Jonathan Winters' A Christmas Carol

by Jonathan Winters, Charles Dickens, Mimi Kennedy

Witty man does his own unique version of a Christmas classic.

Genres: Christmas, Classics, Audiobook, Humor

1 pages, Audio CD

First published September 5, 2007

Reviews

[Melki · Rating 3 out of 5]

I guess I was expecting Winters to provide some sort of comic touches, but this is a fairly straightforward, though heavily edited, reading of the tale. If you're dying for a dose of Dickens, and time is of the essence, you could do worse than give this one a listen.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This abridged version is just the right amount of Dickens for me.

[Elsa K · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was in line for the Jim Dale version of “A Christmas Carol “. It wasn’t available, so I settled for this. Bad move. It was way too abridged. It cut out so many important details and really left the story flat. Next time I’ll wait for the unabridged to be available.

[Greg Skodacek · Rating 5 out of 5]

An audiobook reading of Dickens' classic work. Jonathan Winters' use of sound effects, combined with his gift of vocal mimicry makes this version a joy to hear. I highly recommend this audio rendering!

[SOS · Rating 5 out of 5]

This audio book is narrated by Jonathan Winters; need I say more? This is a very restrained Winters, performing in his best way possible. His voices for the characters in this Dickens’ classic are wonderful, distinct, and nearing perfection; offering a range from young child to senior citizen, and everything in between, and having them all come across as true. You won’t find his trademark silliness here. In this performance, Winters is offering his most serious, professional, and polished skills. He adds his personal fillip to Dickens long standing message. This audio book will not leave you wanting. I highly recommend it.

I found a recording of this audio book online, for free. It's likely available to anyone who searches for it by title and narrator. Opinions in this review were not influenced by the fact that this book was free. All opinions in this review reflect my true and honest reaction to listening to this audio book.

[Kai Gordon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not sure if I’ve ever actually read the original short story or not. I’m also not sure how different this version is from it. It’s nice to know that I’ve watched enough versions of the story to be able to quote some of the narration word for word though 🤣

This was enjoyable and an entertaining listen, though the recording is old and it was at times hard to understand the narrator. I give the story 4 stars and the theatrical reading 3 stars. Wish I could rate it 3.5 🤷‍♂️

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

He does not disappoint

[Harry Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and sweet! We all know the story, not much changed except it was chopped to a short audiobook. If you are looking for something to listen to in one sitting this is it.

Jon does a great job with the voices and it was fun.

[Michele · Rating 1 out of 5]

This review is based on this particular audio book adition only, not the actual classic by Dickens, which BTW, is flawless.

This edition is simply awful. First of all, you do not abridge A Christmas Carol. You lose way too much of the story by cutting out many of the descriptions and emotions and memories. I was very disappointed that in my listening to this audio, I did not get to hear many of the words and phrases that my eyes just love to read; the sentences in the book that I read out loud just so I can hear if they sound as beautifully as they look on paper (they do).

Also, the narrator is terrible. He offers no emotion. All of the fear when Scrooge is confronted by the ghost of Marley and all of the spectres is completely lost, as is his total elation when he awakens on Christmas morning to find out he is still alive and hasn't missed the Blessed day. The voice he uses for the Ghost of Christmas Past was that of a creepy old man, and the Ghost of Christmas Present is depicted as a creepy Scotsman. Thankfully, the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come does not have a voice.

I read A Christmas Carol every year, however, this year, it is looking like I might not have the time, so I downloaded the audio from my library so I could listen on my run. Unfortunately my library doesn't offer another version of the audio, because I'd really like to listen to another version right away, just to get the memory of this narrator's horrid voice out of my head.

[Nada M · Rating 5 out of 5]

its fantastic story , and it could be children story ,i loved it

[Joshua · Rating 5 out of 5]

that you shouldnt be rude just because everyone was rude to you and that be happy cause you never know what will happen next

[Iliana · Rating 5 out of 5]

its wonderful

[Lindsey Greto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great voices and a fun way to experience A Christmas Carol while baking. I didn't realize it was abridged until the end - I think I'll listen to the full one next year.

[Nasim · Rating 3 out of 5]

i also did this book for an english coursework.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Big fan of Jonathan Winters….enjoyed his many voices!!