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Mr Dickens and His Carol
Charles Dickens should be looking forward to Christmas. But when his latest book, Martin Chuzzlewit, is a flop, his publishers give him an ultimatum. Either he writes a Christmas book in a month or they will call in his debts and he could lose everything. Dickens has no choice but to grudgingly accept.
Yet inspiration is slow to strike, and in his desperate search for ideas, Dickens becomes increasingly distant from his own family as his fascination with a mysterious woman and her young son develops. But all is not as it seems . . .
In true Dickens style, this is a tale of ghosts and secrets, set in the heart of Victorian London.
Yet inspiration is slow to strike, and in his desperate search for ideas, Dickens becomes increasingly distant from his own family as his fascination with a mysterious woman and her young son develops. But all is not as it seems . . .
In true Dickens style, this is a tale of ghosts and secrets, set in the heart of Victorian London.
285 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 31, 2017
2489 people are currently reading
23969 people want to read
About the author
Samantha Silva
9 books390 followersSamantha Silva is an author and screenwriter based in Idaho. Her debut novel, Mr. Dickens and His Carol, was published in 2017 by Flatiron Books/Macmillan. Love and Fury: A Novel of Mary Wollstonecraft will be published in May 2021. Over her career, Silva's sold film projects to Paramount, Universal, and New Line Cinema. She directed a film adaptation of her short story, The Big Burn, which won the 1 Potato Short Screenplay Competition at the 2017 Sun Valley Film Festival. Her short story, Leo in Venice, appeared in the September 2019 issue of ONE STORY. A graduate of Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies, she's lived in London, Bologna, and Rome, is an avid Italophile and a forever Dickens devotee.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,595 reviews
December 30, 2018
I have a difficult time reading some works of historical fiction that are based on real characters. My worst experiences are always when an author chooses to use scandal, innuendo, rumours, and gossip as though they are fact. So, I was a bit worried about how this book and I would get along.
Much to my delight, this novel is a tender and loving tribute to Charles Dickens as Ms Silva tells her own story about how “A Christmas Carol” came to be. In her author’s note, she mentions that she appreciated the work of Charles Dickens’ biographers; yet to tell the story she was moved to tell, she played “fast and loose” with people and situations in the book.
I, for one, am very glad that she did so. I almost felt as though Ms Silva was channeling Mr. Dickens and/or his own spirit was at her elbow guiding the process along.
This is a beautiful story, even bearing in mind the times about which it was written. In true Dickens fashion, her descriptive prose had me right there in the thick of London at the time: walking the streets with Charles Dickens, seeing what he saw, hearing what he heard, and the scents and smells of both poverty and comfortable lifestyles as vividly painted as if by the master himself.
The story is not only inspiring and deeply moving, but it is also written with a gently robust energy to it and a subtle poetic flourish at times. I loved every word of this novel. As I mentioned before, at times, I truly felt as though Charles Dickens were dictating it. What an amazing experience to feel and sense all that he was experiencing – and with such authenticity.
There were parts where tears came to my eyes, and parts where I could no longer see for tears. I am grateful to both Charles Dickens and Samantha Silva for this unique and wonder-filled experience. What an amazing way to move into Christmas: with a heart filled to overflowing with well-being, love, and hope.
Much to my delight, this novel is a tender and loving tribute to Charles Dickens as Ms Silva tells her own story about how “A Christmas Carol” came to be. In her author’s note, she mentions that she appreciated the work of Charles Dickens’ biographers; yet to tell the story she was moved to tell, she played “fast and loose” with people and situations in the book.
I, for one, am very glad that she did so. I almost felt as though Ms Silva was channeling Mr. Dickens and/or his own spirit was at her elbow guiding the process along.
This is a beautiful story, even bearing in mind the times about which it was written. In true Dickens fashion, her descriptive prose had me right there in the thick of London at the time: walking the streets with Charles Dickens, seeing what he saw, hearing what he heard, and the scents and smells of both poverty and comfortable lifestyles as vividly painted as if by the master himself.
The story is not only inspiring and deeply moving, but it is also written with a gently robust energy to it and a subtle poetic flourish at times. I loved every word of this novel. As I mentioned before, at times, I truly felt as though Charles Dickens were dictating it. What an amazing experience to feel and sense all that he was experiencing – and with such authenticity.
There were parts where tears came to my eyes, and parts where I could no longer see for tears. I am grateful to both Charles Dickens and Samantha Silva for this unique and wonder-filled experience. What an amazing way to move into Christmas: with a heart filled to overflowing with well-being, love, and hope.
December 12, 2017
A sentimental and oh so charming read, but if one cannot be sentimental during this holiday season, when can one? Also another book coincidence since I saw this book after reading my friend Laura's review, and grabbed it. Last year I listened to the original Christmas Carol, while wrapping gifts. Seemed only fitting to read this one during this holiday, Christmas, which has come once again.
I enjoyed this book very much. The writing, the descriptions, the character of Dickens himself, all very well done. A warm and heartfelt read that shows us the true meaning of Christmas. Dickens, much put upon, so many depending on him, and his resources. His latest book Martin Chuzzlewit, a flop, not selling. Thackeray trying to cash in on his loss of popularity, family and friends, wanting ever more. His publishers wanting him to write a Christmas story, which he is reluctant to do, given the two week time frame. Yet, in order to stay solvent, he must. So this story goes......
So the readers are taken along on a journey, Dickens own, a well done imagining of how this famous Christmas story came to be. A first novel, so talented a young author, atmosphere so true to the time, and follows much in the way of feelings of the original story.
"Dickens laid down his pen. He didn't want to say goodbye, he wanted to keep them close, where he might watch over them. But he knew that the end of his book was a beginning of their life, without him, and he must let them be born into the world, and welcomed, as he felt sure they would be. Still, he was grateful to have known them at all."
Dickens was so right, as the Christmas Carol is one of the most popular stories read, and shown yearly on the television. It was a joy to read this wonderful rendering of how this came to be. As the authors note makes clear, some of this is true, some made up and some changed around, but I did feel it was realistically portrayed.
I enjoyed this book very much. The writing, the descriptions, the character of Dickens himself, all very well done. A warm and heartfelt read that shows us the true meaning of Christmas. Dickens, much put upon, so many depending on him, and his resources. His latest book Martin Chuzzlewit, a flop, not selling. Thackeray trying to cash in on his loss of popularity, family and friends, wanting ever more. His publishers wanting him to write a Christmas story, which he is reluctant to do, given the two week time frame. Yet, in order to stay solvent, he must. So this story goes......
So the readers are taken along on a journey, Dickens own, a well done imagining of how this famous Christmas story came to be. A first novel, so talented a young author, atmosphere so true to the time, and follows much in the way of feelings of the original story.
"Dickens laid down his pen. He didn't want to say goodbye, he wanted to keep them close, where he might watch over them. But he knew that the end of his book was a beginning of their life, without him, and he must let them be born into the world, and welcomed, as he felt sure they would be. Still, he was grateful to have known them at all."
Dickens was so right, as the Christmas Carol is one of the most popular stories read, and shown yearly on the television. It was a joy to read this wonderful rendering of how this came to be. As the authors note makes clear, some of this is true, some made up and some changed around, but I did feel it was realistically portrayed.
December 19, 2018
"I am not haunted by ghosts, but by the monsters of ignorance, poverty, want! Not useless phantoms that frighten people into… inactivity. I do not abide such nonsense."
A Christmas Carol is one of my treasured favorites of the season. Whether it is the little book itself, a screen adaptation, or a live performance, it never fails to entertain and delight. When I came across the title of this book, Mr. Dickens and His Carol, I was naturally curious. At the same time, I was a little skeptical, worrying that it would perhaps fail to do justice to the original. However, this is not a retelling of that work, but instead a very imaginative and wonderful fictional story about the days leading up to Dickens’ writing of this holiday classic. Furthermore, it is a very interesting peek at the writing process – the ups and downs as well as the inspirations of a grand storyteller.
Sales of Martin Chuzzlewit have been plummeting, and Charles Dickens’ publishers are demanding a Christmas book to prevent the famous novelist from sinking to obscurity. But Dickens is not quite on board with this idea, and is initially rather resistant. However, with a growing family and a house to keep, Dickens needs the income and eventually agrees to write a Christmas story. He takes to the streets of his beloved London for inspiration.
