I hadn't read this since I was little, so I thought it was time for a revisit. I really enjoyed it! Of course the story is quaint, cliched, and sentimental, but that's not its fault. It's still thoroughly enjoyable, and it just feels like Christmas. I also loved the spookiness of the story - it seemed somehow to make it extra old-fashioned and Victorian. Am I the only one that feels that way? Family around a fireplace, an orange in your stocking, and ghost stories equals old-fashioned Christmas? It sounds great to me.

Actual rating: 2.5 stars

Well this was a wild ride...

I often find it hard trying to rate books like these for a multitude of reasons. Namely, it's hard to rate classics because of the history of their literary merit. In this case, it's also difficult to rate this book because it's a collection of stories from a beloved author. That being said, I kind of hated this collection and it really did nothing to entertain me.



To dissect this book, I will say A Christmas Carol lives up to it's hype about as much as can be expected. It's never been a Christmas story I particularly loved, but it's a classic and dependably predictable. However, I'd be lying if I said I loved it because I was constantly checking the page numbers to see when it would be over. I didn't care about the characters, and the character growth could have been written better. I felt like I was constantly supplementing the writing with other versions of this story to make the writing seem more lively and relatable.



The first short story in this collection, The Story of the Goblins Who Stole a Sexton seemed to start off the rest of the collection on a high note. Did I love the story? Absolutely not. Did it keep my interest piqued? Sure. Comparatively, this was probably my second favorite short story but I feel like I'm measuring it against subpar alternatives. That being said, the second short story A Christmas Dinner is the only short story I can say I actually liked. It was a bit weird with the grandfather and the kissing cousins... but I digress. They were different times I suppose.



And then everything pretty much went to shit from there with A Christmas Tree. Sitting here now, I honestly can say I have no clue what the hell I read with that one. I looked up other reviews of this short story and felt even more lost. It was god awful, lacked focus, and felt like a complete waste of time. I've never been more tempted to DNF a short story, but alas, I persevered but it never got better. A Christmas Tree is what dropped the rating of this collection for me, it was just that bad it ruined my whole experience of this book. The fourth short story, What Christmas Is As We Grow Older was okay but I was still reeling from the monstrosity that came before it.

Thankfully, the collection ended on a high note with A Christmas Carol: The Poem. I really loved the rhyming structure and it was the only piece in the story and I enjoyed and resonated with.

This was my first time reading something by Charles Dickens. Out of his other works, I do have a couple on my shelf. However, I'm not sure if I'm as excited to read them now, seeing as how much I disliked this collection of his work. Only time will tell.

“Old Marley was as dead as a doornail.

Mind! I don't mean to say that, of my own knowledge, what there is particularly dead about a doornail. I might have been inclined, myself, to regard a coffin-nail as the deadest piece of ironmongery in the trade. But the wisdom of our ancestors is in the simile; and my unhallowed hands shall not disturb it, or the Country's done for. You will therefore permit me to repeat, emphatically, that Marley was as dead as a doornail.”

If you’ve never read the source material of the classic story I highly recommend you try it! Dicken’s makes magic. This book is clever, hilarious, and pulls at the heart-strings.

After debating about how many times we read this in school (during book club) the pull to re-read was inevitable! This may be my third read? Unless I skipped the re-read in high school, having already read it in 8th grade, which would make this my second read? Either way this is a classic I don’t think I’ll tire of. Now I’m off to go watch the Muppets adaptation of this book AKA the best adaptation of this book.

5 stars.

"I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, Present, and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach. Oh, tell me I may sponge away the writing on this stone!"

My dad recently told me that he pointedly remembers reading "A Christmas Carol" in one night back in 1978 when we were stationed in Iran and the Islamic Revolution had ushered in a time of great uncertainty and confusion. The authorities had made a habit of turning off all the lights throughout Tehran in the evenings, but for whatever reason, kept them on during that Christmas and he was able to read through the night.

The story of Ebenezer Scrooge's spiritual journey set in motion by his dead business partner, Jacob Marley, is so familiar to so many, that it's difficult to say anything new without sounding redundant. A few things I noticed this time around were the way in which the dead were presented by Dickens, like the damned in Dante's "Inferno," all longing to perform acts of charity, but unable any longer to positively intervene: "The misery with them all was, clearly, that they sought to interfere, for good, in human matters, and had lost the power forever." Rather odd, however, that the dead Jacob Marley clearly does interfere for good in the life of Scrooge.

I also was interested in charting how Scrooge's change of heart is accomplished, noticing that his overpowering nostalgia for the past (a "joy that is almost pain" as C.S. Lewis describes), which caused Scrooge to mourn and weep over his own lonely childhood while conducted with the Spirit of Christmas Past, transitions to a posture of imaginative empathy over the misfortune of another (Tiny Tim), when he's with the Ghost of Christmas Present, and a desire to participate in joy again when he invisibly witnesses the Christmas festivities hosted by his nephew Fred.

Scrooge's relief at finding that he's been given a second chance, that history itself is not preordained or fated, but contingent and flexible, is palpable. His horror at the vision of dying alone as a wretch--unwept and soon to be forgotten, in stark contrast with the blessing that the memory of Tiny Tim offers the Cratchit family after the young boy's untimely death in the "alternate timeline" that the Ghost of Christmas Future shows him--is replaced with an outpouring of gratitude, joy, irrepressible laughter, and pleasure in everything by the end of the story when he is given the precious gift of more Time.

Maravilhoso.

Christmas Carol - very good

The other stories hit and miss

Finished on Christmas Day so very festive, merry Christmas to all my followers

On hold until December/Christmas 2018. --> nope. Picked it up again on Dec 25 2020 but stopped after ten pages. Can't be bothered to finish this if I don't enjoy it a bit.

I liked A Christmas Carol but wasn't as delighted as I hoped. It was much a longer story than I expected. (3 stars)
The other three stories were okay. (2 stars)
In general I'm not sure how much I like the writing style of Charles Dickens. On one hand it's easy to read but on the other hand the language is very descriptive and slows the reading flow at the same time. (27.12.2017)

One of the best Dickens books. A moving story that shows anyone they have the power to transform their life. A beautiful story about love and redemption. A classic.

The only one of Dickens' books that I enjoyed (and I read quite a few before I realised that it wasn't just me being thick, I just don't enjoy his writing).

A Christmas Carol is beautifully written with great characterisation, a slick plot and a wonderful, message that's still relevant today. I read this every year before Christmas and it never disappoints. It's the most Christamssy book I think I've ever read.

This is a re-read! A Christmas Carol has been a part of my childhood! It’s a timeless tale of redemption, compassion, and holiday spirit. Its vivid characters and heartfelt message remind readers of the importance of generosity and second chances. This book is for you if you’re looking for a cozy, short, transformative read that captures the essence of Christmas magic! ✨

Canción de Navidad es un clásico que no podía dejar pasar. Dejando a un lado que la historia no es novedosa para nadie a estas alturas, y que ya he visto decenas de adaptaciones (incluida una obra de teatro de mi hijo en el colegio

“His own heart laughed; and that was quite enough for him.”

Come on you guys this book is gorgeous. How’re you not gonna like Scrooge. How’re you not gonna like my man Tiny Tim. Shit is beautiful. I love Christmas.