A review by ed_moore
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

emotional hopeful lighthearted sad fast-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

4.25

It has somehow taken me this long to read ‘A Christmas Carol’, but I suppose it is just one of those stories that it is impossible to not know anyway. I did however finally get around to the tale of Ebenezer Scrooge and his visit from the three spirits of Christmas to teach him charity and festive joy. Reading it on the night of Christmas Eve was so cosy and it was also the first time I have both annotated a book as I read and done a buddy read, the former to uphold the spirt of the latter, and it completely enhanced the experience it was so cute. I loved the echoes of Scrooge’s early comments by the spirits, the intertextuality of the novella and the festive imagery. (Special highlight to “buried with a stake of holly through his heart”, for some reason that really struck a chord with me.) The passing of time is so confusing however, whereas I suppose I just need to accept it being down to spirit magic and embrace it for the whole tale is ghostly and fantastical. Dickens’ anti-capitalist message was so powerful and so resonant even 200 years on, the ghost of Christmas present highlighting how some will have Christmases not as joyous and fortunate as many of us. The gothic elements were sublime and I really got along with Dickens’ subversion in tone from what I am use to in his work, this being much more charismatic and challenging of his own story. I shall end on once again how cosy my experience with ‘A Christmas Carol’ was because that was really what made todays reading experience for me! Merry Christmas :))