Reviews with content warning for Death - A Christmas Carol (Ad Classic Library Edition)

After finally getting around to reading A Christmas Carol, I can confidently say that this timeless story is considered a holiday classic for a reason! Charles Dickens has been called “the man who invented Christmas”, and it’s all because of this book.

The protagonist, Ebenezer Scrooge, for all his flaws, grew into a character I was rooting for after only about the first twenty pages. The book explores his redemption arc more deeply than I’ve ever seen depicted in a movie, and I actually enjoyed a lot of his thoughts and inner monologue.

The best part of this story for me has always been the Cratchits. Although they’re a poor, struggling family, they somehow live more joyously than anyone and, in doing so, teach Scrooge the most valuable lessons in generosity. The Cratchits, and Tiny Tim in particular, hold the most emotional weight for me out of anyone in this lovely story. That said, each character in the book clearly represents a different aspect of Scrooge’s life and a different part of his transformation.
This book was a lot of fun to annotate! The symbolism is super well-placed and no detail is unimportant, but it’s done simply enough that it doesn’t go over your head. I also found Dickens’ writing to be unexpectedly hilarious at times!

Do yourself a favour and give this Christmas classic a try at least once :) As Tiny Tim would say, “God bless us, every one!”.

Content Warnings

theespressoedition's review against another edition

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dark hopeful inspiring fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I feel as though this review needs a little bit of a backstory:

When I was a little kid, I went to see a theatrical performance of A Christmas Carol. It was terrifying. And I don't mean terrifying for a kid, but truly just scary as heck. It scarred me terribly and for years, it didn't matter how cute the adaptation (looking at you, Muppets), the story frightened me to no end. As an adult, it just kinda didn't sit well with me because I had a bad taste in my mouth from when I was a kid. So, I avoided it at all costs.

I read all of my Christmas books and then some, leaving me searching the depths of Audible's free selection for something interesting to listen to. When I came across a version of A Christmas Carol narrated by Hugh Grant, I decided to give it a go. It was a quick listen and perfect for my drive to-and-from my family's home on Christmas Day.

It was pretty darn enjoyable, I have to say. I didn't think I'd like it, but I did. I had let enough time pass since my last watch/read for it to actually interest me. I was glad for that! I can't say that it was the most incredible book I've ever read or anything, but I didn't dislike it, so there's that!

Content Warnings

the_pysselfia's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Content Warnings

lectrixnoctis's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

With "A Christmas Carol", Charles Dickens made a modern fairy tale and shaped our views of Christmas. The story of the solitary Ebenezer Scrooge, who is introduced to the true essence of the season by a series of ghostly guests and given a second chance, was summoned up by Dickens during one of his London night walks "wept and laughed" as he composed it. Taken to readers' hearts for its wit, compassion and notice of redemption, it remains its best-loved book.

The narrator portrays Ebenezer Scrooge using imagery of a grindstone sharpening a device. In his single-minded priority on gaining wealth, Scrooge means the contrary of generosity in every way possible. In his company dealings, he always tries to squeeze cash out of people, grasps and scrapes for more help for himself, and hungers what he does not yet have. In his personal life, he has an entirely self-centred and solitary lifestyle—he neither needs nor wants friendship or any other type of relationship with other people. After the Ghost of Christmas Past, Scrooge describes his former boss, Mr Fezziwig, taking him around to a lovely Christmas party the Fezziwigs threw for their employees. The event reminds Scrooge how much he adored working for Mr Fezziwig. He explains what made Mr Fezziwig an excellent senior and insists that money wasn't the source of his employees' fulfilment. Mr Fezziwig showed his generosity in exerting his power over his employees with compassion. Scrooge begins to realise that he has not followed Fezziwig's example now that he takes the role of boss. Scrooge's nephew Fred urges that his observance of the Christmas holiday always include trying to help his uncle develop some Christmas spirit. Fred aspires to transform his uncle for the better. Fred would trust it a success if Scrooge gave away some of his money—not to Fred himself, but Scrooge's only worker Bob Cratchit. The nephew knows that Bob and his family would significantly benefit from some financial help. He desires Scrooge to become tremendous both for the Cratchits' sake and Scrooge's own. Fred understands how people should treat one another; the Ghosts have taught Scrooge. Upon awakening from his night with the Ghosts, Scrooge asks a boy on the highway to buy the prize turkey from a regional shop. Having noticed, through the Ghost of Christmas Present, the Cratchits' little goose, he plans to send them the turkey instead. This first act represents generosity: Scrooge makes a financial gift that will benefit individuals in need. Scrooge does not want credit for this act, and best of all, he starts to realise that generosity functions as its tip. Understanding that the Cratchits will be glad makes Scrooge happy.

