A Christmas Carol in Retro Chapter Chicks

Dec 13, 2016 Candi rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: christmas-holiday, charles-dickens, classics-shelf, favorites

Update on December 24, 2020:

I listened to this on audio this time around; something a bit different for me. I enjoyed the narration quite a lot, but there's nothing that beats reading Dickens in print. This story never fails to cheer, inspire, and give me pause to reflect on those things that I hold most dear in my life. Here's to a 2021 that will hopefully shine much brighter than 2020!

Original review (2016):

When I think of Christmas and all those things that make Christmas so special, A Chris ...more

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Nov 11, 2020 Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, library-book, own

I’ve written a review on this book before. You know, back when I wrote mostly proper reviews!? It was a good one for once, but it’s disappeared, so there! 5 Stars ⭐️

Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾 ...more

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Oct 24, 2017 Brina rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: holiday, classics

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens is the current runaway leader for a reread in the group Catching up on Classics for December. As I gear up for what looks to be some intense reading during the last two months of the year, I decided to pre read this short classic this week. Being that I do not observe the Christmas holiday and can sometimes feel overwhelmed by its presence during the last six weeks of the year, I felt that it was better for me to read Dickens' classic early so I could keep an A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens is the current runaway leader for a reread in the group Catching up on Classics for December. As I gear up for what looks to be some intense reading during the last two months of the year, I decided to pre read this short classic this week. Being that I do not observe the Christmas holiday and can sometimes feel overwhelmed by its presence during the last six weeks of the year, I felt that it was better for me to read Dickens' classic early so I could keep an open mind. Other than references to this story on television, I had never read A Christmas Carol until now, so I was eager to participate in the upcoming group read.

Dickens tale has become almost symbiotic with the holiday season. What may be unknown to some is Dickens' background in that during his lifetime it was common for entire families to join their relatives in debtors prison or to work off their debt. Dickens' father fell upon hard times, so his son went to work in an attempt to bail his father from jail. While this episode did not last for longer than a few months, it stayed with Dickens for his entire life, and is reflected upon in his characters and work. Perhaps Ebenezer Scrooge is as obsessed with money as he is because the Dickens family did not come from wealth and always desired just a little more so that they would not be wondering where their next meal came from. Charles Dickens himself does not seem like the happiest person in the world, a decent father to his children but not the ideal husband. Maybe, just maybe, he contained a kernel of Scrooge's personality within himself.

The tale of a miserly, wealthy man being visited by three spirits; past, present, and future; contains universal themes that pertain to all people. These spirits are sent to Scrooge so that he reform himself before he dies a miserable, lonely man. While the purpose here is that Scrooge uses his wealth to become a giving person at the holiday season, I was touched by the theme of redemption. Judaism also speaks of one's potential to repent for one's bad deeds either through prayer or charity so I used this as a basis for the redemption of Scrooge on his journey with the spirits. Most world religions have a supernatural element, and I believe that the spiritual aspect of A Christmas Carol has allowed this tale to remain on the forefront of society's collective pathos. That the story takes place during the holiday season only increases the likelihood of one's exposure to Scrooge and his path toward redemption.

Dickens' story is short enough that children can read it either alone or with a parent. The version I read was actually shelved at my library as juvenile fiction and contained a forward by Newberry winning author Nancy Farmer. Farmer writes in her message to young readers that she read A Christmas Carol for the first time in one evening when she was a child. She enjoyed the spookiness of the ghosts while also being moved by Scrooge's ability to reform and give assistance to those in need. The reading guide at the end of the book also encourages people to donate either their time or money to charity during the holiday season. While not everyone is able to give at Scrooge's level, Dickens does encourage those who can to assist those who may be lacking. Thus, A Christmas Carol speaks to another universal theme, one that is timely in light of the many natural disasters that have occurred recently, that of charity.

While I am not likely to reread A Christmas Carol each year at the fireside, I did enjoy the universal message of a person having the ability to reform oneself before it is too late. Scrooge has become such a part of vernacular that no person wants to be referred to as a Scrooge or coldhearted person. Yet, that misses the essence of this tale because Scrooge did indeed see the light and become kind at the close of the story. I do love the timelessness of Dickens tale and that his work is accessible to all. As I am always looking for hidden classics by authors the world over, I sometimes neglect in reading the masters of western cannon, Dickens included. Perhaps, this is a wake up call to me to read more Dickens in the years to come because I did enjoy A Christmas Carol immensely.

