The Gift of the Magi
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4.2 • 605 Ratings
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Publisher Description
"The Gift of the Magi" is a short story, written by O. Henry (a pen name for William Sydney Porter), about a young married couple and how they deal with the challenge of buying secret Christmas gifts for each other with very little money. As a sentimental story with a moral lesson about gift-giving, it has been a popular one for adaptation, especially for presentation at Christmas time. The plot and its "twist ending" are well-known, and the ending is generally considered an example of cosmic irony. It was allegedly written at Pete's Tavern[2][3] on Irving Place in New York City.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
O. Henry's classic tale of Della and Jim, the struggling newlyweds so anxious to give each other a Christmas gift that each sells the one thing the other holds most dear, receives an oddly lifeless treatment here. Heyer's meticulously detailed illustrations are pretty but stilted; the characters look like mannequins. The rueful Jim fares better than poor prematurely middle-aged Della, who at times looks more like his mother than his wife. Still, the story is as touching as ever, and neither time nor mediocre artwork can dim its glory. All ages.
Customer Reviews
John316believe
Thanks for making this wonderful story of true love available. True love is worth the expense.
So thoughtful, and thoughtless
I heard this story as a child, and it makes me smile and cry at the same time. These 2 lovers so willingly sell their (second) most prized possessions to afford a suitable gift for each other, unknowingly making the gift they would receive from the other moot. This is the love that is often missing in modern life and literature.
i only needed it for homework
it’s was good for HW