"A map of it was etched on his brain, its tangle of streets and squares, alleys and mews a true atlas of his own interior. The city had made him. It knew his sharp angles, the soft pits of his being. It was a magic lantern that illuminated everything he was and feared and wished would be true. It was his imagination – its spark, fuel, and flame. From the highest Inns of Court to the lowest crumbling slums, Dickens had found his writing here, filled his mental museum with all that he’d seen and smelled, heard and felt worth keeping."
Author Samantha Silva vividly brings to life the city and its inhabitants. She allows us to see through the eyes of the brilliant writer. I always assumed something like A Christmas Carol would have been a quick and easy ‘assignment’ for an author such as Dickens. Not so… We see a man struggling with the demands put on him by family and friends as well as his dissatisfaction with the superficial attitudes and commercial excesses of the season. His creative genius stalls and he is haunted by the fear he will not be able to invent a story to delight his precious readers. "The biggest terror of all was not being able to write, having no inspiration, no source, no reservoir of words and feelings, no one to prop him up or spur him on. No one to be his mirror, to reflect back what he thought he might be."
Of course, we all know that ultimately Dickens was wildly successful with this undertaking. I won’t tell you more about the enchanting journey that Silva imagines for us, but I will say it was wholly satisfying. Atmospheric and heartwarming, Mr. Dickens and His Carol was perfect for this time of year. If this book gives you the opportunity to stop, take a breath, and reflect on the true spirit of the holiday season, then I do believe that Mr. Dickens too would agree that Ms. Silva has indeed put forth an earnest tribute to the original classic and its brilliant creator. 4.5 stars
"But every book you’ve ever written is a book about Christmas. About the feeling we must have for one another, without which we are lost."
A Christmas Carol is one of my treasured favorites of the season. Whether it is the little book itself, a screen adaptation, or a live performance, it never fails to entertain and delight. When I came across the title of this book, Mr. Dickens and His Carol, I was naturally curious. At the same time, I was a little skeptical, worrying that it would perhaps fail to do justice to the original. However, this is not a retelling of that work, but instead a very imaginative and wonderful fictional story about the days leading up to Dickens’ writing of this holiday classic. Furthermore, it is a very interesting peek at the writing process – the ups and downs as well as the inspirations of a grand storyteller.
Sales of Martin Chuzzlewit have been plummeting, and Charles Dickens’ publishers are demanding a Christmas book to prevent the famous novelist from sinking to obscurity. But Dickens is not quite on board with this idea, and is initially rather resistant. However, with a growing family and a house to keep, Dickens needs the income and eventually agrees to write a Christmas story. He takes to the streets of his beloved London for inspiration.
"A map of it was etched on his brain, its tangle of streets and squares, alleys and mews a true atlas of his own interior. The city had made him. It knew his sharp angles, the soft pits of his being. It was a magic lantern that illuminated everything he was and feared and wished would be true. It was his imagination – its spark, fuel, and flame. From the highest Inns of Court to the lowest crumbling slums, Dickens had found his writing here, filled his mental museum with all that he’d seen and smelled, heard and felt worth keeping."
Author Samantha Silva vividly brings to life the city and its inhabitants. She allows us to see through the eyes of the brilliant writer. I always assumed something like A Christmas Carol would have been a quick and easy ‘assignment’ for an author such as Dickens. Not so… We see a man struggling with the demands put on him by family and friends as well as his dissatisfaction with the superficial attitudes and commercial excesses of the season. His creative genius stalls and he is haunted by the fear he will not be able to invent a story to delight his precious readers. "The biggest terror of all was not being able to write, having no inspiration, no source, no reservoir of words and feelings, no one to prop him up or spur him on. No one to be his mirror, to reflect back what he thought he might be."
Of course, we all know that ultimately Dickens was wildly successful with this undertaking. I won’t tell you more about the enchanting journey that Silva imagines for us, but I will say it was wholly satisfying. Atmospheric and heartwarming, Mr. Dickens and His Carol was perfect for this time of year. If this book gives you the opportunity to stop, take a breath, and reflect on the true spirit of the holiday season, then I do believe that Mr. Dickens too would agree that Ms. Silva has indeed put forth an earnest tribute to the original classic and its brilliant creator. 4.5 stars
"But every book you’ve ever written is a book about Christmas. About the feeling we must have for one another, without which we are lost."
January 17, 2021
I had rather high hopes for this one, but I'm left feeling quite disappointed with it. I love "A Christmas Carol" which is written by Dickens, and by some of the reviews I read on here, I thought I might be in for a treat. This book really failed to take off.
I didn't appreciate the fact that Dickens was portrayed as some kind of womaniser, who was infatuated with a lady called Eleanor, who wore a purple cloak, and he seems to be constantly looking for her around every corner. That sounds like a stalker to me. Ghastly stuff really.
Dickens was a terribly unlikeable character, and I felt like he just couldn't stand up for himself, or show any kind of responsibility for anything, but obviously, he would for his precious Eleanor. Every chapter I read, everybody had tears in their eyes, and frankly, it got tiring.
There were some descriptions of victorian London, and I do like the front cover, but these aspects were simply not good enough to make this book any better. I mean, what the Dickens WAS this?
I didn't appreciate the fact that Dickens was portrayed as some kind of womaniser, who was infatuated with a lady called Eleanor, who wore a purple cloak, and he seems to be constantly looking for her around every corner. That sounds like a stalker to me. Ghastly stuff really.
Dickens was a terribly unlikeable character, and I felt like he just couldn't stand up for himself, or show any kind of responsibility for anything, but obviously, he would for his precious Eleanor. Every chapter I read, everybody had tears in their eyes, and frankly, it got tiring.
There were some descriptions of victorian London, and I do like the front cover, but these aspects were simply not good enough to make this book any better. I mean, what the Dickens WAS this?
December 8, 2024
At this time of year, many will partake in some form of Charles Dickens’ classic Christmas tale. However, the story behind its creation is equally as intriguing, as I came to learn through Samantha Silva and her story, Mr. Dickens and His Carol. While fictitious, Silva recounts a vivid story that offers up a number of wonderful treats about how a popular author rose to a publisher’s challenge and penned a story that has touched the lives of millions every Christmas. Recommended to those with a love of the holiday season, as well as the reader who may want to chase the Scrooge out of their heart.
Charles Dickens had proven himself countless times in the literary world. Many of his books were household names, with characters people could recognise in their own lives. However, every author has their bumps in the road and Dickens was not immune. A poorly received novel had many wondering if he might be on his way out.
Reluctantly, Dickens accepts a challenge to write a Christmas story in a short time period, as his publisher wants something to sell to the masses at the height of the holiday season. It would have to be unique and yet something relatable, leaving Dickens to wonder how he could come up with something so swiftly. If that were not enough to weigh on his mind, Dickens had six children of his own and a father who always seems to have his hand out for money.
Choosing to go incognito, Dickens checks himself into a boarding house and begins writing, infusing ideas from his own life and peppering the story with talk of ghosts. Things seem to flow and he receives a little outside influence, but Dickens cannot be sure if this is a winner. When he finishes the last of it, Dickens lays himself down for a rest, with hopes that it will meet the expectations of those who will read it.
When he wakes, Dickens is shocked to see the manuscript is missing. After pleas for assistance, Dickens is forced to realise that his story is gone and he will have to begin again. This time, however, things flow with ease and the story builds through each stave. Characters come to life and the theme resonates with each page of the manuscript. He finishes it quickly and is ready to deliver it for publication, but first would like a special boy to hear it, if only to give his nod of approval.
It was only last Christmas season that I finally sat to read A Christmas Carol for the first time. I have seen the movie and know the premise, but the story itself takes on new meaning when one is able to hear the prose Dickens used. Samantha Silva connects with those sentiments as she pens this wonderful book that is the perfect accompaniment of a classic story.
Charles Dickens is surely the protagonist of the piece, but it is more the outside influences that he encounters that make the story. Silva creates a masterful character in Dickens and provides stellar development throughout the piece, while also effectively showing where the ideas arose for his holiday story. While Dickens does have some Scrooge in him at times, it is his own epiphany in the story that is sure to enamour readers to him.
Samantha Silva shows that she is not only able to write, but capture the time period effectively. Reading this immediately after the Dickens story, I was able to contrast the sentiments and felt as though I was actually in Victorian England, from the lilt of the character interactions to the language used and even the description of the surroundings. This adds depth and excitement to an already energetic piece. The reader is transported to the cobbled streets through short and succinct chapters that are full of narrative gems. The story came to life and never faded for me, keeping me wondering how things would progress. Silva’s research is apparent throughout this piece and I cannot wait to see what else she’s explored in her writing.