4+ stars
...more

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Oct 17, 2008 Book Concierge rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 19th-century, movie, classic, own, book-club, ghosts, abuse, literature, concierge, library

Of course, I'd had this story read to me as a young child, and I'd read it myself in high school (or thereabouts), but my book group was looking for a work that was "seasonal." We decided to have an English Tea for our meeting and several members brought their children along. The younger set made a number of insightful comments. This is a true classic. We especially found it interesting to note that Dickens was writing of the effects of child abuse so many years ago.

Update August 2011
Long befor Of course, I'd had this story read to me as a young child, and I'd read it myself in high school (or thereabouts), but my book group was looking for a work that was "seasonal." We decided to have an English Tea for our meeting and several members brought their children along. The younger set made a number of insightful comments. This is a true classic. We especially found it interesting to note that Dickens was writing of the effects of child abuse so many years ago.

Update August 2011
Long before Dr Suess created the Grinch with a heart “two sizes too small,” Dickens wrote about a character so iconic that he became synonymous with a stinginess, bitterness, and smallness. But you have to love Scrooge. When he gets his wake-up call, in the form of the ghosts of Christmas Present, Christmas Past and Christmas Future, he heeds their message and reforms. I’ve read this many times since childhood. But my adult self is particularly struck by how so many centuries ago, Dickens wrote of the long-lasting effects of child neglect on the person now grown to adulthood. What a timeless treasure this work is!

UPDATE - 29 Nov 2011
I listened to the audio book, performed by Jim Dale. He is a wonderful actor, and voice-over artist. Many will know him as giving voice to the many characters in J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter audio books. To say that Dale is talented doesn’t begin to express what a wonderful job he does.

He’s expressive, including chortles or grunts or sighs, as the text requires. His pacing is spot-on perfect, giving the listener enough time to absorb the information but not dragging it out. The voices he uses are sufficiently distinct that you have no trouble distinguishing who is talking when there is a two-(or even three-)way conversation.

UPDATE - 04 Dec 2015
For my birthday, my brother (who is an estate-sale junkie) sent me an ancient leather-bound edition of this classic. It's too fragile to actually read, but the back page has a faint date stamp that appears to read March 8,1897. Inside there is a gentleman's calling card on which is written (in a lovely script) To Mrs Fannie from Frank L Williams, with best wishes for a Happy Xmas

Anyway ... I'll treasure it always, but read the newer edition I have in my library. ...more

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Jan 02, 2020 Celia rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, 2020-read, ten-year-challenge, kindle-list, wholesale, 2020-btc

I have seen the movie and also saw a play. I had never read the book!!

My recent completion of Mr. Dickens and His Carol convinced me that reading this book should be done.

I am so glad I did because the awakening of Mr. Scrooge to live a giving life is very appropriate for the Christmas season and New Year's resolutions.

I resolve to read at least one more book by Dickens in 2020.

5 stars ...more

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Jul 18, 2014 Kris (My Novelesque Life) rated it really liked it

A CHRISTMAS CAROL
Written by Charles Dickens
1843, 104 Pages
Genre: holiday, fiction, paranormal, classics

★★★★★

I did it, I did it!!! I finally read this book and before Christmas Day ended. It is a story we all know well and could tell in our sleep as most of us watch a film version during the holidays. I have always put this novel off as Dickens is so depressing and I felt like since I knew the story maybe I would not enjoy it as much. From the first page I was hooked and I loved the narrator’s to ...more

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Jul 05, 2013 Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ Jenn Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ Schu rated it it was amazing

Shelves: classics, nook-lendables

I have read A Christmas Carol several times and have enjoyed it each time that I've read it.
Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by 4 ghosts in Victoria England on Christmas Eve. The miserly man undergoes a transformation as a result of these visits to Christmas Past, Present, and Future. I loved learning about Scrooge and why he becomes so miserly and how he realizes that it isn't too late to make a change in his life. I do admit that I find Tiny Tim a little saccharine but it is a wonderful classic wor ...more

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Dec 06, 2017 Tasha rated it liked it

I finally read this story (at least I don't ever remember reading it before) and while it was interesting, I think it lost it's luster after the many musicals and retellings I've seen and heard. The audio production with Jim Dale was good. Although I know many who reread this story often, once was enough for me. ...more

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Dec 27, 2018 Theresa rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: children-and-ya, revisiting-faves, ghost-story, classics-and-classic-redos, audio, nostalgia, christmas, christmas-favorites

Patrick Stewart has made the reading, nay, the performance of this Dickens' classic one of his calling cards. I was blessed some years ago to see him perform it on stage, and it truly is a performance. That vibrancy comes through in this reading, and in fact, he is what drew me to the audiobook over rereading the print version. ...more

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