A Christmas Carol is an 1843 novella by Charles Dickens. It's one of his best-known works and has been endlessly adapted into every sort of media imaginable.
Everyone knows the plot: cruel, miserly Ebeneezer Scrooge meets three ghosts at Christmastime and becomes a much better person. If you're like me you probably knew it long before you heard of Charles Dickens or even realised where the story came from. No matter where you look at Christmas you'll see yet another new version of it. And that's why it's my second-least-favourite Dickens work. (My least favourite is Oliver Twist, if you're wondering. But that's a review for another time.)
In many ways this novella is nothing like the rest of Dickens' work. It's so short that there are no subplots and surprisingly few characters. Instead of a main character who's honest and decent from the start, Scrooge starts out a complete jerk. And then there are the ghosts. For some reason Dickens' short stories often have ghosts, while his longer ones never do except in stories the characters tell.
But the main reason I dislike this story is its sheer ubiquity. Maybe "dislike" isn't the right word. I'm just tired of it. It's everywhere, even in places it has no business being and where you'd never expect to see it. (The Muppet Christmas Carol, anyone?) By the time I read the book I already knew the whole plot. Most disappointing of all, there were no really surprising twists in the book. The story everyone knows is more or less the book's story. I was left feeling like I'd wasted my time and hadn't read anything new for my trouble.
There's nothing wrong with this book. I would like it more if there was a break between adaptations and references to it. Please, filmmakers, seriesmakers, etc. Stop adapting the same story again and again. Something more original would be appreciated.
Is it available online?: Yes, on Gutenberg.
Rating: 4/10.
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