Project Gutenberg 2010-12-15 Public domain in the USA. 219 Fenn, George Manville 1831 1909 Fenn, G. M. (George Manville) Fenn, G. Manville (George Manville) Christmas Penny Readings: Original Sketches for the Season Produced by Nick Hodson of London, England "Christmas Penny Readings: Original Sketches for the Season" by George Manville Fenn is a collection of narratives written in the late 19th century. The book explores themes of hardship, resilience, and the spirit of Christmas through various character sketches, including Hezekiah Thornypath, a man grappling with severe poverty and personal loss. It aims to capture the contrasting realities of joy and despair during the festive season, highlighting the importance of community and compassion. The opening of the collection introduces Hezekiah Thornypath, who has faced relentless struggles in his life after moving to London in search of prosperity. The text begins with Hezekiah's poignant memories of his family's grief over the deaths of their children. As Christmas approaches, he reflects on his current dire situation, characterized by hunger and despair, juxtaposing it with the joyful scenes around him. Through his isolated and desperate circumstances, Fenn poignantly portrays the impact of financial ruin and the longing for better days, setting the stage for a narrative steeped in both sorrow and the potential for redemption as the holiday season unfolds. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 74.8 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. en Poetry Fiction Short stories Christmas stories PR Text Christmas Category: Short Stories Category: British Literature 502245 2025-08-14T07:38:22.675437 text/html 536584 2010-12-15T14:03:08 text/html 287912 2025-08-14T07:38:32.569416 application/epub+zip 293532 2025-08-14T07:38:26.870411 application/epub+zip 256347 2025-08-14T07:38:25.393407 application/epub+zip 605338 2025-08-14T07:38:36.681343 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 578661 2025-08-14T07:38:31.477416 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 428977 2022-09-16T04:25:34.393831 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 473695 2025-08-14T07:38:22.053432 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 473439 2010-12-15T14:03:08 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 19234 2025-08-14T07:38:36.820353 application/rdf+xml 23810 2025-08-14T07:38:25.907399 image/jpeg 4811 2025-08-14T07:38:25.645413 image/jpeg 185271 2010-12-15T14:03:10 application/octet-stream application/zip 183259 2010-12-15T14:03:08 application/octet-stream application/zip 283892 2025-08-14T07:38:22.718414 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia