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gailforce's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-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
5.0
Miss Marley is beautifully written, although ofcourse the writing is modern and not like Dickens wrote his book, which does make it a lighter read; it doesn't take away from either book.
I loved A Christmas Carol, have read it many times and ofcourse watched various movies made about it.
When I came across this book, I was immediately intrigued by the notion of reading a prequel to that very inspirational story.
This book is written from the viewpoint of Marley's sister and explains how he and Scrooge became how they were. Vanessa Lafaye has done a great job with this book, I was sorry to read that she couldn't finish it, but her friend finished it for her and it is beautifully written. Not just for around Christmas!
It reminds you that all actions have consequences and you kindness is so important.
I loved A Christmas Carol, have read it many times and ofcourse watched various movies made about it.
When I came across this book, I was immediately intrigued by the notion of reading a prequel to that very inspirational story.
This book is written from the viewpoint of Marley's sister and explains how he and Scrooge became how they were. Vanessa Lafaye has done a great job with this book, I was sorry to read that she couldn't finish it, but her friend finished it for her and it is beautifully written. Not just for around Christmas!
It reminds you that all actions have consequences and you kindness is so important.
lindorb's review against another edition
2.0
It promises to be "a seasonal tale of kindness and goodwill..." but I found neither. It was a depressing read for Christmas time.
annemariep68's review against another edition
3.0
Couldn’t get hold of a hard copy so listened to it on Audible. Well done narration and I enjoyed the story of Jacob Marley- Ebenezer Scrooge’s partner- told from his sister’s perspective. The moral is that we become who we are by choice, not solely as a result of our experiences or hardships. I liked Clara Marley and enjoyed the tale. *was intrigued to read this story because I’d heard the story of the author who died before completing the novel and whose friend and fellow Dickens fan completed it for her. Lovely addition to Christmas reading lists.
natalies7's review against another edition
5.0
I adored this book and while the last part of the book is not written by Lafaye, you would never be able to tell…it blended together and written beautifully.
kazza27's review against another edition
5.0
A glistening Christmas Gem of a novel.
5 sparkling stars.
I love 'A Christmas Carol' and when I saw this little book appearing on social media I knew I needed to get a copy.
The book is the prequel to A Christmas Carol and tells the story of two children Clara Belle and Jake who are destitute after their mother dies and their father is put in a debtors prison. Their Uncle Robert who promises their father he will look after them puts them in a workhouse. The story tells how the children overcome their destitution and grow into adults and how their lives and directions change.
The book is beautifully written although it is relatively short it really packs a punch and you quickly get to know the characters and their traits.
It is a sad story at times and I felt this even more because of the background story of this came to be. The story had started to be written by Vanessa Lafaye but she sadly died before the book could be published so her Editor got in touch with Rebecca Mascull a friend of Vanessa's and asked if she would finish the book, and this is the result.
I think I will be gifting this for many years to come and also re reading this, it really is a joy and a true gift that Rebecca finished this wonderful story for Vanessa.
5 sparkling stars.
I love 'A Christmas Carol' and when I saw this little book appearing on social media I knew I needed to get a copy.
The book is the prequel to A Christmas Carol and tells the story of two children Clara Belle and Jake who are destitute after their mother dies and their father is put in a debtors prison. Their Uncle Robert who promises their father he will look after them puts them in a workhouse. The story tells how the children overcome their destitution and grow into adults and how their lives and directions change.
The book is beautifully written although it is relatively short it really packs a punch and you quickly get to know the characters and their traits.
It is a sad story at times and I felt this even more because of the background story of this came to be. The story had started to be written by Vanessa Lafaye but she sadly died before the book could be published so her Editor got in touch with Rebecca Mascull a friend of Vanessa's and asked if she would finish the book, and this is the result.
I think I will be gifting this for many years to come and also re reading this, it really is a joy and a true gift that Rebecca finished this wonderful story for Vanessa.
starryeyesali's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I wanted to love this more but it was actually more a sad tale of the beginnings of Jacob Marley, not the uplifting tale of goodwill as promised. I’m not sure why it was called Miss Marley as it was about her brother mainly. Some good writing, perhaps just mis sold as a heartwarming Christmas story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Child abuse and Death of parent
portybelle's review against another edition
4.0
Miss Marley is a very poignant book as its author, Vanessa Lafaye, very sadly died in February this year. The book has been lovingly completed by her friend and fellow author, Rebecca Mascull. I think she has done a wonderful job writing the ending as I would never have sensed it was by a different author. In an afterword, Rebecca Mascull very movingly says she almost felt like she was channelling Vanessa Lafaye as she finished the book.
I was fascinated to read about why Vanessa Lafaye wanted to write this book in her author's note at the beginning. She was very intrigued by the character of Jacob Marley who appears only three times in A Christmas Carol and wondered what he had done to deserve his fate of dragging chains about the spirit world for all eternity. Rather than try to write from Dickens' character's point of view, she created a new character, his sister Clara Belle Marley, and used the siblings to explain Marley's story.
From the outset, I think that Vanessa Lafaye did a marvellous job of creating a sense of time and place. I was transported to Victorian London where the poverty and desperation of the Marley orphans was clear. It was heartbreaking to read of their fight to keep warm while living on the streets, the constant danger they were in, their struggle to find enough food to keep them alive and the injustice done to them by their uncle. When they did manage to build a better life for themselves, on the back of a bad experience, while Clara's character was then shaped by compassion for those once in their position, Jacob, known as Jake, became very hard-hearted and determined that he would show no mercy to anyone, even knowing what he had been through. It was admirable that he wanted to keep himself and his sister safe, so they would never face hardship again, but it was sad that you could see him becoming the character we catch a glimpse of in A Christmas Carol.
There was a kind of symmetry between Jake's story and the well-known tale of Ebenezer Scrooge. Like Scrooge, he was given the opportunity to change but unlike Scrooge, he chose not to take it. In Miss Marley, we see a Scrooge who was not always the miserable character in Dickens' tale and it is perhaps because of this, that he was able to see the error of his ways.
Miss Marley is an excellent prequel to A Christmas Carol and fits so flawlessly into the original story, that it seems to shed new light on Dickens' work. It is a perfect short read as we move into the Christmas season and Jacob Marley's experiences are a reminder that everyone touches other people's lives in ways we may never know. In completing this book, Rebecca Mascull has created a fitting and lasting tribute to Vanessa Lafaye.
I was fascinated to read about why Vanessa Lafaye wanted to write this book in her author's note at the beginning. She was very intrigued by the character of Jacob Marley who appears only three times in A Christmas Carol and wondered what he had done to deserve his fate of dragging chains about the spirit world for all eternity. Rather than try to write from Dickens' character's point of view, she created a new character, his sister Clara Belle Marley, and used the siblings to explain Marley's story.
From the outset, I think that Vanessa Lafaye did a marvellous job of creating a sense of time and place. I was transported to Victorian London where the poverty and desperation of the Marley orphans was clear. It was heartbreaking to read of their fight to keep warm while living on the streets, the constant danger they were in, their struggle to find enough food to keep them alive and the injustice done to them by their uncle. When they did manage to build a better life for themselves, on the back of a bad experience, while Clara's character was then shaped by compassion for those once in their position, Jacob, known as Jake, became very hard-hearted and determined that he would show no mercy to anyone, even knowing what he had been through. It was admirable that he wanted to keep himself and his sister safe, so they would never face hardship again, but it was sad that you could see him becoming the character we catch a glimpse of in A Christmas Carol.
There was a kind of symmetry between Jake's story and the well-known tale of Ebenezer Scrooge. Like Scrooge, he was given the opportunity to change but unlike Scrooge, he chose not to take it. In Miss Marley, we see a Scrooge who was not always the miserable character in Dickens' tale and it is perhaps because of this, that he was able to see the error of his ways.
Miss Marley is an excellent prequel to A Christmas Carol and fits so flawlessly into the original story, that it seems to shed new light on Dickens' work. It is a perfect short read as we move into the Christmas season and Jacob Marley's experiences are a reminder that everyone touches other people's lives in ways we may never know. In completing this book, Rebecca Mascull has created a fitting and lasting tribute to Vanessa Lafaye.
james1star's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I picked this up to read before giving Dicken’s ‘A Christmas Carol’ a reread and I’d certainly recommend it. In Miss Marley, we’re following Jacob and Clara Marley as they’re thrown into poverty and homelessness as children and then their route out. In her author’s note, Lafaye states she didn’t want to take anything from the original so our main focus here is the invented character of Clara and I really enjoyed that, she’s a great character and throughout you pine for good things to come her way. I don’t want to say more of the plot as it’s a short novella but I do feel like it was a well theorised route into ACC about how Jacob (or Jake to his sister) found his way into working with Ebenezer Scrooge whilst Clara remained pure of heart. I liked the setting and the way the story all came together, the characters were good and it had nice messages too. It’s by no means a favourite of mine but was a fun time and on the whole I liked it a lot.
Sadly, Vanessa Lafaye died whilst writing this so the final few chapters were written by her friend Rebecca Mascull and whilst she did a good job and I believe stuck to the original ideas, didn’t particularly love it. I found it a bit annoying but still it was good and overall it was a very decent read.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Grief, Suicide, Violence, Classism, Death of parent, and Chronic illness
michellepage92's review against another edition
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
5.0
I really enjoyed this! I was also curious about Jacob Marley and loved this idea the author had about the backstory and think she’s executed it beautifully 😊 the writing was beautiful and written in somewhat of “old English”.