Kudos, Madam Silva, for a story almost as exciting as Dickens’ own work. I think I may have found another book to add to my annual Christmas list.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
Charles Dickens had proven himself countless times in the literary world. Many of his books were household names, with characters people could recognise in their own lives. However, every author has their bumps in the road and Dickens was not immune. A poorly received novel had many wondering if he might be on his way out.
Reluctantly, Dickens accepts a challenge to write a Christmas story in a short time period, as his publisher wants something to sell to the masses at the height of the holiday season. It would have to be unique and yet something relatable, leaving Dickens to wonder how he could come up with something so swiftly. If that were not enough to weigh on his mind, Dickens had six children of his own and a father who always seems to have his hand out for money.
Choosing to go incognito, Dickens checks himself into a boarding house and begins writing, infusing ideas from his own life and peppering the story with talk of ghosts. Things seem to flow and he receives a little outside influence, but Dickens cannot be sure if this is a winner. When he finishes the last of it, Dickens lays himself down for a rest, with hopes that it will meet the expectations of those who will read it.
When he wakes, Dickens is shocked to see the manuscript is missing. After pleas for assistance, Dickens is forced to realise that his story is gone and he will have to begin again. This time, however, things flow with ease and the story builds through each stave. Characters come to life and the theme resonates with each page of the manuscript. He finishes it quickly and is ready to deliver it for publication, but first would like a special boy to hear it, if only to give his nod of approval.
It was only last Christmas season that I finally sat to read A Christmas Carol for the first time. I have seen the movie and know the premise, but the story itself takes on new meaning when one is able to hear the prose Dickens used. Samantha Silva connects with those sentiments as she pens this wonderful book that is the perfect accompaniment of a classic story.
Charles Dickens is surely the protagonist of the piece, but it is more the outside influences that he encounters that make the story. Silva creates a masterful character in Dickens and provides stellar development throughout the piece, while also effectively showing where the ideas arose for his holiday story. While Dickens does have some Scrooge in him at times, it is his own epiphany in the story that is sure to enamour readers to him.
Samantha Silva shows that she is not only able to write, but capture the time period effectively. Reading this immediately after the Dickens story, I was able to contrast the sentiments and felt as though I was actually in Victorian England, from the lilt of the character interactions to the language used and even the description of the surroundings. This adds depth and excitement to an already energetic piece. The reader is transported to the cobbled streets through short and succinct chapters that are full of narrative gems. The story came to life and never faded for me, keeping me wondering how things would progress. Silva’s research is apparent throughout this piece and I cannot wait to see what else she’s explored in her writing.
Kudos, Madam Silva, for a story almost as exciting as Dickens’ own work. I think I may have found another book to add to my annual Christmas list.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
December 11, 2023
* A Seasonal Christmas listen 🎧 for 2023*
(which may become a new annual tradition !!)
WHAT IF??
I know that reading “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens, or watching one of its many movie adaptations, is an annual Christmas tradition for many families, including my own.
But, what if it had never been written?
Samantha Silva has penned a delightful tribute to the author while taking some liberties with the facts of how this Classic story was born, and has reimagined its conception in this wonderfully descriptive tale which perfectly captures the 1840’s London depicted in his book.
I listened to the Audible version, which was expertly narrated by Euan Morton.
8 hours, 9 minutes
The story opens with Charles Dickens being told by his Publisher, Chapman & Hall, that his latest “Martin Chuzzlewit” installment has not been well received in America, and that they would have to start reducing his monthly income if sales drop further. (Fact)
His wife Katherine has just given birth to their 5th child, and oblivious to their monetary concerns, she is planning an elaborate feast and embracing the new tradition of (gasp!) having a decorated Christmas 🎄 tree indoors, while the children dream of the gifts they hope to receive. (mostly Fact)
🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁
His Publishers ask him to write a “Christmas” story, but the holiday is only 6 weeks away, and although he doesn’t like the idea-he also doesn’t want to disappoint his family, so he begrudgingly agrees. (not exactly how things happened…)
And, this is where the “fictional” really begins to blend with “factual” as Samantha Silva introduces us to the people in Charles Dickens “actual” life who inspire the characters we will all eventually meet in the novella he writes that will become known as his “Christmas Carol”.
I will leave off here, as you will want read this marvelous reimagining” for yourself, and meet the wonderful characters that she created to inspire him.
And, to remind us of the true meaning of Christmas.
Charles Dicken’s “A Christmas Carol” was actually delivered two days before its scheduled publication date of December 19th, 1843 but by Christmas Eve, the first run of 6,000 copies was already sold out. (Fact)
Never out of print, there have been numerous editions and translations released and it is by far, Dicken’s most popular book in the United States with over two million copies sold. (Fact)
And, so a Classic was born.
And, I really enjoyed this tribute to it!
(which may become a new annual tradition !!)
WHAT IF??
I know that reading “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens, or watching one of its many movie adaptations, is an annual Christmas tradition for many families, including my own.
But, what if it had never been written?
Samantha Silva has penned a delightful tribute to the author while taking some liberties with the facts of how this Classic story was born, and has reimagined its conception in this wonderfully descriptive tale which perfectly captures the 1840’s London depicted in his book.
I listened to the Audible version, which was expertly narrated by Euan Morton.
8 hours, 9 minutes
The story opens with Charles Dickens being told by his Publisher, Chapman & Hall, that his latest “Martin Chuzzlewit” installment has not been well received in America, and that they would have to start reducing his monthly income if sales drop further. (Fact)
His wife Katherine has just given birth to their 5th child, and oblivious to their monetary concerns, she is planning an elaborate feast and embracing the new tradition of (gasp!) having a decorated Christmas 🎄 tree indoors, while the children dream of the gifts they hope to receive. (mostly Fact)
🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁
His Publishers ask him to write a “Christmas” story, but the holiday is only 6 weeks away, and although he doesn’t like the idea-he also doesn’t want to disappoint his family, so he begrudgingly agrees. (not exactly how things happened…)
And, this is where the “fictional” really begins to blend with “factual” as Samantha Silva introduces us to the people in Charles Dickens “actual” life who inspire the characters we will all eventually meet in the novella he writes that will become known as his “Christmas Carol”.
I will leave off here, as you will want read this marvelous reimagining” for yourself, and meet the wonderful characters that she created to inspire him.
And, to remind us of the true meaning of Christmas.
Charles Dicken’s “A Christmas Carol” was actually delivered two days before its scheduled publication date of December 19th, 1843 but by Christmas Eve, the first run of 6,000 copies was already sold out. (Fact)
Never out of print, there have been numerous editions and translations released and it is by far, Dicken’s most popular book in the United States with over two million copies sold. (Fact)
And, so a Classic was born.
And, I really enjoyed this tribute to it!
December 25, 2017
4.5 Stars.
Did you know....A CHRISTMAS CAROL was born out of financial necessity"....that Charles Dicken's was only 31 when he wrote the novel? (I thought him to be an old man.)
As for Bah Humbug....not this delightful work of fiction. A Scrooge type is here though complete with a humbug attitude and many other familiar plot connections and characters from A CHRISTMAS CAROL.
MR. DICKENS AND HIS CAROL is an imaginative and historically atmospheric debut that gives the reader a fictional glance of the past (with some truisms) of what Charles Dicken's' life might have been like while writing his finest book.
Love the foggy London setting, the graveyard presence, little Timothy, and the ghosts of the past.
Surprisingly WELL DONE Christmas read FULL OF HEART!
January 10, 2022
4.5 Stars
I own this on kindle but I want the hardback now! I listened to the audio through the library and loved the narration!
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
I own this on kindle but I want the hardback now! I listened to the audio through the library and loved the narration!
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
December 14, 2017
A Christmas Carol by Dickens has been my favorite book ever since the first time I read the story as a child. I re-read it every year and watch every movie version from Alastair Sim to the Muppets. :) When I heard about this book, I knew I had to read it. :) I'm glad I did!
First of all, don't confuse this book with the book or movie "The Man Who Invented Christmas''....that is another story by another author (Les Standiford). Standiford's book is non-fiction, telling the tale of how A Christmas Carol reignited Dickens' career. This book -- Mr. Dickens and His Carol -- although it contains some factual information here and there, is a work of fiction. Silva states at the end of the book that the story is a re-imagining of how A Christmas Carol was written. It's meant as an homage to Dickens, not as a factual story. I read and enjoyed Silva's book with that in mind.
