Take a photo of a barcode or cover
![A Christmas Carol [Illustrated]: Being a Ghost Story of Christmas by Charles Dickens](https://assets.thestorygraph.com/assets/placeholder-cover-a3ae92250eb3301e32dc3eabf8d50576c2f047dda89f6ee7cfa9a859cb1fd746.jpg)
4.28k reviews for:
A Christmas Carol [Illustrated]: Being a Ghost Story of Christmas
Charles Dickens
3.99 AVERAGE
4.28k reviews for:
A Christmas Carol [Illustrated]: Being a Ghost Story of Christmas
Charles Dickens
3.99 AVERAGE
I liked how in the end, he learned all the good things he could do, and how he wasn't mean anymore, but I just didn't really like the book in general. Wasn't very interesting.
I loved this book! I’ve watched movie and play versions of A Christmas Carol a crazy number of times, but had never read the actual book until now. The book is wonderful. The audio book version read by Patrick Stewart is particularly amazing!
I don't remember ever having read this book before now, but I know that I have seen many movie adaptations. I enjoyed reading the source itself and watching Dickens paint these vivid characters. Yes, the language is filled with hyperbole, but it seems suited for a tale where the soul of humanity hangs in the balance.
I would articulate the theme, but Dickens has Scrooge himself do so in the last page of Stave IV: "I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach" (62).
Enjoyable for me were not only the characters, but the detailed descriptions of Christmas feasts in the Christmas Present stave. I also paid attention to the contrasts between light and dark -- which are appropriate for a tale to be told around the darkest day of the year. Dickens admonishes all of humanity to kindle the lights of love, generosity, kindness, and good cheer in response to the darkness against which we all must banish: Want and Ignorance are two faces of the darkness that Dickens names and personifies, but I would add fear, greed, prejudice and pride.
Even though Dickens dramatizes his characters and their situation to the point of making them cartoon characters, I find that the tale has a great heart. It makes a clear invitation to the reader to change in response to this music, this "carol" that Dickens composes. In Stave III, Dickens points out the power that the art of music has to change the human heart, but I suspect he thought this of literature as well: "When this strain of music sounded, all the things that Ghost [of Christmas Present] had shown him, came upon his mind; he softened more and more; and thought that if he could have listened to it often, years ago, he might have cultivated the kindnesses of life for his own happiness with his own hands" (46).
And so I will take Dickens' advice and probably revisit this Christmas Carol again next year.
I would articulate the theme, but Dickens has Scrooge himself do so in the last page of Stave IV: "I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach" (62).
Enjoyable for me were not only the characters, but the detailed descriptions of Christmas feasts in the Christmas Present stave. I also paid attention to the contrasts between light and dark -- which are appropriate for a tale to be told around the darkest day of the year. Dickens admonishes all of humanity to kindle the lights of love, generosity, kindness, and good cheer in response to the darkness against which we all must banish: Want and Ignorance are two faces of the darkness that Dickens names and personifies, but I would add fear, greed, prejudice and pride.
Even though Dickens dramatizes his characters and their situation to the point of making them cartoon characters, I find that the tale has a great heart. It makes a clear invitation to the reader to change in response to this music, this "carol" that Dickens composes. In Stave III, Dickens points out the power that the art of music has to change the human heart, but I suspect he thought this of literature as well: "When this strain of music sounded, all the things that Ghost [of Christmas Present] had shown him, came upon his mind; he softened more and more; and thought that if he could have listened to it often, years ago, he might have cultivated the kindnesses of life for his own happiness with his own hands" (46).
And so I will take Dickens' advice and probably revisit this Christmas Carol again next year.
So I think it’s interesting that this became the model for our modern celebration of Christmas in the US. The bones of the story are well-known and solid. I especially enjoyed the dialogue and the parts that aren’t part of the play or movies that have been based on the story. A short and thoroughly engaging story. Merry Christmas and happy new year!
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
A classic for a reason. Perfect to whiz through in a day or two around this time of year. What I like about Dickens is the relative ease of reading the prose, unlike other authors of the time. That is definitely the case with A Christmas Carol, all the more so given its familiar themes.
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
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
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I've heard about how genius Dickens is, and so found myself disappointed by this one. Scrooge changes way too much, way too fast, and the ending is unrealistically neat and tidy. However, some of the writing is pretty good, and there is some interesting social commentary at the beginning. Other than that, this book just made me doubt if Dickens is a good writer. I've heard his other books are better, though, so I'll try reading those.
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Annual read of a Christmas Carol done. Whose cutting onions?!