The Cricket on the Hearth

“A cricket by the hearth. A magical fairy tale from home life” is a novella by Charles Dickens, published on December 20, 1845. Dickens described it as a “quiet and domestic[…], innocent and pleasant” story. It is divided into chapters, in the original called “chirpings.” This is the third Christmas book by the writer, and in the traditional Christmas tale the ending is always bright and joyful, and good invariably triumphs.