Marley shares his regret with Scrooge to stop Scrooge from sharing his fortune. Having never supported his fellow people in life, he has been condemned to walk the earth in death without the power to help them. He understands that Scrooge also walks through the streets, overlooking the requirements of others. He suggests that the original Christmas story furnishes the key for how people should behave toward one another. The narrator defines how, with the aid of Marley'At this point, he feels doubtful of what he believes. Scrooge sounds regretful over a past deficiency of generosity for the only time. Scrooge had just relived the events of his boyhood when he was entirely alone at school over Christmas. He participates in the sad and lonesome feelings he has elongated repressed.

Connecting again to his younger self, he now places the boy who newly tried to sing him a Christmas carol, a lad he discharged violently. Whether his compassion for the chap results from his solitary status or poverty, the incident rekindles Scrooge's instinct for kindness. The narrator describes Scrooge's remorse as he sees the daughter of Belle, his ex-fiancée. Readers discover that Belle broke off their engagement due to his increasing focus on money and happily married another man. Unexpectedly, Scrooge finds that if he maintained not lost Belle, he might have had a gorgeous household too, and for the only time, he discerns the weight of a family.

Marley defines how justice procedures in the afterlife punish sins of deletion. When people withhold exemplary in life, they will endlessly revisit the missed options in death without making the circumstances better. Humankind must tend to each other by assisting and sharing. Not doing so results in a lasting torment. The value of life rests on proactive, positive morality rather than a passive strategy of avoiding sin. Marley regrets the wrong priorities he carried in life. Scrooge has just noted that Marley was always a good company man. Marley, distressed, knows that his actual industry should have assisted individuals. The overall message here shows that one may be a reasonable businessman and a good person. The Phantom of Christmas Present rebuts Scrooge's indictment that the good spirits prompted Sabbath closures of essential services like bakeries to represent religion.

Scrooge's nephew Fred explains why he has decided to visit his uncle and wish him a cheerful Christmas despite Scrooge's snub. Fred urges that the nature of Christmas profits him even though the spirit does not benefit him—a concept unfamiliar to Scrooge. While Fred thinks the Christmas spirit comes over him, making him feel helping, he also illustrates and extends the Christmas spirit through his generosity and kindness. The narrator conveys the grim city avenues altered by the Christmas spirit spreading cheer everywhere. On December 25, ordinary activities like shovelling or shopping own air of festival.

What can I say? This is one of my all-time favourite books, and I will always cherish it ever since I was a little girl. I have felt drawn through this story, and I still think it's a beautiful fairytale about how people can change even when they are older. I highly recommend this to anyone, especially around the Christmas season.

Content Warnings

thechocolatefinger's review against another edition

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funny hopeful reflective sad 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

3.5

Content Warnings

larareads's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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

5.0

Content Warnings

thewoodlandbookshelf's review against another edition

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dark hopeful fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Content Warnings

megelizabeth's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional

Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.5

"The patient Year had lived through the reproaches and misuses of its slanderers, and faithfully performed its work. Spring, summer, autumn, winter. It had laboured through the destined round, and now laid down its weary head to die. Shut out from hope, high impulse, active happiness, itself, but messenger of many joys to others, it made appeal in its decline to have its toiling days and patient hours remembered, and to die in peace. Trotty might have read a poor man’s allegory in the fading year; but he was past that, now."

I only read this because I thought it was about time I read A Christmas Carol, but that turned out to be by far my least favourite of the three stories. Part of that is probably due to my expectations being far too high as a result of how prominent A Christmas Carol still is within contemporary popular culture, but I just found it so underwhelming. There's almost no build-up or tension and Scrooge pretty much realises the error of his ways straight away, and I just didn't find that believable. I appreciate the message and the social commentary, but the other stories have very similar messages and, in my opinion, portray theirs much more effectively.

The middle story, The Chimes, was my favourite. It seems a much more rounded and developed story than A Christmas Carol. I then found The Haunted Man a bit more difficult to follow, but I still enjoyed it overall, and got more out of it than I did A Christmas Carol.

Across the three stories, I did sometimes feel a bit out of my depth and struggle with some of the language and general writing. I enjoyed Dickens's writing, as long as I didn't try to force myself to read too much of it at once. I highly appreciate the discussions he builds around wealth, poverty, class, and injustice. I also think he is brilliant at creating strong atmospheres and senses of place. I've previously only read Hard Times, and I would definitely try further works of his in the future.

Overall, then, I did enjoy reading this, and I'm glad I've finally read A Christmas Carol, even if it wasn't quite what I was expecting.

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