I read this book wrapped up in my favorite fuzzy purple blanket, a cup of hot Earl Grey beside me, my fat cat asleep on my lap, and Alastair Sim in the movie A Christmas Carol (1951) playing in the background for ambiance. Full on Christmas spirit goin' on around here. :) The only way I could have felt more Christmas-y would be if I had strung twinkle lights around my head before sitting down to read. I couldn't read a book about my absolutely most favorite beloved story without everything being just right. I wanted to enjoy every word. The minute I started to read, I couldn't put the book down. It's a delightful story! Before Alastair Sim as Scrooge pretended to fire Cratchit for being late to work after Christmas, I had devoured this entire book. I loved it! And the cover is awesome! It made this Dickens fan totally happy!
Anyone who loves A Christmas Carol will enjoy this book. Just remember to read it as a work of fiction -- not a factual account.
Mr. Dickens and His Carol is Samantha Silva's debut novel. For more infoformation on the author, check out her website: https://www.samanthasilvawriter.com/
First of all, don't confuse this book with the book or movie "The Man Who Invented Christmas''....that is another story by another author (Les Standiford). Standiford's book is non-fiction, telling the tale of how A Christmas Carol reignited Dickens' career. This book -- Mr. Dickens and His Carol -- although it contains some factual information here and there, is a work of fiction. Silva states at the end of the book that the story is a re-imagining of how A Christmas Carol was written. It's meant as an homage to Dickens, not as a factual story. I read and enjoyed Silva's book with that in mind.
I read this book wrapped up in my favorite fuzzy purple blanket, a cup of hot Earl Grey beside me, my fat cat asleep on my lap, and Alastair Sim in the movie A Christmas Carol (1951) playing in the background for ambiance. Full on Christmas spirit goin' on around here. :) The only way I could have felt more Christmas-y would be if I had strung twinkle lights around my head before sitting down to read. I couldn't read a book about my absolutely most favorite beloved story without everything being just right. I wanted to enjoy every word. The minute I started to read, I couldn't put the book down. It's a delightful story! Before Alastair Sim as Scrooge pretended to fire Cratchit for being late to work after Christmas, I had devoured this entire book. I loved it! And the cover is awesome! It made this Dickens fan totally happy!
Anyone who loves A Christmas Carol will enjoy this book. Just remember to read it as a work of fiction -- not a factual account.
Mr. Dickens and His Carol is Samantha Silva's debut novel. For more infoformation on the author, check out her website: https://www.samanthasilvawriter.com/
November 27, 2017
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 / 5 glowing, Christmasy Stars ✨
I read this book as a buddy read with Katie from @texasreadergirl - Goodreads.com/texasreadergirl
My reviews and other random thoughts can also be seen at
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https://readingbetweenwinessite.wordp...
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Apparently this is the debut novel for Samantha Silva, but I couldn't tell. The prose is beautiful, and this was such a great, magical Christmas book. I pretty much read it in one sitting because I couldn't put it down.
The story was incredibly vivid due to the descriptions, but I didn't feel like she was overly describing anything.
Embarrassing fact: I have not read a single book by Charles Dickens, not even A Christmas Carol. I have seen the movie and the play, and that is it. However, I still really appreciated this book and loved every second of it.
The writing style took me a bit to get used to, but once I got used to it the pages flowed quickly. This book was incredibly charming and it was a great little Christmas read at less than 300 pages.
Final Thought: I DEFINITELY recommend this book for lovers of Christmas, Dickens, or A Christmas Carol... or all the above! It made me tear up and it also made me laugh, I even read a couple parts out loud to my husband. If you don't want to wait to get it from the library, this might be a good one to buy and have around for Christmases to come. :)
I read this book as a buddy read with Katie from @texasreadergirl - Goodreads.com/texasreadergirl
My reviews and other random thoughts can also be seen at
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https://readingbetweenwinessite.wordp...
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Apparently this is the debut novel for Samantha Silva, but I couldn't tell. The prose is beautiful, and this was such a great, magical Christmas book. I pretty much read it in one sitting because I couldn't put it down.
The story was incredibly vivid due to the descriptions, but I didn't feel like she was overly describing anything.
Embarrassing fact: I have not read a single book by Charles Dickens, not even A Christmas Carol. I have seen the movie and the play, and that is it. However, I still really appreciated this book and loved every second of it.
The writing style took me a bit to get used to, but once I got used to it the pages flowed quickly. This book was incredibly charming and it was a great little Christmas read at less than 300 pages.
Final Thought: I DEFINITELY recommend this book for lovers of Christmas, Dickens, or A Christmas Carol... or all the above! It made me tear up and it also made me laugh, I even read a couple parts out loud to my husband. If you don't want to wait to get it from the library, this might be a good one to buy and have around for Christmases to come. :)
December 28, 2019
“He had suffered a frenzy of false feeling, a grasping for his past instead of his present.”
Even reading it in the height of the Christmas season, the first 100 pages of this text took me a while. It just did not grab me. “Mr. Dickens and His Carol” is a little too wordy and can get tiresome. It is a consistent problem throughout the text. I have not read enough of Mr. Dickens to know if the author (Samantha Silva) is copying (and honoring) Mr. Dickens’ style, or if it is her own.
Chapter 37 is pure sentimental dreck, and absolutely necessary for a book called “Mr. Dickens and His Carol”. It is cheap, cloying and horrid; and hopeful and beautiful.
There are moments in the novel where the writing is quite lovely, and often the author ends a chapter with a statement of great human truth. Here are just a couple of moments that I mulled over while reading:
“How strange to return to the place of his own long-ago undoing, in hopes of somehow being redone.”
“He hadn’t meant to be so blunt, but the answer had arrived on his lips straight from his heart with no thinking in between.”
“A door closes at times. Even between those who’ve loved well.”
“…the truth at the bottom of every illusion, every fiction, every lie: our own great desire to believe.”
“…applauding, but for each other now, and the great gift of being alive.”
This novel is as treacly sweet and sugary as a Christmas pudding. And despite the base sentimentality my heart melted a little when two friends who had been embroiled in an intense fight reconciled.
Seeing as I finished this text on Christmas Eve, it could not have been a more perfect read for that day. A reminder that the treasures of the human heart are everything.
Even reading it in the height of the Christmas season, the first 100 pages of this text took me a while. It just did not grab me. “Mr. Dickens and His Carol” is a little too wordy and can get tiresome. It is a consistent problem throughout the text. I have not read enough of Mr. Dickens to know if the author (Samantha Silva) is copying (and honoring) Mr. Dickens’ style, or if it is her own.
Chapter 37 is pure sentimental dreck, and absolutely necessary for a book called “Mr. Dickens and His Carol”. It is cheap, cloying and horrid; and hopeful and beautiful.
There are moments in the novel where the writing is quite lovely, and often the author ends a chapter with a statement of great human truth. Here are just a couple of moments that I mulled over while reading:
“How strange to return to the place of his own long-ago undoing, in hopes of somehow being redone.”
“He hadn’t meant to be so blunt, but the answer had arrived on his lips straight from his heart with no thinking in between.”
“A door closes at times. Even between those who’ve loved well.”
“…the truth at the bottom of every illusion, every fiction, every lie: our own great desire to believe.”
“…applauding, but for each other now, and the great gift of being alive.”
This novel is as treacly sweet and sugary as a Christmas pudding. And despite the base sentimentality my heart melted a little when two friends who had been embroiled in an intense fight reconciled.
Seeing as I finished this text on Christmas Eve, it could not have been a more perfect read for that day. A reminder that the treasures of the human heart are everything.
January 3, 2020
Nope. Nope. Nope.
Interesting idea, but the execution was lackluster at best.
Kudos to Euan Morton for doing a great job narrating with what he was given.
The fact that he was narrating was what drew me in.
That and the awesome cover.
Interesting idea, but the execution was lackluster at best.
Kudos to Euan Morton for doing a great job narrating with what he was given.
The fact that he was narrating was what drew me in.
That and the awesome cover.
December 8, 2025
Charles Dickens' newest novel Martin Chuzzlewit has tanked, and his publishers are coercing him into writing a book in the spirit of the season, in time for Christmas, to curtail financial disaster. Not feeling festive at all, he refuses. Being responsible for so many people and the prospect of becoming destitute overwhelmed him. He can't seem to write a word. Feeling insecure about his self-worth, he turns to long walks at night in his beloved city of London in search of comfort, encouragement, and inspiration...
