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hopeful
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
I won't lie. I'm pretty disappointed with this collection. I initially bought it to help get me in the festive mood (which, really isn't that hard), but this collection of short stories and books really didn't do that. I found only the very short stories, mainly the two from A Round of Stories by the Christmas Fire and the one from the Pickwick Papers, were actually Christmassy. All the others, including the Christmas Books (except A Christmas Carol), were set around Christmas time but not actually anything to do with the holiday. I am majorly disappointed.
I'll link my individual reviews of the Christmas Books here, if you'd like to real a full discussion on them:
- A Christmas Carol: no review, but rated 5 stars.
- The Haunted Man
- The Battle of Life
- The Cricket on the Hearth
- The Chimes
- The Seven Poor Travellers
As you can see, I didn't enjoy the actual novellas all that much. Surprisingly, it was the short stories that gripped my attention and made me feel the slightest bit festive. I normally hate short stories, but I've found Dickens is quite good at writing them. I always tend to enjoy them more than his actual novels, so perhaps that is why these periodical entries suited my tastes more than the novellas.
I would recommend this to those of you who enjoy Dickens work - his writing is really beautiful in some of these stories. However, I won't recommend it to those of you who are looking for a festive read. Instead, just simply buy A Christmas Carol and read that instead. I definitely don't think this is worth the price!
I'll link my individual reviews of the Christmas Books here, if you'd like to real a full discussion on them:
- A Christmas Carol: no review, but rated 5 stars.
- The Haunted Man
- The Battle of Life
- The Cricket on the Hearth
- The Chimes
- The Seven Poor Travellers
As you can see, I didn't enjoy the actual novellas all that much. Surprisingly, it was the short stories that gripped my attention and made me feel the slightest bit festive. I normally hate short stories, but I've found Dickens is quite good at writing them. I always tend to enjoy them more than his actual novels, so perhaps that is why these periodical entries suited my tastes more than the novellas.
I would recommend this to those of you who enjoy Dickens work - his writing is really beautiful in some of these stories. However, I won't recommend it to those of you who are looking for a festive read. Instead, just simply buy A Christmas Carol and read that instead. I definitely don't think this is worth the price!
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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
A ghostly and heart warming tale of finding the true meaning of Christmas.
A Christmas Carol was Charles Dickens’ first novella but his seventh major work overall. Published in 1843, it was predicted as a failure resulting in Dickens partly funding the publishing himself. The first 6000 copies were sold out within five days and it has since sold over two million copies.
The novel was praised unanimously throughout England and has stayed in print ever since. It’s a light-hearted tale, celebrating not only Christmas but of human kindness, charity, and hope.
Finish reading this review and many others here!
A Christmas Carol was Charles Dickens’ first novella but his seventh major work overall. Published in 1843, it was predicted as a failure resulting in Dickens partly funding the publishing himself. The first 6000 copies were sold out within five days and it has since sold over two million copies.
The novel was praised unanimously throughout England and has stayed in print ever since. It’s a light-hearted tale, celebrating not only Christmas but of human kindness, charity, and hope.
Finish reading this review and many others here!
I'm mostly rating this based on A Christmas Carol, as I wasn't as big a fan of the rest of the Christmas stories, but I really enjoyed sitting down and reading A Christmas Carol in it's entirety for the first time. Side Note: If you happen to be looking for a nice edition of the Christmas stories, this hardcover Everyman's Edition (with the intro by Margaret Atwood) is really nice.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
slow-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
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I had forgotten how much I enjoyed A Christmas Carol, it was enjoyable to study for the OU A111 course.
⭐️ 5 ⭐️ - A CHRISTMAS CAROL
I bought this book solely to read A Christmas Carol; I’m pleased I did as unfortunately I didn’t rate the other Christmas stories featured.
A fabulous edition of my favourite classic. An uplifting, heartwarming tale. A Christmas Carol never ages; it’s so beautifully written and atmospheric. Dickens truly was a master of characterisation.
A Christmas gem I’ll continue reading year after year.
I bought this book solely to read A Christmas Carol; I’m pleased I did as unfortunately I didn’t rate the other Christmas stories featured.
A fabulous edition of my favourite classic. An uplifting, heartwarming tale. A Christmas Carol never ages; it’s so beautifully written and atmospheric. Dickens truly was a master of characterisation.
A Christmas gem I’ll continue reading year after year.
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes