A Midnight Carol: A Novel of How Charles Dickens Saved Christmas

by Patricia K. Davis

In the winter of 1843, Charles Dickens faces a difficult decision, about whether to continue writing or turn to law, a conflict that eventually gave birth to the classic story, A Christmas Carol. 50,000 first printing.

Genres: Christmas, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Book Club, Historical, Holiday, 19th Century

Hardcover

First published November 1, 1999

Reviews

[StillReadingBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. I must admit I am a Charles Dickens fan. I am also a Christmas Carol fan, so to read this seemed like I was going to like it no matter what. I really like retellings or sequels to classical pieces, too.

With that said, this tale of the story behind the writing and publishing of Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol was quite entertaining. I liked that there were enough factual elements from Dickens life that I found the author and story creditable. Since I have taught high school English for years, I know quite a bit about his life and many of those details were included.

The story picks up with Dickens awaiting the birth of his 5th child, while struggling to write a money maker. His past works had done well but he seems to have fallen out of favor. Once the idea of The Christmas Carol is hatched and written, he attempts to publish it in a way that will offer him the opportunity to make more profit. Naturally there is some underhandedness by his publishers and it creates quite a suspenseful air to the book that I did not expect, but it is what made me sad that Christmas came and I had to put it aside. It is also what got me out of bed at 4:45 am this morning to finish it.

If you like Dickens and or The Christmas Carol, I highly recommend.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really quite delightful short novel based on a very fanciful -- Dickensianly fanciful, in fact -- account of the writing and publication of A Christmas Carol.

Dickens is immensely broke. His wife Catherine is expecting yet another addition to the family. His books haven't been selling -- the most recent, Martin Chuzzlewit, was a complete disaster. He's pretty certain his publishers, Squib & Ledrook, have been cheating him. Thomas Carlyle thinks his friend Charley should give up this fiction stuff to which he's obviously not suited and do something sensible like resume his journalistic career. But then Dickens has the inspiration for a book that will be such a surefire bestseller that all the family's financial problems will be over and done with forever . . .

The tale of how Dickens not just gets the book written and published but thwarts enemies, makes new friends among the Whitechapel urchin classes, spreads goodwill and does battle with the ghost of Oliver Cromwell -- the tale involves the intervention of Sir Robert Peel, founder of the Peelers and now prime minister, and Peel's stunningly lovely wife Julia. It's all good stuff, made to be taken with a pinch of salt, and it rollicks along in amiable, deliberately slightly over-the-top fashion. Davis, who's an American, gets the Old Country's version of English right most of the time, and after a while I found myself regarding her not infrequent lapses as just a part of the book's charm.

There's no reason at all why you should wait until Christmas to stuff a stocking -- your friend's or your child's or even your own. If you want to be traditionalist about things, though, the book's short enough that you could read it all on Christmas day while the relatives are quarreling. A spiffy read.

[Suzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second book I've read this Christmas season that was a ficionalization of Dickens' writing of a Christmas Carol. I liked them both, but this one slightly less than Mr. Dickens and His Carol. This is written more matter-of-factly, but I still enjoyed it and highly recommend both these books if you like Dickens' A Christmas Carol.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure how much of the book was fictionalized, but it was interesting having some sort of background to the writing of A Christmas Carol. I wouldn't mind reading Mr. Dickens and his Carol to compare.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. I have always loved A Christmas Carol. I adore books on Christmas, or books set during Christmas. I recently realized I did not have this book and had not read it. I immediately ordered it. I couldn't put it down. This book was wonderful.

[❄ Pixelflocke ❄ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Das Buch war ein absoluter Zufallsgriff aus der Bibliothek. Ich hatte Lust auf eine schöne, atmosphärische Weihnachtsgeschichte und genau das habe ich auch bekommen.
Erzählt wird wie Charles Dickens 1843 "A Christmas Carol" schrieb und damit seinem Land Weihnachten zurückgab. Darin verwoben ist die Geschichte um den jungen Benjamin Newborn, der selbst wie eine Mischung aus Dickens berühmten Jungenfiguren wirkt.
Davis schreibt sehr angenehm, das Buch lässt sich ruckzuck lesen. Die Charaktere sind wirklich gut angelegt und mitreißend geschrieben. Klar ist die Geschichte etwas vorhersehbar, aber das vermindert nicht wirklich das tolle Leseerlebnis.
Ein schönes Buch für Zwischendurch über die Magie von Weihnachten, die Kraft von Büchern und das Gute im Menschen, welches sich manchmal an unerwarteter Stelle zeigt.

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was delightful, although I don't think it gave a true depiction of Dickens, based on other things I've heard about him. It portrayed him in a very sympathetic light, the victim of unscrupulous publishers and a fickle public. It also positions him as a champion of the poor, hauned by his father's sins of alcoholism and irresponsible spending. The subplot of Benjamin Newborn's devotion to Dickens and the tale of his pleading to the prime minister on Dickens' behalf is nice, but fairy-tale material.

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this every year.

[Peggy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a Dicken's fan. So I read A Christmas Carol every December. Reading A Midnight Carol and seeing the movie, The Man Who Invented Christmas, has also been a way to enjoy Dickens- without having to reread Martin Chuzzlewit. A Midnight Carol, with the assistance of a plucky new character named Ben Newborn, centers around the intrigue of Charles' publishers trying to cheat him, and his Carol being successful in spite of their attempts. The Man Who Invented Christmas centers on the pieces of his life that he used to form his characters and create the book. Both use enough actual facts about Dickens' life, such as his love of family, his strained relationship with his father, his relationship with Thomas Carlyle, to make me accept the story. Fun reading.

