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![A Christmas Carol [Illustrated]: Being a Ghost Story of Christmas by Charles Dickens](https://assets.thestorygraph.com/assets/placeholder-cover-a3ae92250eb3301e32dc3eabf8d50576c2f047dda89f6ee7cfa9a859cb1fd746.jpg)
4.27k reviews for:
A Christmas Carol [Illustrated]: Being a Ghost Story of Christmas
Charles Dickens
3.99 AVERAGE
4.27k reviews for:
A Christmas Carol [Illustrated]: Being a Ghost Story of Christmas
Charles Dickens
3.99 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-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
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-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
Look, this is just one of the best and most culturally impactful stories of all time. I love all of the theatrical and movie adaptations (shout out to the Muppets' Christmas Carol, in particular), and I love how closely they all hew to the original novella and dialogue. Tiny Tim makes me cry like a baby, and the joyful final moments are such a deeply satisfying redemption.
I hadn't ever read the original, and I can see that some of the ways the story gets tightened up in a screenplay are for the best. However, there are also fun and valuable contextual pieces and plot details that I learned from reading an annotated edition:
1. The Ghost of Christmas Present is based on the traditional image of Father Christmas, with his green fur-lined robe and crown of holly.
2. Jacob Marley isn't the only ghost wandering around on Christmas Eve; the street is full of spirits wanting (but unable) to help the poor, something they didn't do in life.
3. There is a strong undercurrent throughout the story of Dickens' larger project of reminding readers of the issues of poverty, ignorance, and child labor. The first report of the Commission for Inquiring into the Employment and Condition of Children in Mines and Manufactories was published the year before A Christmas Carol, and Dickens was so moved and upset by it that he visited Cornwall and went into the tin and copper mines to see the working conditions that ruined children's bodies and lives. This story was partially meant as a way to reach people's hearts in a way that a factual and didactic pamphlet could not.
4. The Ghost of Christmas Past is a candle? But also continuously changing shapes, including some forms with all legs and no head??
5. Scrooge's nephew Fred is even warmer and more kind-hearted than movies usually show. He thinks cranky old Scrooge is hilarious.
6. In the final scene, Bob Cratchit and Scrooge drink "smoking bishop" together, a warm wine punch.
Glad to have read it. Now I'm ready to re-watch the Muppets' perfect rendition for the 75th time!
I hadn't ever read the original, and I can see that some of the ways the story gets tightened up in a screenplay are for the best. However, there are also fun and valuable contextual pieces and plot details that I learned from reading an annotated edition:
1. The Ghost of Christmas Present is based on the traditional image of Father Christmas, with his green fur-lined robe and crown of holly.
2. Jacob Marley isn't the only ghost wandering around on Christmas Eve; the street is full of spirits wanting (but unable) to help the poor, something they didn't do in life.
3. There is a strong undercurrent throughout the story of Dickens' larger project of reminding readers of the issues of poverty, ignorance, and child labor. The first report of the Commission for Inquiring into the Employment and Condition of Children in Mines and Manufactories was published the year before A Christmas Carol, and Dickens was so moved and upset by it that he visited Cornwall and went into the tin and copper mines to see the working conditions that ruined children's bodies and lives. This story was partially meant as a way to reach people's hearts in a way that a factual and didactic pamphlet could not.
4. The Ghost of Christmas Past is a candle? But also continuously changing shapes, including some forms with all legs and no head??
5. Scrooge's nephew Fred is even warmer and more kind-hearted than movies usually show. He thinks cranky old Scrooge is hilarious.
6. In the final scene, Bob Cratchit and Scrooge drink "smoking bishop" together, a warm wine punch.
Glad to have read it. Now I'm ready to re-watch the Muppets' perfect rendition for the 75th time!
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens is a classic Christmas story about Ebenezer Scrooge, a bitter old man who is shown the error of his ways by three ghosts. Although I was familiar with the plot from various adaptations, the book offered new details, deeper character insights, and humorous side moments. The Victorian English was sometimes hard to follow, but the story's themes of generosity, compassion, and change are still powerful today. It's a short read and I finished in only a couple of hours. A book I would gladly read again around the holidays.
What a delight of Christmas read...Dickens' writing style is just so comforting.
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emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Quickly read for teaching to the freshmen. Sweet story, really sweet ending. Nice to read through events and imagine how they actively changed Scrooge as a person. I found the narrative elements interesting, too.
This line from the last page realllyyy warmed my heart: “His own heart laughed, and that was quite enough for him.”
This line from the last page realllyyy warmed my heart: “His own heart laughed, and that was quite enough for him.”