The Twelve Terrors of Christmas :: Education by Design Store

Customer Reviews

Deck the Halls - Bluntly

2008-07-30
The Twelve Terrors is as demented as I'd hoped for. John Updike's prose gives Christmas the kick in the teeth it secretly wants, and Edward Gorey's illustrations are just the right wrapping paper for the beating.

I'm only disappointed that Updike isn't as good a vehicle for Gorey's illustrations as Gorey himself. I was hoping for another dose Gashlycrumb Tinies (Gorey at his best) but I set my hopes too high with this collaboration.

Twelve Terrors is a bedtime story that steers kids away from piggish consumerism, carries them through angry cynicism, and finally ushers them into thoughtful enlightenment.

yes, look b/f you buy

2008-03-20
I have to echo some previous sentiments. I saw this book in a bookstore and "leafed through" it, I love Gorey and irreverent Xmas books, so I sent it as a gift to some close family members. They hated it and were baffled at why anyone would send it! So look before you leap, especially if you usually like Gorey and think this might be a good gift for fellow travelers. I think it's not what it appears to be.

Hilarious Humbug

2007-12-10
Bah to those who found this book slight and unfunny. This is the anti-Christmas cold pricklies for those who don't enjoy the warm fuzzies of the season (and even for those who do). This is a sarcastic, cynical look at some Christmas traditions, and I found it funny and even a little insightful. I thought the illustrations were gloomy and in keeping with the tone of the book. Ebenezer Scrooge would have kept this book on his coffee table, but he was probably too cheap to buy it. A nice gift for someone who prefers hemlock to holly and avoids mistletoe.

Really like Edward Gorey's style of writing

2007-11-14
I really like Edward Gorey's style of writing-kind of dark and quirky-not really for children. Very tongue in cheek and funny.I buy all his book I can get andf also like his drawings.

Delicious like terrified plum pudding

2007-06-01
A lovely volume of pure Gorey-esque mystique. If you are familiar with Mr. Gorey's fashion of examining the world, you will not be disappointed. If you have not tasted the decadent simplicity of evil delight that feeds the macabre monster, this, my friend, is your Christmas goose.

Wonderfully quirky

2007-01-12
Edward Gorey's off-kilter depictions of Yuletide mayhem and John Updike's wryly jaundiced text examine a dozen Christmas traditions with a decidedly wheezy ho-ho-ho. This long out-of-print classic is the perfect stocking-stuffer for any bah humbug. 32 pages, smyth-sewn casebound book, with jacket.

The Twelve Terrors of Christmas

2007-01-09
This was a stocking stuffer that everyone in this all adult family loved. I have shown it to three neighbors who also thought it was great. How can you go wrong with John Updike and Edward Gorey?

Momentarily Funny, but Wholly Unfulfilling

2006-12-25
This sparse book features twelve brief jabs at the icons of Christmas; though funny and hinting at insightful, they do not add up to a whole book - or even a complete thought. None of the text fills the page, let alone more than a page.

This is one of those books designed for no other purpose than to separate the Christmas consumer from his or her money at the cashwrap while they are buying books of more substance. It catches your eye, but without proper inspection, the buyer will miss what is not there.

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A Guide to my Book Rating System:

1 star = The wood pulp would have been better utilized as toilet paper.
2 stars = Don't bother, clean your bathroom instead.
3 stars = Wasn't a waste of time, but it was time wasted.
4 stars = Good book, but not life altering.
5 stars = This book changed my world in at least some small way.

A huge disappointment

2006-12-20
I strongly urge you to see this book in person before buying. I was not only disappointed in the size (yes, it is listed, but who really looks at the dimensions? For $10 I did not expect a miniature book)but the text is neither witty nor humorous. Edward Gorey's illustrations do not seem to match the text: almost like, okay here's some droll insights, what do we have in the discard pile that might vaguely match in tone and message? Really, do yourself a favor--do not buy sight unseen.