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nichole_of_numenor's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I wanted to like this book. So, so much. The idea of an origin story for one of the most beloved novels ever written -- maybe I had set my hopes too high. I tried to temper them before starting, telling myself to prepare for the inevitable "cheesy" factor that seems to be a requiste part of most modern Christmas books. But that wasn't enough.
What I liked:
- I enjoyed the writing style. Dickens-lite perhaps, with a Victorian turn of phrase sprinkled liberally throughout.
- The portrayal of Dickens as a successful man in crisis, unable to share his true self and his worldly worries with anyone for fear of disappointing them. The struggles he has as a successful man and the expectations his world of people exert on him in a financially frightening time are realistic. The desire to be seen and appreciated for who we are is real and universal.
The following has a lot of spoilers but I cannot discuss what I didn't like without talking about the events in the book.
SPOILERS
What I didn't like/hated
- I am sure Dickens was a flawed man. We all are. But to tie the creation of A Christmas Carol with an emotionally adulterous relationship after he drove his wife out of the country? No, too far.
- And then to make that person a GHOST? No, definitely too far.
- The amount of cheesy chin quiverings and circles of moonlight cast upon the adulterous couple were more than I could bear, even bracing for a trite Christmas story. Seriously, chapter 37 is just abysmal.
What I liked:
- I enjoyed the writing style. Dickens-lite perhaps, with a Victorian turn of phrase sprinkled liberally throughout.
- The portrayal of Dickens as a successful man in crisis, unable to share his true self and his worldly worries with anyone for fear of disappointing them. The struggles he has as a successful man and the expectations his world of people exert on him in a financially frightening time are realistic. The desire to be seen and appreciated for who we are is real and universal.
The following has a lot of spoilers but I cannot discuss what I didn't like without talking about the events in the book.
SPOILERS
- I am sure Dickens was a flawed man. We all are. But to tie the creation of A Christmas Carol with an emotionally adulterous relationship after he drove his wife out of the country? No, too far.
- And then to make that person a GHOST? No, definitely too far.
- The amount of cheesy chin quiverings and circles of moonlight cast upon the adulterous couple were more than I could bear, even bracing for a trite Christmas story. Seriously, chapter 37 is just abysmal.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent