“Charming, comic, and ultimately poignant…It’s all heart, and I read it in a couple of ebullient, Christmassy gulps.” –Anthony Doerr, #1 New York Times bestselling author of All The Light We Cannot SeeA debut novel with the wit of Shakespeare in Love and the evergreen charm of A Christmas CarolFor Charles Dickens, each Christmas has been better than the last. But when his newest book is an … been better than the last. But when his newest book is an utter flop, his publishers offer an ultimatum: either he writes a Christmas book in a month, or they will call in his debts, and he could lose everything. Grudgingly, he accepts, but with relatives hounding him for loans, his wife planning an excessively lavish holiday party, and jealous critics moving in for the kill, he is hardly feeling the Christmas spirit.
Frazzled and filled with self-doubt, Dickens seeks solace and inspiration in London itself, his great palace of thinking. And on one of his long walks, in a once-beloved square, he meets a young woman who might be just the muse he needs. Over the next few weeks, Eleanor Lovejoy propels Dickens on a Scrooge-like journey that tests everything he believes about generosity, friendship, ambition–and Christmas.
Laced with humor, rich historical detail from Dickens’ life, and clever winks to his work, Samantha Silva’s Mr. Dickens and His Carol is an irresistible new take on an adored classic.
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It was best book I’ve read in a while. Definitely unpredictable. It was a page turner and I could not put it down until I read the last page. A fantastic read for this season. Absolutely loved it. Everyone should read this.
Charles Dickens sets out to pen a Christmas novella by his publisher’s demand. However, his money and family troubles taint his creativity, and he drafts his main character, Scrooge, into a dark, grievous skinflint who only opens to improvement on the last page.
By a power beyond him, Dickens’s Christmas tale is pilfered and plagiarized, infuriating him. He suspects the mysterious Eleanor LoveJoy—who he develops a strange association with—of stealing his work, but the fault lies a little closer to home. Dickens’s wife and family retreat to Scotland, leaving him to settle his spirit. He takes refuge in a nearby hotel, which he’s used before for writing.
Cleared of any guilt, Eleanor and her son Timothy help Dickens recreate his tale but with a gentler filter to Mr. Scrooge, the old miser. The characters become alive to Dickens as he draws from the inspiration of the people and times around him. Weaving a more substantial ribbon of hope through his plot, Dickens finishes and reads his masterpiece to Timothy.
But where has the ethereal Miss Lovejoy gone? And what will happen to Timothy? Will Dickens ever see his family and children again?
Readers of Charles Dickens’s classic stories and historical fiction with relish this behind the scenes drama of Dickens creating his Christmas iconic classic, A Christmas Carol.
I deliciously sunk my teeth into this one. I savored every page. A few moments of doubt arose in me during Miss Lovejoy’s entanglement with Dickens, but her story fit perfectly in the end.
Mr. Dickens and His Carol was a delightful, Christmastime read that added much to my fondness for the classic story.
If you love A Christmas Carol, you’ll love this book. The fabulously witty and vivid writing style drew me in within the first page, and Dickens’s descent into angst and despair–yet always with that speck of hope–kept me turning pages. It surprised me, delighted me, and drew some tears at the end, and left me with a parting image that continues to make me smile.
This was an interesting and imaginative look into Charles Dickens’ life at the time he was writing A Christmas Carol. I think the book perfectly captured the angst and pressure felt by every author when under an impossible deadline. While his family, friends, and business associates have come to depend on Dickens for jovial humor, brilliant writing, and a source of endless financial support, Charles’ fortunes have started to dip, and he begins to wonder if he’ll ever write anything worthwhile again. This tale immerses the reader in the atmosphere of Victorian London at Christmastime. While the world is bustling with Christmas spirit, Charles is sinking lower and lower, becoming somewhat of a Scrooge himself, and it takes an unexpected muse to set him on the right path again. I enjoyed this story that provided great background on Dickens’ life, yet had a spark of Christmas magic included. It was a quick read that will restore your Christmas spirit.
Did you ever wonder how Charles DIckens was inspired to write a Christmas Carol? Well in Mr. DIckens and his Carol, Charles was inspired to write the story from events that happened to him (although we don’t know this for sure.)
It was wonderful how the events that were occurring around Mr. Dickens before he wrote the story shaped the actual writing. I couldn’t put it down.
Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Historical material, creative whimsy, and the love of a timeless tale have made it one of my favorite reads.
*I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
A November warm day, Charles Dickens is lost in writing his next adventure for Chuzzlewit. However, his publishers show up. Chuzzlewit is not selling and they have an idea. They “suggest” Charles writes a short Christmas book. With a ghost. And it’s scheduled to be read on Christmas Eve. Charles doesn’t like the idea, but finds his family has become use to a style of living and he likes to make donations so in order to continue with life as they know it he’ll have to write the Christmas book he doesn’t want to write. His feeling of the book idea seeps through into his life and he’ll have an eye opening season.
I’ve never listened to Euan Morton until now. I found I enjoyed his proper sound and accent from the beginning. It fit for the time setting and people present in the book. I felt as though I was sitting, drawn to his voice, listening to him tell me a Christmas story. Euan also gets to voice parts of Christmas Carol at the end as well. So well done with all the voices. Euan has the tone that fits a Christmas story, perfectly.
I adore Charles’s interaction with his kids and wife. There is so much love there, and they have fun. But Charles always wants to give them everything, which helps drive home that his chapters for his current adventure isn’t doing as well. This is what starts to drive a wedge between him and his family.
As Charles lives his life, after learning he will lose money if he doesn’t do the Christmas book, you see sparks of what influences A Christmas Carol. He tries to teach his children there is more to Christmas than toys, in a means to try to “cut back”. It doesn’t go well, but there is truth in his words and a hint of what will come in his book he’ll ultimately end up writing. I understand Charles’s worries over income. He’s seeing how his family lives and his attempts to “cut back” are squashed at every try. Though, in his families defense, they didn’t know what he was trying to do or why. So, he decides to write the Christmas book.
Charles seems to struggle to find his own way through Christmas. He grows frustrated by the threat of losing income, and that his family has grown to love spending so much (they don’t realize it). He tries to point out others and needs at this time of year, but it goes unnoticed or acknowledged. He wants his kids to see more in the holiday than what they get. Charles starts to lose his way and the feel of the holiday while frustrated with events around him. Charles goes looking for his muse to get through. This book is Charles living his own Christmas Carol, while crossing flashes of the story to come.
Samantha has taken an old tale and sprinkled it into the life of the original creator, creating a new story of her own with links to the original story. There is also history drizzled in for our enjoyment. Samantha touched on emotions in me. There were a few places that I smiled, but she did have me tear up as well. It was toward the end and with Timothy, of course. But it was the moment that felt right, like Charles was starting to make that last turn to himself again and even feeling better about himself. Then, in the end, I did cry. Such a great moment to be brought to.
This book felt true to the characters present and was a wonderful Christmas Carol rendition to highlight Charles Dickens. Wonderful story.
I never really stopped to ponder what motivation was behind Charles Dickens writing A Christmas Carol. I’ve always enjoyed the tale and consider watching the movie or rereading the story part of my holiday tradition at Christmas time. In Mr. Dickens and His Carol, Samantha Silva creates a background story as to how Dickens created one of his greatest masterpieces.
Feeling taken advantage of by literally everyone, including his wife, children, and father, Dickens has decided enough is enough. He will no longer be so generous and bow to everyone else’s wants and desires. When his current publication does worse than expected, Dickens is practically forced into writing a short Christmas story to dig him out of the financial hole that he finds himself in. Upset by his behavior, Catherine, Dicken’s wife, takes the children and flees for Scotland to allow him to find himself. By chance, Charles meets the lovely Eleanor who is not quite what she seems. Is she the muse that will inspire Dickens to write a great tale or merely just another person looking to take advantage of his generous nature?
This was a great short story filled with imagination and several unexpected twists. A perfect read for the holidays or as a companion to the original story. Definitely recommended.
The reality of Christmas and the choices we make shines through. Emotions of parents, reality of finances and desire to please are all as relevant today as they were in Dickens time.
An enjoyable fictional telling of how Charles Dickens was inspired to write “A Christmas Carol.” Snuggle up next to the tree with a cup of cocoa and this tale and I think you will find it time well spent.
Original and was a good read with insight into Dickens life.
Charles Dickens, the inimitable Boz. He was a celebrity in his own right as an author in Victorian London. He was the author of over a dozen books, one of his most famous being [book:A Christmas Carol|5326]. Samantha Silva imagines what Dickens’ life was like at the time of his writing of A Christmas Carol in the weeks leading up to Christmas in 1843. He was facing some financial difficulties due to poor sales of [book:Martin Chuzzlewit|1990] and the pressures that his family had put on him. He had a few weeks to author a book to pull him out of his situation and regain the readership he was losing. Silva pulls Dickens into his own story, full of charming characters, a ghost to show him his past, present, and future, and the chance at redemption on Christmas day.
This was a cute, short read that brings the reader into the setting of A Christmas Carol. It is very much a work of fiction with some fact sprinkled throughout. I love historical fiction but when it becomes more fiction based “very loosely” on fact, I start to get disinterested. I was hoping for a bit more facts than was provided. The beginning grabbed me, the middle bored me a bit, but the end made up for the lull. Certainly, not my favorite Christmas read but I am glad I read it, as it caused me to do a little research into the life of Charles Dickens and the story behind the famous book. I mostly enjoyed the story of Timothy “Tiny Tim” and hope that there was a sweet boy that truly inspired that character.