Mr. Dickens and His Carol

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Hello! Time for thoughts from the Motley Reader.

You may be wondering why I'm reading or sharing my thoughts on a Christmas book in January.
First, this book has been on my TBR list on Goodreads since I first heard about it last year. It got a lot of buzz, so I've been waiting for the right time to read it, as I often do. Side note: If you are not using Goodreads, you need to! (they don't pay me to say that)
Second, I requested it from the library back in December and only just last week received it. Since it took me so long to get it I didn't want to turn it down.

Before I get to my thoughts on the book I want to just say that I enjoy Christmas books probably more than most people. Or maybe not, who knows? Anyway, I have several Christmas books that I use as part of my Christmas decor every year. I stack them on shelves, or put them in baskets near the tree. Of those, I have favorites that I reread every year even though I almost have them memorized.  There's just something about Christmas stories. And yes, I watch Hallmark Channel from the day after Thanksgiving through New Years too.

That being said, I'm not sure this book would make my permanent Christmas collection. I liked this book, but I didn't connect with it as much as I thought I would. Much of that was due to the fact that I couldn't stay focused while reading it, which I must offer a disclaimer on. We have been dog sitting Samantha Silva. It tells the story of the writing of A Christmas Carol. In the author's note, Silva freely admits that the entire story is made up. Only people's names, and details regarding his other works are truthful. I do not have a problem with author's taking liberties with historical fiction. Historical fiction is my favorite genre. For me, though I struggled with the way Mr. Dickens was portrayed, although it is very possible he could have acting in this way for real. I also struggled with the story itself, it felt like it dragged a little in parts.

It was an interesting take on this time in Mr. Dickens life. I liked to imagine that it could have happened this way, somewhat. I say somewhat because I'm not sure that Dickens would have encountered an actual Christmas ghost, but I guess anything is possible. And it is fiction after all.

There were two chapters that have stood out for me, both close to the end. The first takes place after A Christmas Carol is published and in the hands of readers. The entire chapter alternates between scenes of Dickens friends, family and the public reading his book, with excerpts from the book itself. It read like a movie montage and reminded me of such iconic scenes as in Titanic when we see how different people are coping with the sinking. Remember the old couple on the bed? Silva's writing in this scene of the book gave me the same feeling. Different people from different walks of life, who are connected to him in different ways all reading his words. The other chapter took place after this one and shows Dickens doing a public reading of the entire book in a theater on Christmas Eve. The way Silva describes everyone's reactions to a live reading by Dickens himself is lovely. Including Dickens. He was overwhelmed by his own message of the book. I haven't done any research into A Christmas Carol so I do not know what the actual reaction was to the book, but I imagine it could have been just like this. Not only did Scrooge learn a valuable lesson, but Silva hints at Dickens and many others also learning the true meaning of Christmas from the story.

I enjoyed Silva's writing as well. The way she weaves Dickens life into the making of the story is nice in a not obvious way. We see names, that become characters in the story, we meet people who inspire other characters, and we feel Dickens own frustrations with the struggles of life manifest into a real life Scrooge attitude then in turn become the character for his story.

Overall, this was an enjoyable book. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys Christmas stories or is a fan of Charles Dickens.
Just make sure if you check it out from the library you request it sooner than December.

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