A Charles Dickens Devotional

Devotional Classics

by Jean Fischer, Charles Dickens

A unique, beautiful devotional that offers words and themes from one of the best-loved authors of all time.

Charles Dickens was born 200 years ago, yet he crafted stories that translate well to a modern Christian’s daily life. A Charles Dickens Devotional combines 104 short excerpts from his classic novels with Scripture and new devotional thoughts to create meaningful readings for both longtime Dickens fans and Christian readers who are meeting Oliver Twist for the first time.

This title joins A Jane Austen Devotional as part of the new Devotional Classics series and includes excerpts from Dickens' Great Expectations, David Copperfield, A Tale of Two Cities, Oliver Twist, and A Christmas Carol.

Genres: Christian, Devotional, Nonfiction, Faith, Christianity

225 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Jean Fischer is a professional writer with a solid background in publishing. While an editor at Golden Books, she oversaw the creative development of activity books and award-winning audio and book products. As a freelance writer, she co-wrote books with Christian authors Thomas Kinkade, John MacArthur, and John C. Maxwell and created devotions for the popular children's series Adventures in Odyssey concepted by Dr. James Dobson.

Jean writes Christian literature for adults as well as children's picture books, board books, nonfiction books and K-6 Language Arts workbooks and textbooks. She also creates promotional material for a leading fast-food restaurant. Her recent books include four preteen novels in the Camp Club Girls series published by Barbour Books and A Charles Dickens Devotional by Thomas Nelson.

Jean holds degrees in elementary education and library science and an advanced certificate in technical communication.

Reviews

[Olde American Spirit (Shannon) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely devotional that I've taken my time with since February. Each day contains a snippet from a myriad of Dickens books, which is then paralleled with scripture.

Lovely. Not incredibly deep, but lovely.

I also learned a lot about Dickens himself, his faith, and many of his works that I was not familiar with.

It feels strange to rate a devotional, so I'll just say that I recommend for Dickens fans that want a very quick devotional.

[Randy Elster · Rating 3 out of 5]

This simple but unique devotional takes passages from Dickens' works and pairs them with thoughts from the Bible. Nothing deep here, but thoughtful nonetheless and interesting for Dickens fans.

[eyes.2c · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blending scripture with cameos from books by one of my favourite writers gives a mix of timeless wisdom to reflect upon.
A treasured title.

A Thomas Nelson ARC via NetGalley

[Nelda Zamir · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a collection of passages from different books by Charles Dickens. It is best read one or two passages daily. The left side of the book contains a passage quote. The right side has a paragraph explaining the context of the quote and a bit of explanation of its meaning and significance. This is followed by a paragraph or two relating a Bible passage to Dickens' story. I found the Dickens quotes very interesting. There were several from books which I had not read. The weakness for me was in the Bible verse connections. Some Bible thoughts were very good and very connected with the Dickens passage. Some verses were only loosely connected. A few seemed in absolute opposition to what Dickens was saying. For example, a Dickens passage telling about a person being placed in debtor's prison was followed by a Bible verse telling how people shouldn't waste money. That hardly seemed to be Dickens' point at all. I would have enjoyed the book more if it had focused only on the Dickens' works. Dickens was such a strong writer that the follow up passages paled in comparison. Overall though, I enjoyed reading this and appreciate the exposure to unfamiliar writings by Charles Dickens.

[Luminous Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this devotional after finishing the Jane Austen devotional from the same series, which offered reflections on Austen's life and works. This devotional features short excerpts from Dickens's novels, such as Great Expectations, A Tale of Two Cities, and David Copperfield, accompanied by brief devotional reflections on themes like patience, hope, and forgiveness, illustrating these virtues through passages from Dickens's rich literary legacy.

This was a lovely devotional that deepened my appreciation for Dickens's storytelling and spiritual insights, and it definitely made me want to explore more of Dickens's novels!

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been reading this off and on for several years, like I do with most devotionals. I really enjoyed it! The readings are short and sweet. They’re easy to fit into the beginning or end to your day, and I liked the book passages they included.

