A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, adapted by R. D. CarstairsA Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, R. D. Carstairs
Published by Audible Studios on December 9, 2016
Source: Audible Channels
Genres: Christmas, Classic
Length: 3 hrs, 31 mins
Format: Audiobook
Purchase at Bookshop.org or Purchase at Amazon
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four-half-stars

'If I had my way, every idiot who goes around with Merry Christmas on his lips, would be boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart. Merry Christmas? Bah humbug!'

Charles Dickens' ghostly tale of sour and stingy miser Ebenezer Scrooge has captivated readers, listeners and audiences for over 150 years. This Christmas, Audible Studios brings this story to life in an audio drama featuring an all-star cast.

Starring: Sir Derek Jacobi as Dickens, Kenneth Cranham as Ebenezer Scrooge, Roger Allam as Jacob Marley, Brendan Coyle as The Ghost Of Christmas Past, Miriam Margolyes as The Ghost Of Christmas Present, Tim Mcinnerny as The Ghost Of Christmas Yet To Come, Jamie Glover as Bob Cratchit, Emily Bruni as Mrs. Cratchit, Jenna Coleman as Belle, Joshua James as Young Scrooge, and Hugh Skinner as Fred

A Christmas Carol tends to be one of my selections every year, whether it be in print, on audio, or watching a movie adaptation. It’s just a good story. Ebenezer starts off as an arrogant, obstinate, miserly man, but by the end, he’s generous and warm-hearted, a changed man.

I listened to the story this time around on the Audible Channel. Honestly, it took me a little while to get used to the full cast. It’s just unusual that a story I listen to has more than one, or at most two, narrators. Once I got into it, though, I enjoyed the format. It was like listening to a play with a narrator taking up the pieces that couldn’t be handled well through dialogue.

It’s a traditional Christmas story and I think this format would make it a nice listen for the whole family.

About Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens, circa 1867-1868

Charles John Huffam Dickens (7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world’s best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. His works enjoyed unprecedented popularity during his lifetime, and by the 20th century critics and scholars had recognized him as a literary genius. His novels and short stories enjoy lasting popularity.

Dickens was regarded as the literary colossus of his age. His 1843 novella, A Christmas Carol, remains popular and continues to inspire adaptations in every artistic genre. Oliver Twist and Great Expectations are also frequently adapted, and, like many of his novels, evoke images of early Victorian London. His 1859 novel, A Tale of Two Cities, set in London and Paris, is his best-known work of historical fiction. Dickens has been praised by fellow writers for his realism, comedy, prose style, unique characterizations, and social criticism. On the other hand, others complained of a lack of psychological depth, loose writing, and a vein of saccharine sentimentalism.

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