Mr. Dickens and His Carol reimagines how Charles Dickens' Christmas classic came to be written. Although the author, Samantha Silva, has taken creative liberties, parts of this story are based on fact. The beautiful prose, unique mix of characters, and the outcome make this another reason to love Charles Dickens' masterpiece A Christmas Carol.
I chose the audiobook narrated by Euan Morton. What a delight, and I highly recommend it!
Mr. Dickens and His Carol is atmospheric and a bit foggy and dark, but in the most wonderful ways. It circles themes of compassion and generosity, relationships and connection, redemption and second chances. This is quite an impressive debut!
5⭐
Mr. Dickens and His Carol reimagines how Charles Dickens' Christmas classic came to be written. Although the author, Samantha Silva, has taken creative liberties, parts of this story are based on fact. The beautiful prose, unique mix of characters, and the outcome make this another reason to love Charles Dickens' masterpiece A Christmas Carol.
I chose the audiobook narrated by Euan Morton. What a delight, and I highly recommend it!
Mr. Dickens and His Carol is atmospheric and a bit foggy and dark, but in the most wonderful ways. It circles themes of compassion and generosity, relationships and connection, redemption and second chances. This is quite an impressive debut!
5⭐
July 9, 2018
Charles Dickens was big family man he was very popular but he wasn't all that people knew .Dickens was an utter cad. He through his wife out & lived with Misstras a lot like his best friend Wilkie Collins who had two mistress & a wife.
I have read Martin Chuzzlewit I did not think it was that bad but it was a flop.
I read all but two of his books I always thought Domby & Son it was boring .
This how he created The best novella of all time Christmas Carole.
His books were not popular after he died & by the end if the 19th century had all but been forgotten but then C .K Chesterton the Author of Father Brown did a biography of him .Suddenly he was popular all over again & has never been out fashion since.
His publishers tell him he has a flop America hate Martin Chuzzlewit so they brought out a hidden clause writ a Christmas story in 2 weeks in time for Christmas or we will fine you £40 per month. He has no chose to save his Bacon or he loss (£2500 in modern terms per month) .Oh & he has to put ghost in it too.
This has very Victorian feel about, odd lot the Victorians at dinner party they had large jerry pot on top of the side board for use during a dinner party which the guest went behind a screen to use & then place back with cloth on top. Sounds disgusting but when think that dinner party could be six to seven courses with lot of wine & port .Ladies could not remove there huge dresses but just stuck under Neath & sat down. From soup,savoury,fish,meat,two lots of puddings ,welsh rabbit & nuts with wine then hours upon hours no wonder they needed a pee.
It's the little things that make book stand out from others .Here Silva in Chapter 20 we have Dickens sat at Saracens Head for his breakfast 1 plate of beef, 1 plate of shrimp ,a suet pudding filled with kidney ,coffee & claret!!!
We also have a talk about curry powder & Prince Albert's Tree.
We see his revival with Thackeray who was working on Vanity Fair
Another huge meal of roast beef,boiled pork, mutton chops, pigeon pie & rump suiet Steak pudding no wonder he died in his sixty's in fact it a wonder made 50.
His father was always in debt & his brother too using his name to pay debts no wonder he created Scrooge he wanted to be him as we see here .This very funny but also interesting take on why the book came about but how much is true is for students of Dickens to decided .
The only thing that don't like is the Old Curiosity shop comments if not read the book read it first as the end is mentioned number of times If have know what I am talking about & if you haven't I not say it's as River Song says Spoilers Sweety.
I have read Christmas Carol number of times & Alister Sim is must every Christmas Eve on DVD but it a shame that I have had to read this in hot July but got out the of my local library it took weeks too come.
Maybe it would be best for holiday weekend Christmas book instead of the Sound of Music for 300+ time.
In the Words of Tiny Tim
'God Bless us, Everyone'
I have read Martin Chuzzlewit I did not think it was that bad but it was a flop.
I read all but two of his books I always thought Domby & Son it was boring .
This how he created The best novella of all time Christmas Carole.
His books were not popular after he died & by the end if the 19th century had all but been forgotten but then C .K Chesterton the Author of Father Brown did a biography of him .Suddenly he was popular all over again & has never been out fashion since.
His publishers tell him he has a flop America hate Martin Chuzzlewit so they brought out a hidden clause writ a Christmas story in 2 weeks in time for Christmas or we will fine you £40 per month. He has no chose to save his Bacon or he loss (£2500 in modern terms per month) .Oh & he has to put ghost in it too.
This has very Victorian feel about, odd lot the Victorians at dinner party they had large jerry pot on top of the side board for use during a dinner party which the guest went behind a screen to use & then place back with cloth on top. Sounds disgusting but when think that dinner party could be six to seven courses with lot of wine & port .Ladies could not remove there huge dresses but just stuck under Neath & sat down. From soup,savoury,fish,meat,two lots of puddings ,welsh rabbit & nuts with wine then hours upon hours no wonder they needed a pee.
It's the little things that make book stand out from others .Here Silva in Chapter 20 we have Dickens sat at Saracens Head for his breakfast 1 plate of beef, 1 plate of shrimp ,a suet pudding filled with kidney ,coffee & claret!!!
We also have a talk about curry powder & Prince Albert's Tree.
We see his revival with Thackeray who was working on Vanity Fair
Another huge meal of roast beef,boiled pork, mutton chops, pigeon pie & rump suiet Steak pudding no wonder he died in his sixty's in fact it a wonder made 50.
His father was always in debt & his brother too using his name to pay debts no wonder he created Scrooge he wanted to be him as we see here .This very funny but also interesting take on why the book came about but how much is true is for students of Dickens to decided .
The only thing that don't like is the Old Curiosity shop comments if not read the book read it first as the end is mentioned number of times If have know what I am talking about & if you haven't I not say it's as River Song says Spoilers Sweety.
I have read Christmas Carol number of times & Alister Sim is must every Christmas Eve on DVD but it a shame that I have had to read this in hot July but got out the of my local library it took weeks too come.
Maybe it would be best for holiday weekend Christmas book instead of the Sound of Music for 300+ time.
In the Words of Tiny Tim
'God Bless us, Everyone'
December 31, 2018
Art imitates life imitates art.
December 20, 2017
Loved. Loved so much. It made me feel ALL the nostalgic, sentimental Christmas feels in all the best ways; in the same ways that A Christmas Carol itself is sentimental, this book is sentimental. It plays with all the same themes, even similar elements. As if while Charles Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol his life paralleled the story itself. But it never felt derivative, just inspired. I loved it. And also, just as a side note, I really loved the afterward which I thought added to the richness of the book. I could reread this as often as I read its inspiration. Such a nice addition to the story of A Christmas Carol.
December 12, 2020
When Dickens latest story, Martin Chuzzlewit proves to be a massive flop, he is faced with having to write a new story in a matter of weeks - or face the loss of a significant amount of money. With Christmas around the corner, along with the birth of a brand new baby, and his father’s incessant debts landing on his doorstep, presents for his children, as well as the young street beggars who depend upon his charity, there are also new decorations for their annual Christmas party, including the newest faze, an indoor tree. He is faced with little choice, his publishers insist that he must write a new book, and in time for publication before Christmas, and suggest that perhaps he should ’throw in a ghost for good measure’ which prompts him to respond ’I am not haunted by ghosts, but by the monsters of ignorance poverty, want.
Dickens takes to long walks in an attempt to clear his mind and quash the thoughts, frustrations that plague him.
’Vigorous night walks of some twenty miles were his own regular fix for a disordered mind that no amount of fighting with the bedsheets could defeat.’
It isn’t long before his wife, their children, the staff, and even the family dogs were feeling the strain.
’Even the family Newfoundlands, Timberdoodle and Sniffery, and Mrs. Bouncer the Pomeranian, appeared lacking in holiday cheer.’
While visions of sugarplums were dancing in the children’s dreams, Dickens' nightmare was turning him into a bit of a scrooge, and his wife decided it would be best for her and the children to depart, and for him to use his time alone to contemplate things. And so he retreats from his life, and turns to the friends he had known in his earlier days.
’How strange, to return to the place of his own long-ago undoing, in hopes of somehow being re-done.’
Dickens time walking provides much time for thought, as well, and as the story goes along, we are provided with glimpses of inspiration for what will become his A Christmas Carol, including a woman, Eleanor, who becomes more or less his muse, along with some other characters whose names become characters in his A Christmas Carol. Eleanor believes in him, and encourages him when he is faced with having to begin all over again, and he doesn’t believe he has it in him to write another Christmas book, telling him ”But every book you’ve ever written is a book about Christmas. About the feeling we must have for one another, without which we are lost.”