[Vicki Gooding · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly; when I first started reading, the book was good, but I thought, "I don't know what I was expecting". Then, by the time I hit the third or 4th chapter the scenario's held so many possible hints of what may have aided into Dickens writing the Carol, it was just as if he himself created this whole delicious story. By the end, it fully deserved the five star review. Come Christmas, I want to read it again at the same time as my yearly reading of this classic.

[Jason Schmidt · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a first novel, Davis shows promise. There some ideas that I liked here…but, really, this book does not focus on Dickens saving Christmas…not really. In fact, it reads now like a frustrated author just hoping to provide for his family. Really, this didn’t have to be Dickens - it could have been about any generic author.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wonder how much of this is true? While this book began as a depressing read, especially a few days before Christmas (and I had to put it down until after the holiday), it did end up mirroring the style of the Dickens original.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story behind the story! A special Christmas read that enriched my heart and mind with Holiday magic that just as the Christmas Carol carries the Magic of Christmas throughout the year - God Bless us Every One!

[Mona Randall · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love Charles Dickens, this is a must read.

[Don Putnam · Rating 2 out of 5]

Review at my blog: http://www.rockyrook.com/2008/12/no-c...

[Dee · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick read. A little history, a little comedy, a little mystery, a little biography. A novel about Charles Dickens and his life when writing "A Christmas Carol".

[Cindy DavisClark · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was interesting to learn of the struggles Charles dickens had to publish A Christmas Carol I would have to do some research to learn what part of this fictionalized tale was accurate.

[Jess Currier · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a cute little Christmas story. I loved reading about Charles Dickens and how he came to write A Christmas Carol, even if there’s fiction to this story.

[Cindy Sa · Rating 4 out of 5]

How "A Christmas Carol" came to be. A wonderful, daresay suspenseful, story taking you back to winter 1843 England, in the days of Charles Dickens. Would recommend reading any time of year.

[Becky · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow, was this a bad book. The style was probably supposed to be Dickensian, but I've never been a fan. The premise sounded good, but I can't pretend I enjoyed it. After five days, I gave up and skimmed to the end.

[DEANNA Frey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though this is a fictional story, the author did a good job of researching Charles Dickens' life and history. So this has pieces of truth woven through the story-line.

[Laurel Bradshaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

A small book and a quick read. A little history, biography, mystery, comedy. What's not to like?

Book Description from Amazon
It was the bleakest winter of Charles Dickens's life. In 1843, with his most recent books bringing in almost no income and his wife pregnant with their fifth child, Dickens had to face facts. Only an innate sense of courage could make him risk losing everything and result in one of the greatest literary gifts ever given to the world: the magical A Christmas Carol.

In Patricia K. Davis's extraordinary fact-based novel, the writing of A Christmas Carol becomes a dramatic focal point in English history. Not only did it put Charles Dickens back on his feet and assure his future reputation as one of the most revered authors of all time, but it also made him a hero of his day. As we watch Dickens fight against crooked publishers and greedy creditors and get to know the historical figures of the times, we become immersed in a world imaginatively re-created by a talented new author.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had heard the story of Dickens's writing of "A Christmas Carol" before, and was surprised and happy to find a book that tells the tale. This was a likable and pleasant book to read on a quiet afternoon. I enjoyed the characters, and the references to the Dickens characters and plot elements were entertaining. Some of the writing was just a little weak, but overall the book was interesting, and somewhat fact-based. The way the author tied in Robert Peel's adoption of a street orphan was interesting.

[Pjbookhoarder · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun and interesting holiday read. I really enjoyed this book and it will remain on my holiday "keepers" shelf to re-read. Well researched, this is a reimagining of Dickens private life, family life, as well as financial life (on the verge of penury before publishing A Christmas Carol) leading up to his writing and publication of A Christmas Carol which almost wasn't published at all. This book is a charmer and perfect for the holiday season. It really brought Mr. Dickens alive for me.

[Dee Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know how true this really is, but I enjoyed it. It was a good before Christmas read. It made me appreciate Dickens that much more realizing what really went on behind the writing of A Christmas Carol. It appears that we all have our darkest moments, and I hope to make something bright and beautiful come from mine too.

[Susan Baranoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, that was fun, mostly. I found the beginning slow going and the second half too good to put down. It is exactly as described, a novel about Dickens writing "A Christmas Carol", my favorite Dickens book if I have to choose.

The 52 Book Club: 2024 Challenge
Prompt # 22. A plot similar to another book

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fictionalized account of how Charles Dickens wrote "A Christmas Carol." A fun read for anyone who loves Dickens and his world. I wish the author had told readers which parts were fact and which were fiction.

[Rich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very Interesting Book. Started slow, but finished strong. I had no idea of Dickens' financial woes when the book was writted, and found it amazing that he wrote the whole thing in six weeks!
Great book for the holiday season.

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a big fan of Charles Dickens and I thought this book gave good insight into his life. A Chirstmas Carol is my favorite Dickens book and I feel this was an interesting interpretation of how it may have come about. Very entertaining.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I borrowed this from a classmate years ago. It was almost vacation, and I was looking for something to free my mind from the remaining days of academic torture. It was also December I think. I never understood how perfect the timing was until I read the book.