A Christmas Carol

This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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WHAT'S A CHRISTMAS CAROL: A SIGNATURE PERFORMANCE BY TIM CURRY ABOUT?

Yeah, just kidding. We all know.

SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT A CHRISTMAS CAROL: A SIGNATURE PERFORMANCE BY TIM CURRY?

Really, all this post needs to be is: “Tim Curry read A Christmas Carol” and include a link to purchase. What else do you need? That's pretty much all I needed to read from this post by Bookstooge.

But let me say something about the narration—it's good, it's really good. It's also not what I expected, at least not fully.

I think I went into it anticipating an almost-over-the-top performance, whatever the audio-equivalent of a scenery-chewing showcase of Tim Curry excess. Which would have been delightful, make no mistake. Curry's got one of those voices that would've lent itself to such a thing and I'd have made it an annual listen.

But no, Curry's a pro. And he shows that here. He treats the material with respect and gives just the right emotional weight, sentimentality, personality, and life that the text and characters call for.

One line reading, in particular, made me chuckle (and came as close to what I anticipated as anything does):

“You will be haunted,” resumed the Ghost, “by Three Spirits.”

Scrooge's countenance fell almost as low as the Ghost's had done.

“Is that the chance and hope you mentioned, Jacob?” he demanded, in a faltering voice.
“It is.”

“I—I think I'd rather not,” said Scrooge.

Of course it has its problems, like the preaching tone and that one would become overnight something one has never even had any inclination or interest in, but - it's still scary and touching and lovely. :-D
There are some very nice bits in there, and some ideas of how to form my Christmas parties - I'd really love to have old-fashioned parlour games and so :-D

I thoroughly enjoyed Curry's narration. This is the the first time I've read this book. I've owned it for years now, but never listened before. I was determined to read it this year! So glad I did. I love the the various movies. My favorite is The Muppets version.

Hugh Grant's version is awesome too!!!

I did not know that this book would be funny. I expected a dry, overly descriptive, dense classic about not being a stingy jerk. But I laughed out loud and found the writing to be super accessible. I tend to struggle with classic writing, but this was great. It was heartwarming too, but everyone knows that.

After years of watching movies and various ilk, it was high time to read the original. I enjoyed it very much. It was a quick read, yet still full of the thick and superfluous language that, for me, characterizes 18th and 19th century English writing. What surprised me, though, was how snarky the writing was. I was expected Oliver Twist and David Copperfield, but while the narrative was very Dickensien, this one simply had more of a pub feel than I expected.

I'm also struck by how much I've been conditioned by modern “sensibilities.” Cable network FX recently did a take on the story starring Guy Pearce as Scrooge. It was dark and stark, and it felt like it was exploring themes that TV mini-series in the 80s would have been afraid to explore. Thus, I expected to see more of Scrooge's back story from that remake in the books. There was really only one noticeable them...Scrooge's loneliness at boarding school and a bit of the fantasy sequence with Ali Baba. I happily stand corrected that sometimes, things are beautifully simple (and that's okay).

A friend has long said that A Muppets Christmas Carol was the most faithful retelling of the actually novella. I think he is right! It's funny to me that the actual text from the story made the Muppet version funnier, and as noted in above, I wasn't expecting that to be a part of the “real” story.

Many people have pointed out the centrality of Tiny Tim and his impact on Scrooge's change. I see that. I understand it. But, to me, it was the familial connection to Fred that made the change. With the Ghost of Christmas Present, Scrooge lets go for the first time when eavesdropping on Fred's dinner. It's the first time we see the suspicion start to fall for Scrooge. It's also a lesson. Our connections to our families are the most visceral we have...they're there first, they last the longest, and we love our families through thick and thin. Even when we're on the outs with a relative, there's something that will bring us together despite the animosity. (Of course, there are exceptions...I fully recognize that some people are just demons.) We need the familial foundation and connection before we can be moved by the Tiny Tims of the world.

In all, it's a good read. Do yourself a favor and put this on the list for the holiday season.

BAH! HUMBUG!

haha. I really, really liked this book. It's definitely the only classic i've read in one sitting It's only about a 100 pages long, so you should definitely check this off your tbr, as soon as you can. Every book I've read with a Christmas theme, talks about a Christmas carol by Charles dickens and now i can finally say i've read it. It's a heartwarming story that reminds us to be grateful and happy and spreads the message of compassion & humility. I listened to the audiobook simultaneously here:

https://youtu.be/ZmOioOyFMRk

and the voice modulations were my favourite thing ever. The narrator does a great job at Scrooge's voice and had me laughing at his dialogue in the beginning. The message conveyed is as beautiful as the story itself, and as you travel with the spirits of the Christmas past, Christmas present and Christmas yet to come, smile and be grateful for everything you have:)

this is a super quick and heartwarming classic. a bit different than the animation we've probably all seen. The scrooge here was too quick to accept criticism. The acceptance is gradual in the animation which I think is the most important part of the story. Regardless, just about anyone should be able to pick this up and find something to love.

Somehow, I'd never read this before, despite knowing the story and having seen the “Scrooge McDuck” cartoon (and a Muppets version?) and even being in the play when I was little. (I blame the fact that I got to “Great Expectations” first and decided none of Dickens' other books were worth reading.) It was actually quite good, and now I'm considering picking up more of his books, now that I'm not forced to read them for school.