[Cori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Daily excerpts from Dickens’s many works paired with Scripture and a brief devotional tying the 2 together. Excellent choice of passages, some aligning with the verses than others. Covers both the popular, well-known books by Dickens plus several of his lesser known novels and novellas.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read for fans of Charles Dickens.

[Jan Norton · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author knows Dickens well. The spiritual insights are encouraging and uplifting. "There is a wisdom of the head, and... there is a wisdom of the heart." -- Charles Dickens, "Hard Times"

[Alexandra Alzate · Rating 5 out of 5]

This will be a staple in which I rotate with my Jane Austen devotional.

[Bud Russell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful companion to the collected works of Charles Dickens. I used this as part of my morning devotions; I enjoyed both new & familiar passages and their spiritual lessons.

[Jacquline · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the cutest books that I've ever read. I really enjoyed Fischer's dedication to make this book a great success. She used a wide variety of Dickens' works and picked out the most beautiful passages to represent different aspects of Christianity. She brought up many good points like forgiveness and greed. Using an extraordinary man of faith to guide this book is absolutely clever. Fischer also used many Bible verses to emphasize her points in the book. The only major drawback that I did not enjoy was the use of a few different Biblical translations. She should only stick to one translation to make the book flow smoother. Other than that, the book is successful. I had my doubts when I began reading it, but the use of Dickens' work as well as the Bible helps readers understand the importance of faith and God. It teaches readers to love and become devoted to not only God but others because that is the only way to truly love God: we all must take His characteristics and use them in our everyday lives. The stories in the Bible prove to us that we can be more like our beloved Creator if we take the time to understand and learn His words. As Christians, we need to take the time to devote more time to our Father, and Fischer's book is a great way to start. She highlights key stories to dive into and take away lessons from. Fischer's devotional brings up many important ideas that as Christians, we can benefit from each single one, if only we take them to heart and truly learn from each section. God Bless you on all your future endeavors, and I pray that you all learn from Fischer's book as I have.

[Patty · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 1870 Charles Dickens wrote “I have always striven in my writings to express veneration for the life and lessons of our Savior—because I feel it.” Dickens wanted to teach his readers Christian values that are found in Bible through his own writings. He wrote many stories - Oliver Twist, Great Expectations, and A Christmas Carol, to name a few. Excerpts from these, and his other stories are in each devotional. The devotional continues with an explanation of how the excerpt relates to a Bible verse or two, which is written by Jean Fischer. The devotions are by subject, not day.

I have never read a Charles Dickens story. I was familiar with a few of the devotionals because I saw a movie about the story. There were many stories that I never heard of. I personally do not like Dickens' style of writing. That is not to say it's not good. He does a nice job of letting the reader go to where or what he is writing about.

I think a fan of Charles Dickens would appreciate this book. There are excerpts from so many of his stories. I really like the way Jean Fischer relates Dickens to modern day life and the Bible. She shows the reader Bible verses relating to each story with ease.

I would recommend this devotional to anyone who wants to learn about the Bible. You read many Bible verses along the way. There is also a Bible verse at the end of every devotion. I think any person who enjoys reading devotionals should check this out.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley for my honest review.

[GONZA · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok my fault for not understanding the title, I thought it was a book with extracts from one of my favourite author and in part it was, but then it was related with bible sentences and meditation over poor people, God's speech and so on. This is the reason why I didn't really appreciate this book, I believed it was going to be different than a book of psalm...
Anyway if you like this stuff is certainly well written.

[Snap · Rating 5 out of 5]

For whose who do daily (or at least frequent) biblical devotions and are fans of Dickens this is a very good way to recall some of Dickens' characters while applying lessons to our daily lives from both sources.

[David Kemp · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful devotional read

I truly enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it to those who enjoy reading the works of Charles Dickens. It makes it all the more wonderful to know that he was a brother in Christ.

[Mark Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful selections from Dickens' books and other works and with parallel devotions that are true to the Word, challenging and inspiring.

[Amanda Almeida · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this devotional. I felt it had more depth with Dicken's excerpts in it.