A wonderfully imaginative take on Dickens’ journey writing his classic Christmas story, beloved by so many.
Dickens takes to long walks in an attempt to clear his mind and quash the thoughts, frustrations that plague him.
’Vigorous night walks of some twenty miles were his own regular fix for a disordered mind that no amount of fighting with the bedsheets could defeat.’
It isn’t long before his wife, their children, the staff, and even the family dogs were feeling the strain.
’Even the family Newfoundlands, Timberdoodle and Sniffery, and Mrs. Bouncer the Pomeranian, appeared lacking in holiday cheer.’
While visions of sugarplums were dancing in the children’s dreams, Dickens' nightmare was turning him into a bit of a scrooge, and his wife decided it would be best for her and the children to depart, and for him to use his time alone to contemplate things. And so he retreats from his life, and turns to the friends he had known in his earlier days.
’How strange, to return to the place of his own long-ago undoing, in hopes of somehow being re-done.’
Dickens time walking provides much time for thought, as well, and as the story goes along, we are provided with glimpses of inspiration for what will become his A Christmas Carol, including a woman, Eleanor, who becomes more or less his muse, along with some other characters whose names become characters in his A Christmas Carol. Eleanor believes in him, and encourages him when he is faced with having to begin all over again, and he doesn’t believe he has it in him to write another Christmas book, telling him ”But every book you’ve ever written is a book about Christmas. About the feeling we must have for one another, without which we are lost.”
A wonderfully imaginative take on Dickens’ journey writing his classic Christmas story, beloved by so many.
March 3, 2020
What if Charles Dickens' life was like this? The author, with her impressive research and unlimited imagination, created the life of Dickens while he wrote A Christmas Carol out of financial necessity at the age of 31. He already had six children and a wife who loved to go big or go home to Scotland. (That was surely a modern take on marriage life in 1843 when the book was written by Dickens).
It is also debatable that married men would play with their children at the time, or show excessive emotions. From all the old books I have read, the English tended to be quite correct/restrained in their manners and etiquette during those times.
However, this was a super enjoyable debut novel. Quite atmospheric and entertaining. Charles Dickens always reminded us of what Christmas was all about. So many millions of people grew up with this tale.
FROM THE AUTHOR'S NOTES:
The book is, most of all, a fan letter—a love letter—to the “Inimitable Boz” himself that says, “I know you were a flawed man who had a heart as big as the world. That you saw Christmas as a time to reconnect with our humanity and revel in even our smallest blessings. And that you lived with so much darkness, inside and out, but leaned—urgently, frantically—always toward the light.”...
...But I’m keenly aware that a good biography tells us the truth about a person; a good story, the truth about ourselves. That, I think, is what Dickens did best. This book is my tribute to his prodigious gift, written with full awareness that he is, and always will be, inimitable.
The novel turned out to be too wordy and melodramatic at times, but managed to keep me reading. Loved the experience.
A favorite quote from A Christmas Carol
RECOMMENDED.
It is also debatable that married men would play with their children at the time, or show excessive emotions. From all the old books I have read, the English tended to be quite correct/restrained in their manners and etiquette during those times.
However, this was a super enjoyable debut novel. Quite atmospheric and entertaining. Charles Dickens always reminded us of what Christmas was all about. So many millions of people grew up with this tale.
FROM THE AUTHOR'S NOTES:
The book is, most of all, a fan letter—a love letter—to the “Inimitable Boz” himself that says, “I know you were a flawed man who had a heart as big as the world. That you saw Christmas as a time to reconnect with our humanity and revel in even our smallest blessings. And that you lived with so much darkness, inside and out, but leaned—urgently, frantically—always toward the light.”...
...But I’m keenly aware that a good biography tells us the truth about a person; a good story, the truth about ourselves. That, I think, is what Dickens did best. This book is my tribute to his prodigious gift, written with full awareness that he is, and always will be, inimitable.
The novel turned out to be too wordy and melodramatic at times, but managed to keep me reading. Loved the experience.
A favorite quote from A Christmas Carol
“It is a fair, even-handed, noble adjustment of things, that while there is infection in disease and sorrow, there is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humour.” ~ Charles Dickens
RECOMMENDED.
December 6, 2018
All right, I did my book club duty & read this book.
First, I'll say that quite a few people might enjoy this book. I can see a certain appeal in it. If you want an easy, Christmas-y book with a Victorian London setting, this might fill a night or two by a roaring fire with a hot drink. (Well, except for those of you in the Southern hemisphere.) The writing level itself is okay. I even had a tear or two forming by the end. (But, I'll cry for sappy commercials or jingles, so take that comment fwiw.)
I'm sure you knew this next part was coming.... Feel free to call me Scrooge & a cynic as I go into further detail about why I didn't really care for this book.
First, I'll say that quite a few people might enjoy this book. I can see a certain appeal in it. If you want an easy, Christmas-y book with a Victorian London setting, this might fill a night or two by a roaring fire with a hot drink. (Well, except for those of you in the Southern hemisphere.) The writing level itself is okay. I even had a tear or two forming by the end. (But, I'll cry for sappy commercials or jingles, so take that comment fwiw.)
I'm sure you knew this next part was coming.... Feel free to call me Scrooge & a cynic as I go into further detail about why I didn't really care for this book.
December 30, 2020
4.5 stars
What a fun creative idea for a story. I was transported back to the 1800s as the author wove a tale about how A Christmas Carol came to be, some parts based on facts, some embellished, all fascinating.
This would have been even more enjoyable if I was intimately familiar with Dickens' work and life. I plan to do more research, read some Dickens and reread this book again next year to get the full experience.
A special thank you to Melissa for the recommendation. 😘
What a fun creative idea for a story. I was transported back to the 1800s as the author wove a tale about how A Christmas Carol came to be, some parts based on facts, some embellished, all fascinating.
This would have been even more enjoyable if I was intimately familiar with Dickens' work and life. I plan to do more research, read some Dickens and reread this book again next year to get the full experience.
A special thank you to Melissa for the recommendation. 😘
December 9, 2018
A Christmas Carol is one of my favorite works of fiction and I read it every Christmas along with the original Christmas story. It is said that it was written out of financial imperative, but whatever necessitated its writing, it is obvious that Dickens knew what Christmas ought to mean and brought that feeling to life in his fine tale.
Which brings us to this lovely little debut novel by Samantha Silva. Silva caught the spirit of The Christmas Carol and put the same vivacity into her own imaginings. A thirty-one year old Charles Dickens, already a father of six, having enjoyed a kind of celebrity that few could boast of in his day, finds himself with a flop in Martin Chuzzlewit and is pressed by his publishers to write a Christmas story or suffer a loss of income. Already financially over-extended, Dickens has little choice but to comply, but can a writer produce a good book because it is demanded of him? Of course not, so Dickens needs some inspiration, which Silva supplies in spades.
I hope to see many more novels by this extremely talented writer. She brings the foggy streets of London to life; I could feel the wisps of mist tugging at Dickens as he roams its backroads and famous thoroughfares. She sets a mood, much as the man she pays tribute to does, and I think he might be willing to tip his hat to her efforts.
Which brings us to this lovely little debut novel by Samantha Silva. Silva caught the spirit of The Christmas Carol and put the same vivacity into her own imaginings. A thirty-one year old Charles Dickens, already a father of six, having enjoyed a kind of celebrity that few could boast of in his day, finds himself with a flop in Martin Chuzzlewit and is pressed by his publishers to write a Christmas story or suffer a loss of income. Already financially over-extended, Dickens has little choice but to comply, but can a writer produce a good book because it is demanded of him? Of course not, so Dickens needs some inspiration, which Silva supplies in spades.
I hope to see many more novels by this extremely talented writer. She brings the foggy streets of London to life; I could feel the wisps of mist tugging at Dickens as he roams its backroads and famous thoroughfares. She sets a mood, much as the man she pays tribute to does, and I think he might be willing to tip his hat to her efforts.
December 11, 2019
I was not charmed by this novel as I expected to be. The writing is lovely. The prose is excellent, and I loved the author’s descriptions of London. What bothered me was the infatuation that Dickens has of a woman that wasn’t his wife. It went beyond an author’s interest in a person due to creating characters, and just knocked my enjoyment down a peg or two. Many of my friends have this five stars and glowing reviews, so my opinion is definitely the minority. I do still recommend this book for a quick Christmas read that flows easily from one scene to the other. The ending is sweet without being cheesy.
