A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens Narrator: Tim Curry
Published by Audible Studios on December 1, 2010
Source: Purchased
Genres: Classic
Length: 3 hrs 31 mins
Pages: 112
Format: Audiobook
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This version of A Christmas Carol, masterfully narrated by Tim Curry, brings a deliciously dark twist to Charles Dickens's beloved holiday classic. With a voice full of menace, mischief, and just the right glint of humour, Curry returns the tale to its Victorian roots, conjuring up the smog and soot of old London while letting the story's gothic heart beat strong.
Since its first publication in 1843, A Christmas Carol has never gone out of print. It's been adapted for stage, screen, and even opera, and is often credited with reviving the festive spirit of Christmas in Britain and North America after the gloom of the Industrial Revolution.
The story begins on a bleak and frosty Christmas Eve, with Ebenezer Scrooge locking up his office and snarling at holiday cheer. But as the night wears on, and the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come make their chilling visits, Scrooge is forced to reckon with the life he's led: and the one he still has time to change. Along the way, we meet unforgettable characters like kind-hearted Bob Cratchit, brave little Tiny Tim, and the eerie spirits who make this a tale as haunting as it is heartwarming.
Needless to say, my family does not sit around the (electric) fire telling ghost stories on Christmas Eve – although I did make my friends play Snapdragons on New Years one year. I do think A Christmas Carol might be the perfect Christmas ghost story and who better to tell it than Tim Curry? We all know the story – Scrooge is visited by three ghosts, if you don’t count Marley, on Christmas Eve and turns his life around. It’s a spooky and funny and just a good story. I think I reread it most Decembers or watch one of the movie versions.
About Charles Dickens
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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