Blogmas Day 7 – Review: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Hello everyone!! Welcome to another Blogmas 2018 post and we’re back to the classic book blogger content with a good, old book review.

Would it really be Christmas without the mention of this classic seasonal novel?! We’ve all heard or seen this story in some capacity (one of my favourites is the Muppet version 😂) but I’d never gotten around to reading the original novel. Very happy to say that I was most certainly not disappointed and was left feeling delightfully festive!

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Blurb: Merry Christmas… Every idiot who goes about with ‘Merry Christmas’ on his lips should be boiled with his own pudding.

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Title: A Christmas Carol

Author: Charles Dickens

Publisher: Penguin Classics

Genre: Fiction, Fairytale, Novella, Ghost story, Morality play

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Review:

This story really captures the essence of a humbug at Christmas, one of those people who the festive spirit cannot reach, who remain miserable through all of the carol singing and celebration. Scrooge is the epitome of this, staring the book off hating anything to do with the Christmas season, shunning those who choose to celebrate, but after a paranormal visit from ghosts who show him the bigger picture, we see him come around to the idea of the festive season, finally feeling the joy that was already all around.

The main thing I love about this book is that it’s such a classic story. It’s one that we’ve all heard of and could probably give a quick recount of, no matter how long ago we came into contact with it. Reading it in full for the first time was such a lovely, festive experience because it brought back a lot of memories of my past Christmases. Alongside that, the heart of this book is the moral message that it gives. The idea that life is too short to be mean to people is something that we could all do with a little reminder of. We should all try to take joy in what we have, rather than constantly disregarding it as there are people who don’t even have that. A message that really makes you think, especially at this time of year, about how fortunate we are and how easy it is to brighten up someone else’s holiday.

I also want to take a second to talk about just how gorgeous this cover is! This copy is leather bound (which I know isn’t for everyone) and has beautiful, shiny snowflakes that really catch the light. This is definitely a book to show off on your shelf and even a series (the Penguin Leather Bound Classics series) to pick up the rest of if you’re a classics fan. Also makes a fab gift for Christmas if there’s anyone in your life who loves this story.

On the other hand, there were one or two things that I disliked about this book. If you’re someone who struggles with the way that classic literature tends to be written then this version might not be one for you. I had to re-read a few sentences once or twice if I wasn’t fully paying attention and if this sounds like you then I’d suggest going for an adapted version of the story.

Overall, I’d definitely recommend this book to bookworms who love classic Christmas tales, are fans of other adaptations of the story and perhaps are even into collecting gorgeous editions of books. This has something for everyone and really does make a fantastic gift!

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Rating: 4/5

Recommend?: Yes

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Have you read this book? Or maybe you’re a fan of the Muppet adaptation as well? 😂 Is this classic on your TBR list? I’d love to know!

Thank you for checking out my Blogmas 2018 posts and I can’t wait to share the rest with you! Check back tomorrow for more festive fun 🎅🏻

I’d also just like to point out that I don’t want to cause any offence to those who don’t celebrate Christmas, these posts are just a bit of fun to go along with my own personal celebrations.

You can always find me over on Instagram and Twitter if you fancy a book (or Christmas) chat! 😌🎄