Scan barcode
nadyne's review against another edition
1.0
First sentence: "I have been looking on, this evening, at a merry company of children assembled round that pretty German toy, a Christmas Tree."
Last sentence: "This, in remembrance of me!"
After I finished reading 'A Christmas Carol', I thought of reading another one of Dickens' Christmas story and I started this one, not knowing that it was only a short story, a very short one (around 20 pages), and perhaps not even a story, more like an essay. I don't know what to think about this. The story starts promising enough when Dickens starts remembering Christmas Trees from the time he was a boy, but soon he starts talking about horror stories from the past. This gave the feeling that he wrote this piece (fiction, non-fiction?) without much consideration and thought.
Certainly 'A Christmas Tree' cannot be compared with 'A Christmas Carol'.
Last sentence: "This, in remembrance of me!"
After I finished reading 'A Christmas Carol', I thought of reading another one of Dickens' Christmas story and I started this one, not knowing that it was only a short story, a very short one (around 20 pages), and perhaps not even a story, more like an essay. I don't know what to think about this. The story starts promising enough when Dickens starts remembering Christmas Trees from the time he was a boy, but soon he starts talking about horror stories from the past. This gave the feeling that he wrote this piece (fiction, non-fiction?) without much consideration and thought.
Certainly 'A Christmas Tree' cannot be compared with 'A Christmas Carol'.
angel859's review against another edition
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
hazella's review against another edition
1.0
Too disjointed for my taste and the sudden inclusion of ghost stories furthered my dislike for this book. It's a shame, because I enjoyed the style and premise.
stoneybrooklover82's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
aliciamae's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting little story. Loved the details of the Victorian Christmas tree. Then Dickens randomly veered into ghost stories (it felt rather abrupt after the detailed several pages on the tree, although I found several of those mini sketches of typical Christmas ghost stories delightful), and then tied it back to the tree again.
murderbydeath's review against another edition
4.0
5 stars for A Christmas Carol, but 3 stars for A Christmas Tree for a average of 4 stars.
Full review: http://jenn.booklikes.com/post/1313536/achristmascarol
Full review: http://jenn.booklikes.com/post/1313536/achristmascarol
terriep's review against another edition
3.0
The classic Christmas tale. I've never read this book and it seemed more than time. Of course I know the story very well after seeing innumerable movie/TV versions of it. That didn't diminish the pleasure of the lesson and in fact reading it was just as much fun as watching it. I loved Dickens' descriptions of foods when Scrooge was out on the street with the spirit - SO FUN!
A worthwhile holiday read!
A worthwhile holiday read!
ramseyhootman's review against another edition
5.0
It's astonishing how well this continues to hold up. Listened to this as an audio book (performed by Sir Patrick Stewart) with my kids, and we all loved it.
erickabdz's review against another edition
3.0
The happiness he gives is quite as great as if it cost a fortune.
What a lovely read! I think everybody has heard about A Christmas Carol at some point in their lives. In my case, I grow up with [b:Mickey's Christmas Carol|9536032|Mickey's Christmas Carol|Sandy Creek|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1287471208s/9536032.jpg|14422220], especially its movie. I loved it, and never paid too much attention to the original work. But I'm glad I did!
Some days ago I started reading [b:The Afterlife of Holly Chase|33843251|The Afterlife of Holly Chase|Cynthia Hand|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1499440181s/33843251.jpg|54780098], a book that's heavenly based on A Christmas Carol. So I was like, "I should read the book before going with that retelling. It shouldn't take long, it's only one hundred pages!". I couldn't have been more wrong in my entire life. I decided to read in on English, and it was a mistake (that by the end I was glad of having made). I lived with wordreference opened in a tab. A Christmas Carol claimed my full attention and I was glad on giving it; it had a beautiful prose and an important message (just like Mickey's one!).
I'm very glad that I gave it a chance. A Christmas Carol doesn't need any of its retellings to shine.
More...