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serenate_e's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
honestly i did enjoy this book - the way dickins writes is entertaining and fluid and also hes just quite funny. i like how he talks to the reader a little at specific points, refers to himself as though he is sitting beside you reading it as some omnipresent being. wasn't boring, and was morally educating in an obvious but still clever way.
necropants's review against another edition
5.0
This is a book that has earned and lives up to its place in our Christmas culture. It is equal parts touching and humorous, and I think it is a story of rediscovering Christmas as an adult.
My favorite passage is the following:
"The noise in this room was perfectly tumultuous, for there were more children there, than Scrooge in his agitated state of mind could count; and, unlike the celebrated herd in the poem, they were not forty children conducting themselves like one, but every child was conducting itself like forty. The consequences were uproarious beyond belief; but no one seemed to care; on the contrary, the mother and daughter laughed heartily, and enjoyed it very much...[T]he shouts of wonder and delight with which the development of every package was received! The terrible announcement that the baby had been taken in the act of putting a doll’s frying-pan into his mouth, and was more than suspected of having swallowed a fictitious turkey, glued on a wooden platter! The immense relief of finding this a false alarm! The joy, and gratitude, and ecstasy! They are all indescribable alike."
Every detail, from the singular magic of ridiculously uproarious children to the momentary panic of thinking a baby had swallowed a tiny toy (read: Lego part) resonates with our own memories of Christmas in the 21st century. I love passages like these, which make realize that my Christmas, at its heart, is still very much the same Christmas that was being celebrated in 1843.
If you like A Christmas Carol, please read The Chimes by Charles Dickens to celebrate the New Year! It is just as good (maybe even better)!
My favorite passage is the following:
"The noise in this room was perfectly tumultuous, for there were more children there, than Scrooge in his agitated state of mind could count; and, unlike the celebrated herd in the poem, they were not forty children conducting themselves like one, but every child was conducting itself like forty. The consequences were uproarious beyond belief; but no one seemed to care; on the contrary, the mother and daughter laughed heartily, and enjoyed it very much...[T]he shouts of wonder and delight with which the development of every package was received! The terrible announcement that the baby had been taken in the act of putting a doll’s frying-pan into his mouth, and was more than suspected of having swallowed a fictitious turkey, glued on a wooden platter! The immense relief of finding this a false alarm! The joy, and gratitude, and ecstasy! They are all indescribable alike."
Every detail, from the singular magic of ridiculously uproarious children to the momentary panic of thinking a baby had swallowed a tiny toy (read: Lego part) resonates with our own memories of Christmas in the 21st century. I love passages like these, which make realize that my Christmas, at its heart, is still very much the same Christmas that was being celebrated in 1843.
If you like A Christmas Carol, please read The Chimes by Charles Dickens to celebrate the New Year! It is just as good (maybe even better)!
unicornsteak's review against another edition
5.0
Keeping up my yearly tradition by re-reading 'A Christmas Carol' in December. Tim Curry was the perfect choice for this adaptation. He brings vitality to his performance, and his voice perfectly embodies the Dickensian Gothicism of this story.
andyblv's review against another edition
5.0
A perfect short story. Listening to Jim Dale’s masterful narration has become a Christmas tradition. Well-written. Scrooge is fully formed.
zbmorgan's review against another edition
5.0
There is little that can be said about this book that already hasn't been said. It's a worthwhile read, no matter how many versions you've seen because of his mastery of the language. His usual sly sense of humor is not as present here as in other works (save for the jovial and witty Ghost of Christmas Present) which allows the reader to focus on the loss of a man frittering away his life on attaining money and denying that most basic human need: to be loved.
rosalindpoet's review against another edition
5.0
imagine sucking so much your name becomes synonymous with “fun-sucking loser.” this shit slaps
ella_elizabeth66's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
observingollie's review against another edition
dark
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
a must read for everyone!