December 19, 2025
***Second read***
I enjoyed this book almost as much the second time as the first. If you’re a Dickens fan, this is a must-read. Definitely a heartwarming book!
***First read***
To sum it up in one word: Magical. A magical first novel by Samantha Silva. I feel like I've stepped out of a Christmas snow globe where Bumble's Toy Shop and Furnival's Inn are real and snowflakes are softly swirling around me. I didn't want the story to end.
At times, the writing was quite lovely:
I love Charles Dickens in particular and Victorian novels in general, and so this book really called out to me. Although I loved the very beginning, a woman from Dickens's past is soon introduced, which made me cringe a bit, thinking this might go in a direction I hoped it wouldn't. But I read on and the book just got better and better. Once a young character (a young artist, actually) was introduced, he became quite important to the plot, and captured my heart so completely that it was hard to put the book down.
I'd settled on a four star rating, but ultimately decided to bump it to a five because I absolutely loved the ending and because I'm now determined to: 1) learn more about the life of Charles Dickens and 2) read all of his works, except I'm really thinking now about reading them all in the order in which they were written.
Looking at the author's note at the end, although many events in the story are based on actual events, she embellished and changed quite a bit as well. The thing is, this story felt right to me in the way it depicted Dickens as a father and husband, as well as a philanthropist. And so it kindled a desire to learn more about him. I think he'd be someone I'd really admire, and since I love his novels so much, all the more reason to get to that Tomalin bio of him that's been on my TBR for so long: Charles Dickens: A Life ETA: Here is a list of his works, in chronological order: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charl...
I alternated between the audio and paper book, and I just loved the audio performance by Euan Morton. The pacing was perfect and he changed voices such that I felt totally immersed in the story. A five-star audio performance, for sure. The one thing missing from the audio (and this is common) was the author's note. Since this is a work of historical fiction, I find it fairly important for the reader to understand where the line between fact and fiction was drawn. I hope more author's notes will be included in audiobooks in the future.
Apparently this book was first written as a screenplay and almost made the cut to be made into a film. I would absolutely love to see this on the big screen. I think it would be wonderful. Hopefully the success of the paper book will drive this to reality. We need more books and films like this. We've already bought our Toys for Tots gifts this season, but I'm about to triple our purchases after reading this book.
Quite a journey this book was, and one I hope to repeat each Christmas season.
I enjoyed this book almost as much the second time as the first. If you’re a Dickens fan, this is a must-read. Definitely a heartwarming book!
***First read***
To sum it up in one word: Magical. A magical first novel by Samantha Silva. I feel like I've stepped out of a Christmas snow globe where Bumble's Toy Shop and Furnival's Inn are real and snowflakes are softly swirling around me. I didn't want the story to end.
At times, the writing was quite lovely:
Christmas had been hiding in the streets all along. The Dickens children marched behind their father in obedient single file, but their eyes were bright and round as new pennies. ... The air smelled like it had hailed nutmeg and snowed cinnamon.
The night was an embroidery of stars on a taffeta sky so blue it bled all the black away. No more drab-colored December fringed with fog. The eve of Christmas week burst into the world, clear and dry, the streets one continuous blaze of ornament and show.
I love Charles Dickens in particular and Victorian novels in general, and so this book really called out to me. Although I loved the very beginning, a woman from Dickens's past is soon introduced, which made me cringe a bit, thinking this might go in a direction I hoped it wouldn't. But I read on and the book just got better and better. Once a young character (a young artist, actually) was introduced, he became quite important to the plot, and captured my heart so completely that it was hard to put the book down.
I'd settled on a four star rating, but ultimately decided to bump it to a five because I absolutely loved the ending and because I'm now determined to: 1) learn more about the life of Charles Dickens and 2) read all of his works, except I'm really thinking now about reading them all in the order in which they were written.
Looking at the author's note at the end, although many events in the story are based on actual events, she embellished and changed quite a bit as well. The thing is, this story felt right to me in the way it depicted Dickens as a father and husband, as well as a philanthropist. And so it kindled a desire to learn more about him. I think he'd be someone I'd really admire, and since I love his novels so much, all the more reason to get to that Tomalin bio of him that's been on my TBR for so long: Charles Dickens: A Life ETA: Here is a list of his works, in chronological order: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charl...
I alternated between the audio and paper book, and I just loved the audio performance by Euan Morton. The pacing was perfect and he changed voices such that I felt totally immersed in the story. A five-star audio performance, for sure. The one thing missing from the audio (and this is common) was the author's note. Since this is a work of historical fiction, I find it fairly important for the reader to understand where the line between fact and fiction was drawn. I hope more author's notes will be included in audiobooks in the future.
Apparently this book was first written as a screenplay and almost made the cut to be made into a film. I would absolutely love to see this on the big screen. I think it would be wonderful. Hopefully the success of the paper book will drive this to reality. We need more books and films like this. We've already bought our Toys for Tots gifts this season, but I'm about to triple our purchases after reading this book.
Quite a journey this book was, and one I hope to repeat each Christmas season.
July 8, 2021
Generations of people have loved reading Charles Dickens' classic Christmas story because it shows us the spirit of giving to others. Even characters like Ebenezer Scrooge may have had events in their past that led to their cold-hearted ways, and there is always time for second chances in life. Samantha Silva has used her knowledge of Dickens' life to imagine what inspired him to write his most famous novel.
Dickens was in debt since his previous novel had not sold well. His wife was spending money lavishly decorating their home, and planning a large Christmas party. His relatives were asking for loans, charities were requesting donations, and his children had wishes for Christmas toys. He had less than a month to write a short Christmas novel, but was plagued with writer's block.
Dickens took long walks through London, observing people ranging from the affluent to the destitute boys living on the street. He met a woman, Eleanor, who acted as his muse. She also introduced Dickens to her son, Timothy. (These are dreamy events in his mind.) Dickens' imagination took off, and he rapidly wrote "A Christmas Carol".
Silva's book started off a bit slowly, but picked up its pace after Dickens met Eleanor. The author described London in atmospheric language as Dickens walked through the swirling fog to a cemetery, a work house, a debtor's prison, a theater, and other sites that found a place in his book. "Mr Dickens and His Carol" was a heartwarming book, and a good choice for a December read.
Dickens was in debt since his previous novel had not sold well. His wife was spending money lavishly decorating their home, and planning a large Christmas party. His relatives were asking for loans, charities were requesting donations, and his children had wishes for Christmas toys. He had less than a month to write a short Christmas novel, but was plagued with writer's block.
Dickens took long walks through London, observing people ranging from the affluent to the destitute boys living on the street. He met a woman, Eleanor, who acted as his muse. She also introduced Dickens to her son, Timothy. (These are dreamy events in his mind.) Dickens' imagination took off, and he rapidly wrote "A Christmas Carol".
Silva's book started off a bit slowly, but picked up its pace after Dickens met Eleanor. The author described London in atmospheric language as Dickens walked through the swirling fog to a cemetery, a work house, a debtor's prison, a theater, and other sites that found a place in his book. "Mr Dickens and His Carol" was a heartwarming book, and a good choice for a December read.
December 19, 2017
(I received this ARC in return for an honest review.)
A perfect Christmas read!
This re-imaging of Dickens' struggles and triumph during a time when his renown was at an ebb read almost like a biography. It introduces his family, publishers, agent, literary contemporaries, and many influential figures in his life. Having recently read a biography of Dickens, I recognized most of the people represented here, and I will say that Samantha Silva did a great job of bringing the dead to life.
The story follows Dickens as he plays out the elements of his A Christmas Carol book, literally becoming Scrooge, finding Tiny Tim, being visited by ghosts, overhearing friends and foe speak of him in private, and witnessing the poor and downtrodden. Through these experiences Dickens regains his Christmas spirit, while unwittingly gathering together the various ideas he would need to create his masterpiece.
Writing a Christmas book this time of year is easy money. However, taking on the backstory to A Christmas Carol, one of the most popular Christmas stories of all time, is a bit of a challenge. Your work is placed side by side with one of the greats, so you better bring your A-game. Silva did just that.
Perhaps I'm drunk on Christmas spirit and in a giving mood, but I don't think my 5-star rating is too far off the mark for what this book is and attempts to do. It's a sentimental, heartstring tugger and that's a-okay with me right about now!
A perfect Christmas read!
