A Christmas Carol [A New Family Tradition]

I have a confession. Brace yourself.

I've never read Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Yes, you read that correctly. Somehow, I graduated from high school . . . from AP English, no less . . . without reading this wonderful classic. (Ironically, my British lit teacher hated Dickens, so we watched the Mickey Mouse version of the movie instead. We even took a test on it.) So, while I'm quite familiar with the story, I've never read the original version.

I recently had the opportunity to review the audio book from christianaudio. (I suppose, technically, I've still never READ the book. Close enough?) The original is even better than the Mickey Mouse version! Ha!

As much as I like to read, I always sell myself short on reading "true literature" . . . especially books that were written pre-20th century. Listening to the audio version was a wonderful re-introduction to Dickens! It was incredibly easy to follow along, and the story came alive. It was magical.

The narrator impressed me with all of the voices that he did. In scenes when multiple characters were conversing, it was easy to follow along due to the unique voices that he gave each character. His British accent made me feel as though Dickens himself could be narrating the story.

Listening to this book together would be a wonderful family tradition! Both young and old will love this story! AND in the month of December, A Christmas Carol is FREE on christianaudio! Don't miss out on this moving story!

I received a free copy of this audio book from christianaudio in exchange for my fair and honest review.

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About the Book

A Christmas Carol is a novella by English author Charles Dickens first published by Chapman and Hall and first released on 19 December 1843. The story tells of sour and stingy Ebenezer Scrooge's ideological, ethical, and emotional transformation after the supernatural visitations of Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of Christmases Past, Present, and Yet to Come. The novella met with instant success and critical acclaim.

The book was written and published at a time when Britain was experiencing a nostalgic interest in its forgotten Christmas traditions, and at the time when new customs such as the Christmas tree and greeting cards were being introduced. Dickens' sources for the tale appear to be many and varied but are principally the humiliating experiences of his childhood, his sympathy for the poor, and the Christmas stories of Washington Irving.

The tale was pirated immediately, was adapted several times to the stage, and has been credited with restoring the holiday to one of merriment and festivity in Britain and America after a period of sobriety and somberness. A Christmas Carol remains popular, has never been out of print, and has been adapted to film, opera, and other media.