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A review by lavenderbluestories
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-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
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!”.
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
Moderate: Death, Child death, and Grief