Star Over Bethlehem and Other Stories audiobook

This was another in my Christmas pile. . . I was surprised to find that Agatha Christie had Christmas / Nativity themed writings out for reading. I am glad I found my way to them.The book was published in 1965, and consists of six stories and five poems. This is a book I will continue to go back to, because the stories are deep enough to pull meaning out in multiple sessions. My focus, unintended, this year has been on Mary. . .and this book's familiar voice (Agatha C. Mallowan) considers Mary in 3 of the stories. I was particularly caught up in "The Island" and it moved me to tears. The title story is also a very good one, with a Christie twist.I will revisit this in future meditations, and am grateful when authors step out of their usual writing routines to play in other landscapes and themes as Hercule's Agatha did in this case.

A must for every Christie fan, this facsimile edition was published in 2014. It includes six stories and five stories first published under Star over Bethlehem, illustrated by Elsie Wrigley by Collins in 1965. This special edition also includes A Masque from Italy, Seven ballads and eighteen poems first published in The Roads of Dreams published by Geoffrey Bles in 1924 and 28 poems published under Poems by Collins in 1973. The poems and ballads are not quite enjoyable nor are the short stories. But taken together we get to see a very different aspect of the Queen of mystery. Must read for all Christie fans.

Un libro fascinante para descubrir otro lado de Agatha Christie. Una colección de cuentos y poemas que se leen rápido y que pondrán a cualquier fan de la Reina del Crimen.

Me han gustado mucho. Muy originales respetando la temática.

Not usual Christie but somewhat touching in these times. Glad to have finally got around to reading it.

God's timing is unbelievable; I found this book while reorganizing my bookshelves today and remembered how I'd pledged this summer to read it during the holiday season, so I sat and read it in a single afternoon. What an incredible selection of deeply moving, thought-provoking Advent short stories by Agatha Christie. The first half of the book was a delight; I would recommend to others to skip the second half as her poetry is not nearly as dazzling or compelling as her prose. Still, this was a much-needed read and theological reminder for me in the midst of thinking about grief, Mary's complete surrender, and how difficult it can be to truly love neighbors well.

A diferencia de los truculentos relatos y novelas sobre crímenes excelentemente maquinados por la reina del crimen, Estrella sobre Belén y otros cuentos de Navidad es una compilación de relatos, cuanto menos, tiernos. Aunque si sabía de su existencia, no conocía de primera mano la obra de la autora que se alejaba del whodunit; aunque si se siente el dinamismo con el que Agatha te cuenta el cuento, no estuvo como ese tono al que estaba acostumbrado. Eso no está mal, de ninguna forma. Principalmente porque es una antología muy bella. De pronto no supe apreciar bien los poemas navideños (pero si me gustó que tenían una tonadilla a villancico), pero los cuentos rebosaron ternura. Todos son relatos religiosos, prueba de la devoción que tenía la autora, pero no se siente que ella quiera adoctrinarte ni nada, solo como ella ve que Dios provee amor a la gente actual (o de la actualidad de hace setenta años). Me pareció curioso como ella le dio una vuelta de tuerca a ciertos relatos bíblicos, como había cierto toque moderno y humorístico en los órdenes celestiales, o, mucho más curioso, ciertos toques de ciencia ficción en dos cuentos, Un fresco atardecer (mi favorito) y Promoción aprobada en las alturas, que es muy divertido.Le doy 4,3 de 5 estrellas, y quedo contento porque fue mi lectura navideña.

Sechs christlich weihnachtliche Geschichten verbergen sich hinter Wunderbare Weihnachten oder Es begab sich aber … . Die Geschichten sind intelligent, tragen an manchen Stellen einen versteckten britischen Humor in sich und zeigen einen weiteren Aspekt von Agatha Christies schriftstellerischen Können.

Okay, so this book was essentially all about religion, and seeing as I’m not a Christian, that meant that I didn’t really care too much about the stories that were told here. The second half of the book is also literally just Poems, her poetry collection, and I’ve read that before.Still, as a general rule, I’d still recommend this one to people who want to learn a little bit more about Agatha Christie, and I can also see why it’s published under her third surname (Christie was her second, but she later remarried).So I’d probably recommend this one, even with the caveat that it’s definitely not for everyone. I think it’s mostly going to be of interest to her long-term fans, but I’m one of those so I enjoyed it.

4.5 stars (of Bethlehem)This collection of Christmas themed short stories and poems, yes written by *that* Agatha Christie, could even increase the size of the small hearts belonging to Scrooge or the Grinch. Beautiful and most heartwarming. True Christmas too! No mention of eggnog, presents or Santa. Gorgeous.

5 Kurzgeschichten über die richtige Bedeutung von Weihnachten. Jesus.

A lovely collection of stories in a nicely designed and illustrated edition. Very touching insights into the deeply held faith of Agatha Christie.

Generally very good and interesting to see this other side of Christie. Some of the stories & poems got a little too esoteric for me.