This re-imaging of Dickens' struggles and triumph during a time when his renown was at an ebb read almost like a biography. It introduces his family, publishers, agent, literary contemporaries, and many influential figures in his life. Having recently read a biography of Dickens, I recognized most of the people represented here, and I will say that Samantha Silva did a great job of bringing the dead to life.
The story follows Dickens as he plays out the elements of his A Christmas Carol book, literally becoming Scrooge, finding Tiny Tim, being visited by ghosts, overhearing friends and foe speak of him in private, and witnessing the poor and downtrodden. Through these experiences Dickens regains his Christmas spirit, while unwittingly gathering together the various ideas he would need to create his masterpiece.
Writing a Christmas book this time of year is easy money. However, taking on the backstory to A Christmas Carol, one of the most popular Christmas stories of all time, is a bit of a challenge. Your work is placed side by side with one of the greats, so you better bring your A-game. Silva did just that.
Perhaps I'm drunk on Christmas spirit and in a giving mood, but I don't think my 5-star rating is too far off the mark for what this book is and attempts to do. It's a sentimental, heartstring tugger and that's a-okay with me right about now!
December 17, 2024
What a lovely, heartwarming and wonderfully sentimental fiction! The author has truly done a marvelous job of reimagining Charles Dickens’ life at the time when Martin Chuzzlewit was failing and his publishers needed him to produce something that would bring in some funds. Dickens was overextended with his family’s expenses especially those who came to him to pay their debts. With just a short time to go before Christmas, Charles Dickens was tasked with writing a Christmas story. Little did anyone know then that this story he wrote in order to climb out of financial strains would become the most important, popular and influential Christmas book of all time.
I loved everything about this story because it gave such a wonderful picture of Victorian London. We also see Dickens in so many of his roles - husband, father, friend, philanthropist and writer! He will always be known as the “Inimitable Boz” and as the author of some of the greatest novels ever written.
I loved everything about this story because it gave such a wonderful picture of Victorian London. We also see Dickens in so many of his roles - husband, father, friend, philanthropist and writer! He will always be known as the “Inimitable Boz” and as the author of some of the greatest novels ever written.
March 29, 2021
3.5 stars
Charles Dickens’ latest book is not selling well. The publisher is struggling financially. They suggest for Dickens to write a short story, a Christmas book, something festive, a good winter’s tale. But none of it sounds good to Dickens, who struggles with this idea of a Christmas book. He himself is going through a writer’s block. Thus, he turns to the streets of London, which he loves and which gave him inspiration for all his writings. But nothing comes.
Meanwhile, we get to know Dickens a bit and his family. He is generous to a fault and with his wife; they both appreciate finer things in life. With the sixth child being just born and sales of his latest books being down, he feels the stress on his shoulders. His children are used to receiving gifts of their choice for Christmas, but he is tight with money this Christmas. At the same time, he doesn’t want to be a scrooge now. How do you explain all that to the children? Well, Christmas is not about things, it’s about feeling. When he is trying not to be a scrooge to his children, through a children store’s window he notices a small ragged boy.
When his wife is appalled by his constant reminder that they don’t need all that they’re used to having, she packs the whole family except her husband and goes to her family in Scotland. Left alone, Dickens goes back to his humble beginnings, to a place where he spent his bachelor days. He rents a room there and at a nearby theater he meets a seamstress who becomes his muse.
I loved getting to know the Dickens’ family. They’re fun and interesting. But once his family leaves and the focus switches to his muse, the story becomes a bit flat. I didn’t find it as engaging as the beginning of the story.
With luminous prose, the story begins with beautiful character development. A character that is warm, likeable, good-hearted and generous among other characteristics. But when he is left alone, he is a lost man searching for something. That something for me wasn’t well-defined in this story. The part of the story that is rooted in fact of financial hardship and how it affects his relation with his family is the most interesting part. The muse part is fictional and for me didn’t work that well.
P.S. Highly recommend this author’s upcoming book Love and Fury about Mary Wollstonecraft.
Charles Dickens’ latest book is not selling well. The publisher is struggling financially. They suggest for Dickens to write a short story, a Christmas book, something festive, a good winter’s tale. But none of it sounds good to Dickens, who struggles with this idea of a Christmas book. He himself is going through a writer’s block. Thus, he turns to the streets of London, which he loves and which gave him inspiration for all his writings. But nothing comes.
Meanwhile, we get to know Dickens a bit and his family. He is generous to a fault and with his wife; they both appreciate finer things in life. With the sixth child being just born and sales of his latest books being down, he feels the stress on his shoulders. His children are used to receiving gifts of their choice for Christmas, but he is tight with money this Christmas. At the same time, he doesn’t want to be a scrooge now. How do you explain all that to the children? Well, Christmas is not about things, it’s about feeling. When he is trying not to be a scrooge to his children, through a children store’s window he notices a small ragged boy.
When his wife is appalled by his constant reminder that they don’t need all that they’re used to having, she packs the whole family except her husband and goes to her family in Scotland. Left alone, Dickens goes back to his humble beginnings, to a place where he spent his bachelor days. He rents a room there and at a nearby theater he meets a seamstress who becomes his muse.
I loved getting to know the Dickens’ family. They’re fun and interesting. But once his family leaves and the focus switches to his muse, the story becomes a bit flat. I didn’t find it as engaging as the beginning of the story.
With luminous prose, the story begins with beautiful character development. A character that is warm, likeable, good-hearted and generous among other characteristics. But when he is left alone, he is a lost man searching for something. That something for me wasn’t well-defined in this story. The part of the story that is rooted in fact of financial hardship and how it affects his relation with his family is the most interesting part. The muse part is fictional and for me didn’t work that well.
P.S. Highly recommend this author’s upcoming book Love and Fury about Mary Wollstonecraft.
November 16, 2017
I had high hopes for this one. I didn’t expect profound or literary excellence, but I hoped it would be a delicious, Christmasy peek at the actual creation of one of my beloved favorite stories by one of my favorite authors. Nope. Way more fantasy and with a few (very few) historical details sprinkled in. There were some good inclusions of the local color and details of mid 19th century Victorian London, but not enough to save this. The story did start accurately with Dickens under real pressure to write a hit that would buoy the recently sagging sales of his books and help him with his mounting debts. But this rather silly story of a fictitious “muse” who lifts Dickens out of his wallow in self-pity for the demands made on him as a very successful author, his disgusted wife’s departure with children to Scotland to leave him to his unpleasant funk, and his current writer’s block, should have been more entrancing than it was. Oh, the author dropped in some made up references to characters and names and the desperate plight of the poor—especially at Christmas—that might indeed have inspired The Christmas Carol, but they seemed tangential rather than really inspiring. And the truth about his “muse” was really as ridiculous as it was predictable. And, although I know Dickens was a flawed husband, his obsession with this woman was off-putting to say the least. This one kind of haunts me with imaginings of what it could have been. Bah! Humbug!
December 18, 2019
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens is my all time favourite Christmas book/story! To be taken back to its creation and meet its author in such a personal way was like having a dream come true! To be there when Charles Dickens read it for the first time- all I can say is WOW!
I applaud the author for how well she captured the time, the place and the people. But most especially for how she portrayed Charles Dickens.
I loved this book and I know that this is a book I will return to on future Christmases!
I applaud the author for how well she captured the time, the place and the people. But most especially for how she portrayed Charles Dickens.
I loved this book and I know that this is a book I will return to on future Christmases!
December 26, 2017
Note: Top Shelf Text was provided with a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own!
I picked up this origin tale of Charles Dickens’ The Christmas Carol as part of my 2017 holiday reading list. This book moved a little too slowly for me, and for the majority of it I felt Dickens to be unlikable and shallow — unable to stand up to the people in his life and immediately chasing after a new “muse” when his wife leaves him. In the end, the character of Tim redeemed the story for me, but I still felt that it reinforced the message it set out to disown, that Christmas is about the money we spend and gifts we give. I believe the original tale better serves the true meaning of Christmas.
I picked up this origin tale of Charles Dickens’ The Christmas Carol as part of my 2017 holiday reading list. This book moved a little too slowly for me, and for the majority of it I felt Dickens to be unlikable and shallow — unable to stand up to the people in his life and immediately chasing after a new “muse” when his wife leaves him. In the end, the character of Tim redeemed the story for me, but I still felt that it reinforced the message it set out to disown, that Christmas is about the money we spend and gifts we give. I believe the original tale better serves the true meaning of Christmas.
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