{"id":7107,"date":"2025-12-16T09:26:43","date_gmt":"2025-12-16T14:26:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.laserfarm.com\/?p=7107"},"modified":"2025-12-16T09:27:31","modified_gmt":"2025-12-16T14:27:31","slug":"book-review-the-cricket-on-the-hearth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.laserfarm.com\/?p=7107","title":{"rendered":"Book Review: The Cricket on the Hearth"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The Cricket on the Hearth<\/em>, by Charles Dickens<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Y\u2019all ready for Dickens Tuesday? I\u2019ll wait if you\u2019re not ready. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Good? Okay! Let\u2019s do this!!!! [air horn]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DICKENS TUESDAY!!!! [cymbal crash]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For this week\u2019s entry, I\u2019m looking at a short story that is wintery and weird. While A Chrsitmas Carol<\/em> is his most well-known work, A Cricket on the Hearth<\/em> is another Christmas story by Dickens\u2026though it\u2019s not really related to Christmas except that it occurs in winter and has an upbeat ending. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Until I read this (just today!) I always assumed it was about a cricket who doesn\u2019t work as hard as an ant and fails to prepare for winter. Turns out, that story is called The Ant and the Grasshopper<\/em> and was not written by Charles Dickens. I saw a cartoon of The Ant and the Grasshopper <\/em>when I was a kid and so just assumed a story about a bug dealing with winter was also The Cricket on the Hearth<\/em>. Nope. Same order of insects (orthoptera), same season, different story. This is the original Antz<\/em> vs. A Bug\u2019s Life<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the title, the cricket isn\u2019t the main star of the show. This is about British humans. It\u2019s a simple look at domestic life and misunderstandings. It\u2019s a short, sweet story and there is a touch of winter magic, but those looking for iconic Dickensian scary ghost stories may be disappointed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But for those of us who appreciate a multi-page description of a kettle boiling, this has exactly what you\u2019re looking for. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The best way to celebrate Dickens Tuesdays is by donating to my Reading is Fundamental campaign! Click here to donate!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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