A review by hadeanstars
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

5.0

In all probability this is the perfect Dickens, at least in the sense that it contains the essence of what Dickens creates with his genius, and expresses it almost perfectly. It is like a miniature of what he does, a Netsuke of his writing and brilliance. So I happily award five stars in the context of what this is, a very short novel, or a long short story. It emanates warmth and humanity, though it is his most fantastical work, and is steeped in improbability. This is exactly how we would hope the benighted souls that cast around themselves so much of their interior darkness might become enlightened. And that unlikely wish is what makes this such a beautiful fairy tale. It could never happen, not really. It's hard to open a closed heart from without, there is no break to get the leverage. So, Scrooge will remain a fervent wish, that all such unhappy souls might be shown the remedy to their own desperate lack of imagination. That is why I love Dickens, because for him hope springs eternal and his every work is one of optimism.