριστική ευφυΐα και λεπτότητα.
Μια απλή παρεξήγηση η πένα του Trollope καταφέρνει να τη μετατρέψει σε ειλικρινή, διεισδυτική και κοινωνιολογική μελέτη των κωδικών συμπεριφοράς μιας συγκεκριμένης κοινωνικής τάξης και των αλληλεπιδράσεων μεταξύ των εκπροσώπων της.
Η αφήγησή του συμβάλει στη δημιουργία μιας σατιρική απεικόνισης της εποχής του, εκτελεσμένη τόσο άψογα, τόσο διακριτικά, τόσο υποδειγματικά κωμικά που μοιάζει να προσεγγίζει με στοργική αγάπη τους ήρωές του, την αμηχανία και ενοχή τους, χωρίς να γίνεται δηκτικός .
Η εύστοχη ειρωνική τοποθέτησή του, μια ευχάριστη παρωδία της βικτωριανής ευπρέπειας, εκφράζεται με κομψότητα, ευαισθησία, σε μια ευχάριστη εορταστική ατμόσφαιρα ιδανική για τις ημέρες των Χριστουγέννων, χωρίς να βαραίνει τη συνείδηση.

Christmas at Thompson Hall is one of those deceptively slight Trollopian pieces in which apparent frivolity conceals a quietly astute vision of social life. At first glance, it is a festive tale of laughter and mild distress, a brief vignette whose improbable incidents unfold with an air of comic inevitability. For a reader new to Trollope, its farcical turns may seem almost outrageous; for those better acquainted with his world, there is the reassuring sense that however absurd the situation becomes, it will never drift into genuine cruelty or darkness. Trollope’s moral imagination remains, as ever, humane, steady, and governed by sympathy.
The story centres upon a chance convergence of characters whose small misunderstandings swell into a sequence of gleefully exaggerated mishaps. At times, the escalating absurdity evokes the endearing strangeness of Gogol, while the finely judged timing and delicacy of observation recall Chekhov’s comic miniatures. Trollope’s genius lies in his ability to entwine the ritualised decorum of the Victorian world, with all its elaborate gestures, anxieties of propriety, and almost ceremonial attention to appearances, with the stubborn unpredictability of human behaviour. Out of this tension emerges a humour that is subtle, affectionate, and quietly incisive.
What begins as a trivial misapprehension is transformed into a study not merely of incident, but of manners, codes, and the unspoken grammar of class interaction. Trollope treats his characters with a wry but loving eye, their self-consciousness, their awkwardness, their guilty hesitations are rendered with a delicacy that resists mockery. His satire never bites; instead, it smiles. The comedy of the piece is executed with such discretion and tact that it feels less like a lampoon of Victorian respectability than a gently amused acknowledgement of its fragility.
Set against the backdrop of the Christmas season, the tale acquires an added warmth. Its festive atmosphere, light yet sincere, provides the perfect frame for a narrative in which foible and goodwill coexist in uneasy harmony. The reader is left amused, but also faintly moved by the humanity that persists beneath the surface comedy. In its brevity and composure, Christmas at Thompson Hall stands as a small but exquisite demonstration of Trollope’s comic intelligence, an elegant miniature in which satire, tenderness, and social observation are held in graceful balance.

[Staci · Rating 3 out of 5]

I gave A Christmas at Thompson Hall three stars because, honestly, it frustrated me in ways that I couldn’t ignore. I get that it’s a classic, and Trollope’s writing is witty and full of social observation, but some of the plot choices just didn’t sit right with me.

The biggest issue for me was Mrs. Brown’s silence about Mr. Jones having a woman in his bed. It’s assumed that the reader is fine with this, but I found it really hard to swallow. She doesn’t tell her husband, she doesn’t warn his sister (who he ends up marrying), and instead, she just asks for forgiveness in a sort of socially polite way. I understand it’s supposed to reflect Victorian social norms — discretion, protecting reputations, and all that — but it felt like the book was asking me to accept behavior that’s pretty outrageous without really acknowledging it.

I appreciated the classic Trollope humor and the commentary on social manners, but the moral and relational choices of the characters just didn’t work for me. It’s clever in parts, but overall I found myself annoyed by the assumptions the story expects the reader to swallow.

[Esther Filbrun · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Just before Christmas, I saw someone mention this short story, and made a note to check it out right at Christmas time. I’m so glad I took the time for this story; I can see why it became such a well-loved classic! It’s funny, lighthearted, and also is a beautiful story of love and forgiveness—in the setting of a comedy of errors. I finished this book, and immediately went to Mom’s Kindle to download it on there for her, because I thought she’d enjoy it. Sure enough, she did—and we both had fun talking it over once she finished! If you’re looking for a quick read with relatable characters, and enjoy books that contain a series of unfortunate events, this is the book for you. I loved it, and hope I’ll get to read more of Trollope’s works in the future!

[Melanie Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

🌟🌟🌟🌟💫
4.5

This is such a quirky little tale regarding a woman rubbing mustard on the wrong man’s neck 🤣

It’s funny & witty but very well written. I read this in an anthology last year and remember it being a favourite, I loved it even more on a reread.

I can’t wait to try some of Trollope’s longer, well known works ❤️

[Carrie Manner · Rating 2 out of 5]

Silly, cozy little Christmas read. I feel guilty giving it 2 stars but not enough to rate higher. I was charmed by the writing style and amused by the situation but wow did that get milked / drawn out. The number of times I read “mustard plaster” was staggering. If you want an easy read with very low stakes that is silly yet nearly elegant, this is for you.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a delightful little comedy of errors and a perfect example of how one lie leads to another and how a bad situation can be made worse by attempts at cover-up. What a fun way to kick off my holiday reading.

[Victoria L. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ouch. This rating hurts know my absolute and complete love for Anthony Trollope. Boring, predictable and too farcical for me. I have read all of his novels but very few of his novellas. This wasn't anywhere near his usual genius writing. Of course he is forgiven though.😁

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was indeed delightful and really funny

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Ericka Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun and funny holiday read.

[Olivia Atkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun Christmas comedy, quick read

[Pharmacdon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grey Poupon?

[Rita Ferrando Gomila · Rating 3 out of 5]

Prou divertit per ser de sa època que és, i una visió molt moderna.

[Jan Z · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun holiday story. As with the cover-up of many lies, it just makes things worse.

[Camilla]

Surprisingly cute old timey comedy of errors about a selfish but endearing woman.

[Emma Filbrun · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great fun!

[Allysha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny little Christmas tale. Quick listen and entertaining.

[Cora Mabry · Rating 4 out of 5]

The quirkiest Christmas story I've ever read, and I loved it.

M U S T A R D ✨

[Maria Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

qué divertido!!

[Georgia Rudolph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely and hilarious, Trollope’s humor is always a treat to read.

[Lisa DiGiacomo · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an entertaining story! Someone should make a Christmas movie out this one. A great attempt to be home for the holidays! Funny, endearing and a happy ending!

[Sophie Seehausen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Wodehouse-esq delight. Never has the hilarity of the word “mustard” been put to such good use.