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A review by callum_mclaughlin
The Miracle on Ebenezer Street by Catherine Doyle
4.0
This playful, heartfelt reimagining of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is set in the present day. We follow George, a ten-year-old boy who lives with his father and grandmother, following the death of his mother three years prior. Overcome by grief, his father has banned Christmas and forbids George from spending time with his mother’s side of the family, finding it too difficult to face his memories of the wife he lost. When George finds a strange snow globe in Marley’s Curiosity Shop, he sparks an adventure full of magic that will take them through Christmas past, present and future.
Charming and packed full of equal amounts of pathos and humour, Doyle’s love letter to Dickens’ classic is a lovely festive read that celebrates the wonder of the season, while acknowledging it can also be a time of great sadness, as George and his father are forced to confront their grief. Scenes are evoked wonderfully, with vivid descriptions that transport you to Doyle’s enchanting world.
It has to be said, reading a book that centres around the notions of Christmas being cancelled and the sadness of being kept apart from loved ones hits particularly strongly in 2020. On a more personal level, this will also be my first Christmas without my Gran, who passed away earlier this year, and reading about the beautiful relationship between George and his grandmother took on extra resonance as a result.
Bittersweet yet fun and ultimately uplifting, this middle grade novel is a welcome retelling that has enough references to the original to please long-term fans, while still being able to stand on its own merits.
Charming and packed full of equal amounts of pathos and humour, Doyle’s love letter to Dickens’ classic is a lovely festive read that celebrates the wonder of the season, while acknowledging it can also be a time of great sadness, as George and his father are forced to confront their grief. Scenes are evoked wonderfully, with vivid descriptions that transport you to Doyle’s enchanting world.
It has to be said, reading a book that centres around the notions of Christmas being cancelled and the sadness of being kept apart from loved ones hits particularly strongly in 2020. On a more personal level, this will also be my first Christmas without my Gran, who passed away earlier this year, and reading about the beautiful relationship between George and his grandmother took on extra resonance as a result.
Bittersweet yet fun and ultimately uplifting, this middle grade novel is a welcome retelling that has enough references to the original to please long-term fans, while still being able to stand on its own merits.