Review-The Nutcracker by E. T. A. Hoffmann

Title: The Nutcracker

Author: E. T. A. Hoffmann

Publishing House: Penguin Classics

Nr. Of Pages: 188

Rating: 3⭐/5⭐

~'What is also certain,' Lothario put in, 'is that this dark psychic power, once we have surrendered to it, often assumes other forms which the outer world throws across our path and draws them into us, so that the spirit which seems to animate those forms has in fact been enkindled by us ourselves. Through their inner affinity with us and their influence over our heart they have the power to cast us into Hell or transport us to Heaven, but that is because they are phantoms of our own ego.'~

Written in 1816, The Nutcracker is one of the most famous stories which gave birth to the famous ballet show that has been taking place all over the world for so, so many years. Even though the story is a little bit different and it seems odd compared to the magic show we all know or seen, it's still one of the most famous Christmas books!

Everything starts with Drosselmeyer, Marie Stahlbaum's godfather who made Marie's favorite Christmas toy, the Nutcracker. Being an inventor and a clockmaker, their godfather made an amazing toy, but the readers but the readers would never have thought that this toy, this Nutcracker, would come to life.

It was the Christmas Eve when Marie with his brother, Fritz, were curious to open their Christmas gifts, without imagining what was going to happen. While opening them, they instantly fell in love with their gift from Drosselmeyer. An amazing castle with little humans and magic creatures walking through them and, of course, a Nutcracker.

They stayed up all evening playing with their new toys and by the time they went to sleep, all Drosselmeyer's gifts came to life. How magical!

Marie will go on many adventures with her toys and the magic doesn't end there, because the magical world of toys is much more complex! How lucky to have Drosselmeyer as a godfather!

I wanted to read this story since I was a kid. When I found out about this amazing series from Penguin Classics I was so happy and I remember this was the most expensive one, but it was the most beautiful and gorgeous!

I liked the story, but as I said previously, it was a little bit odd thinking of a story like this and thinking at the magic ballet too. I know there is some animation with the Nutcracker and I know about it since I was little, but that's an innocent and magical and childish side of the story.

Meanwhile the book itself it is more bizarre, almost like Alice in Wonderland. And I think this is a characteristic of the old and classical books written for kids. This is nothing like Pinocchio or Grimm Brothers's stories or Hans Christian Andersen's stories, but it's still a beautiful book and I liked it. Though I liked more the beginning. The second part of the book seemed unnecesarry.

But I think this is a good book for the Christmas holiday when you drink hot chocolate and you want to read a small and cute story.

Thank you for reading my review, darlings! I hope you will have a very merry happy Christmas!