I’m sure most of us are familiar with the story of Ebenezer Scrooge: the miserly, selfish old fellow who doesn't care about mankind except if they aid in his business of making money. As to his feelings towards Christmas? Well, “Bah. Humbug!” he eloquently declares when his nephew mentions the holiday. Because of his faulty attitude towards others, Scrooge is visited by three ghosts: the Ghost of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. Together they will take him on a journey through events from his life and present to him what kind of death awaits him if he continues on his current course. Ebenezer cannot help but be horrified by what he sees, and he learns a moral that alters him, and his enjoyment of Christmas, forever.~~~
Let me state for the record that I am NOT a Dickens fan. I have read several of his novels (albeit a few were the Reader’s Digest Condensed Versions), and I haven’t found one that I enjoyed…until now. From the very first paragraphs I found I liked the story. I can only describe Dickens’ writing in this book as easy and cheerful. Even the more morbid parts were still beautifully described. Maybe it was because the book was so short that I found the story so easy and engaging; one could read this book in a few hours. And what I liked best about the book was that it ended happily, but the reader didn’t have to endure chapters upon chapters of depressing events in the main character’s life like in Dickens’ other novels. If you’ve ever thought of reading this popular Christmas story I would encourage you to do so.
2 comments:
Not a Dickens fan? *gasp from a die-hard Dickens fan* ;-) That's okay; I can see why you wouldn't be. He does write very deep books and long descriptions and bunny-trails that are hard to wade through. But I love his stories, and especially the BBC miniseries based on them (Little Dorrit, Bleak House, and Our Mutual Friend are the ones I've seen.)
A Christmas Carol is actually not one of my favorites, but maybe that is because I've only seen the movies (some versions of it). I'll have to pick it up sometime and read it. ;-) )
I don't like Dickens simply because all the books I've read from him have had characters that have suffered hardships and trials, one right after the other. And I don't like those kinds of stories. His characters are just depressing. But I've wanted to see those BBC miniseries that you've mentioned. I've seen previews for them, and they looked interesting.
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