The Icicle

by Carolyn Marie Castagna

Illustrator and writer's Carolyn Marie Castagna's first shared short story.

A small icicle hanging from a roof peers inside a window at a small reading room, and learns about magical human qualities, and the importance of the one most special human feeling.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Classics, Literary Fiction, Contemporary, Audiobook

Audiobook

First published March 11, 2022

Reviews

[Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful 💕



Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

am i biased? maybe. did i cry anyways? yeah 😭

[Mayra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful, lovely short story filled with vivid imagery and well developed characters, even for such a short story. Books, mugs of tea, icicles, comfy reading chairs... what more could you want?

[Zoë! · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 This was such a beautifully heartfelt short story, and perfect company on a snowy day! Can’t wait to read everything Carolyn writes in the future, ‘The Icicle’ is spectacular :)

[spalanai ⛤ · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS IS POETRY! PURE POETRY!
A genius idea that the perspective is taken from the icicle's, and how it relates to human nature, curious of their manner.

"A smile spread across his face, and I wondered how humans could do that. How do they smile while crying?"

I can't believe a five-minute short story made me cry. *sniffs*

"Humans seem to collect many things, books, tea cups, reading chairs. The one that puzzles me is why they collect other humans."

Carolyn Marie reflected her own beautiful soul in this masterpiece, and I can't wait to read her next writing. Her YouTube Channel is such a cozy space for classic readers. Highly recommend <3 <3 <3
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ x infinite /5

"Love, it was all for love." <3

⊹ . ⋆ ☽ ⋆ . ➶

[Lea Červeňáková · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the 'warm embrace I had wished for.'

[Melly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful 💕

[Bec D · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like the sentimental heart of this short story. It’s lovely. I think it reflects the author’s own sentiment. Also, Carolyn’s illustrations are gorgeous. Definitely check them out! However, the writing is more tell than show and the story is too one-dimensional for my taste. I’m also not a fan of some of the writing, specifically isolating phrases as sentences; I just wanted to join them together mentally. I can happily read different grammatical styling but this felt like a grammar error which I mentally corrected as I read it. On the story itself, the icicle will die/disappear through the warmth of the child’s hand. Is the connection, relief from loneliness worth it for the icicle? Is love worth dying for? Perhaps. Perhaps not.

[Euodias · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's now my favourite short story! It felt like I just got a really warm hug.

I went into it knowing nothing but I knew it was going to make me cry after reading just a few sentences into the story. Carolyn has such a beautiful way of writing! It reminds me a little of Enid Blyton's writing and I used to read those all the time. Simple, yet descriptive and impactful. I absolutely loved it. Can't wait to see more of her works!

[Kiara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adored this, the writing was so gorgeous and emotive. I didn’t think I’d be invested in a story about an icicle but here I am! I can’t wait for more by this author!

[Ron Gorelik · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best short stories I’ve read. The writing is so beautiful and has such a classic feels. The theme of loneliness and grief are really hitting I could feel myself as the main character. This story is simple but also really emotional and I just want more stories like it. The writer has a great future as an author and after this story I will read everything she write ✨

[Zoë · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful... I did not think this was on Goodreads but WOW!

This book made me tear up and for such a short story, it really packed a punch and was so clever...

Highly recommend to anyone and for those who don't know you can listen to it in under ten minutes on Carolyn's amazing YouTube channel of course!

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I looked down to see how much time I had until there was nothing left of me at all."

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a delicate & meaningful little story with beautiful illustration❄️

[Agrata Patel · Rating 5 out of 5]

very cute :)

[Scarlett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Por fin subieron este cuento a goodreads ❤️ la historia la creo una de mis booktubers favorita y es muy preciosa

[Silvia Frassineti · Rating 4 out of 5]

I follow this author on youtube, she speaks like a great book and she writes accordingly.
She is an artist too, for which I envy her so much.
I need to keep an eye on her, she will move me to tears and laugh at the same time, like so few so young writers.

[Jade (beauty.andherbooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a lovely short story. The emotions you experience in only a few minutes... wow.
You can listen to it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23uDd...

[Meh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully written short story.

[Weronika W. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I melted down…

[luna&#x1f31b; · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me sorprendió lo mucho que me gustó, me sorprendió lo mucho que me hizo llorar. Sé que Carolyn es ilustradora y le encanta leer; también sabía que escribe, que está comenzando una novela, me parece, pero jamás pensé que escribiría tan lindo. Claro que le falta práctica y hay varios errores de redacción, pues va comenzando, pero su personalidad tan linda y su talento definitivamente se ven reflejados. Me ilusiona mucho lo que vaya escribiendo en el futuro y espero poderla volver a leer pronto.

[Adithi Rao · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will always root for Carolyn! Please write more of these.
This is genuinely so creative and heartwarming....Loved it.

[Michelle ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

beautiful. just beautiful.

[lexi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple and delicate! Heartwarming and magical!❄️☕️

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can I say that will suffice to explain how amazing this story was! The descriptions were readable and lovely, the imagery is beautifully clear, and the dialogue was relevant to the story and easy to understand while being emotional and engaging. This is a great short story, and I enjoyed reading every word!

[Wiktor Bergsand · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully written short story! It's not only about grief and loneliness, but at least as much about love and finding joy in the smallest of things. It shows how grief and love is in a tight relationship, and how love can transcend suffering.

[Sona · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really sweet! Although it was a short story, it made you feel just a tiny bit happy. Maybe sad. I teared up a bit.
It was nice. The illustration was so good too.

[Malouki♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

very heart warming♡

[maria &#x13083;۶ৎ · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Love, it was all for love”

[Blanca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Estaba en busca de relatos cortos y decidí darle una oportunidad a The Icicle. Este relato contiene aspectos que valoro mucho en las narraciones: calidez y atención a los detalles. La idea de ser una historia contada desde el punto de vista de un carámbano ya de por sí me parece original, y Carolyn sabe cómo sacarle partido dotando al carámbano de sentimientos propios de los humanos, haciendo que sientas cariño por ese trocito de hielo que acaba de nacer y que mira a través de una ventana con curiosidad e inocencia. Contemplamos con sus "ojos" una pequeña escena perdida en el tiempo, triste pero también enternecedora.
Historia sencilla, que puedes leer en cinco minutos. No obstante, es el tipo de historia que yo escribiría.

"His heavy footsteps made the wooden floorboards creak, and it sounded like they were crying."

"I felt a little hand hold me tight. It was the warm embrace I had wished for, and I was happy to no longer be alone. I left a trail of rainy tears as they carried me into their home, for it was then that I realized why humans collect other humans. Love, it was all for love."

06-04-2022