A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens

It’s a story we all know and love. I think you’d be hard pushed to find anyone who doesn’t know the story of Ebeneezer Scrooge and the ghosts of past, present and future, yet I would bet that not many appreciate the true story.

The main adaptations I know of, consist of The Muppets Christmas Carol and most recently - Spirited, the 2022 release with Ryan Reynolds and Will Farrell (a fun new take on the classic) so my comparisons between the book and films will be quite basic.

The first thing I’ll say is that A Christmas Carol is a tiny 80 page read. I got through it in one evening (90 mins) in fact and would be a perfect addition to someone’s end of her reading goal.

Secondly, the book does now take long to get into it. I can see why it’s heralded as a classic - easy to read and a basic but resonating moral, this is great for a reader of any age. The fact that it jumps straight in so soon will keep younger readers hooked.

The original text is slightly darker that is expected though - the Ghost of a Christmas past shows Scrooge memories of lost love, isolation and loneliness and The Ghost if Christmas future is very clear in what could become of Tiny Tim.

I don’t know if I’d ever reread this one for me, but I’d take great joy in reading it to the nieces and nephews as they get older

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