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fridajohannechilds's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
relaxing
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
donnawr1's review against another edition
5.0
I have seen many plays and movies of The Christmas Carol and yet never read the book. It was better than any of the media versions, because Dickens is a master of language. I would pause periodically and let the beauty of his writing add to this familiar and heart-warming story.
themerryuniverse's review against another edition
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
3.0
noaksey's review against another edition
dark
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
the_ineffable_ghost's review against another edition
2.0
The only reason for giving two stars is the language of the book, it it is unnecessarily complex. The message and the story is beautiful. The base storyline is very good. But I did not enjoy reading it. I was constantly getting zoned out, the book was like that teacher who goes out of his way to make an interesting subject boring. So, if you are not good with classics then you probably wouldn't enjoy the book. Otherwise it will be a delight to read it.
cheerbrarian's review against another edition
5.0
For my last review of the year, I'm coming in hot with a classic. I'm a huuuuuge fan of a Dickens adaptation. The simple story of a jerk who is shown the error of his ways (by ghosts) and decides to live life anew, with a song in his heart and a renewed application of kindness to mankind, resonates with me. Christmas simply isn't Christmas without watching the Muppet version of "A Christmas Carol." Also, my husband introduced me to "Scrooged," when we first started dating and last year brought me the campy and delightful musical adaptation, "Spirited" on Apple TV with Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds.
Despite my strong affinity for the adaptations, I had never actually read the source text (gasp) or any Dickens (double gasp) so it was a long time coming to rectify this oversight.
No shocker here, the book is fun, funny and artfully crafted. I finished reading it on the morning of Christmas Eve Eve and my family gathered in front of the TV to watch the Muppet adaptation, as is our yearly tradition. I decided it would be fun to follow along with the story and highlight anytime the Muppets used exact language (super neeeeeeerd), and I'm abso-friggin'-lutely delighted to report that it happens often.
From Gonzo referring to Scrooge as "solitary as an oyster" and Michael Caine exclaiming, "If I could work my will, every idiot who goes about with 'Merry Christmas' on his lips should be buried with a stake of holly through his heart it's in there. Whoever's call it was to be so exacting with much of the dialogue, three cheers for you. The absolute best was discovering that Gonzo's proclamation at the end "Tiny Tim...who did NOT die" is straight from Dickens, including the important capitalization of "not." Bravo.
The story holds up and reading it in the holiday season might be a new tradition of mine as it filled me with mirth. And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God bless Us, Every One!
Despite my strong affinity for the adaptations, I had never actually read the source text (gasp) or any Dickens (double gasp) so it was a long time coming to rectify this oversight.
No shocker here, the book is fun, funny and artfully crafted. I finished reading it on the morning of Christmas Eve Eve and my family gathered in front of the TV to watch the Muppet adaptation, as is our yearly tradition. I decided it would be fun to follow along with the story and highlight anytime the Muppets used exact language (super neeeeeeerd), and I'm abso-friggin'-lutely delighted to report that it happens often.
From Gonzo referring to Scrooge as "solitary as an oyster" and Michael Caine exclaiming, "If I could work my will, every idiot who goes about with 'Merry Christmas' on his lips should be buried with a stake of holly through his heart it's in there. Whoever's call it was to be so exacting with much of the dialogue, three cheers for you. The absolute best was discovering that Gonzo's proclamation at the end "Tiny Tim...who did NOT die" is straight from Dickens, including the important capitalization of "not." Bravo.
The story holds up and reading it in the holiday season might be a new tradition of mine as it filled me with mirth. And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God bless Us, Every One!