Because of the Christmas season, I decided it would be a good time to reread the Charles Dickens Christmas classic, “A Christmas Carol” to my younger sisters. I read it to them sometime last year and was unprepared for how much they would enjoy it a second time through! They love to watch the movie but I think they like the book even better.
Charles Dickens was born in Portsmouth, England on February 7, 1812. He and his wife Catherine, whom he married in 1836, had ten children. His first novel appears to have been “The Pickwick Papers” published in monthly installments in the year 1836. He was a prolific writer and wrote many novels including, “Bleak House”, “A Tale of Two Cities” and “Martin Chuzzlewit”. Besides his novels he also wrote short stories, poetry and plays. He died on June 9, 1870 at the very young age of 58.
“A Christmas Carol” was first published in 1843. It was published by Chapman and Hall less than a week before Christmas. It was titled: “A Christmas Carol in Prose being A Ghost Story of Christmas”. Seems to be a rather interesting way of naming the book but fitting all the same. The book that I read this story from was completely unabridged (I do not like it when books are abridged!) and published by Gramercy books. The copyright is 1982. It is 56 pages in length (more of a short story than a novel).
“A Christmas Carol” is an interesting story about a unpleasant, greedy, old miser named Ebenezer Scrooge, who hates Christmas (and seems to hate just about anything or anyone pleasant about him as well.) On Christmas Eve, he is visited by the ghost of Jacob Marley, his old business partner now five years deceased. Jacob in turn promises Mr. Scrooge that he will be haunted by three other ghosts, one at a time, namely Christmas Past, Christmas Present and Christmas Future. Reluctantly, Mr. Scrooge receives them and they start on their mission to teach him a lesson about – himself.
This book was a enjoyable book to read. Mr. Dickens style is very engaging not to mention amusing. Though Mr. Scrooge is so “out of sorts” all the time, you find yourself laughing at his crusty remarks and actions just because of the way they are written!
I would highly recommend this book!
To the KING be all the glory!
I love Dickens.