This month I had planned to read a few Christmas-themed books. I loved both of these and wanted to share my thoughts with you.
Mr. Dickens and His Christmas Carol, by Samantha Silva
Charles Dickens sets out to pen a Christmas novella by his publisher’s demand. However, his money and family troubles taint his creativity, and he drafts his main character, Scrooge, into a dark, grievous skinflint who only opens to improvement on the last page.
By a power beyond him, Dickens’s Christmas tale is pilfered and plagiarized, infuriating him. He suspects the mysterious Eleanor LoveJoy—who he develops a strange association with—of stealing his work, but the fault lies a little closer to home. Dickens’s wife and family retreat to Scotland, leaving him to settle his spirit. He takes refuge in a nearby hotel, which he’s used before for writing.
Cleared of any guilt, Eleanor and her son Timothy help Dickens recreate his tale but with a gentler filter to Mr. Scrooge, the old miser. The characters become alive to Dickens as he draws from the inspiration of the people and times around him. Weaving a more substantial ribbon of hope through his plot, Dickens finishes and reads his masterpiece to Timothy.
But where has the ethereal Miss Lovejoy gone? And what will happen to Timothy? Will Dickens ever see his family and children again?
Readers of Charles Dickens’s classic stories and historical fiction with relish this behind the scenes drama of Dickens creating his Christmas iconic classic, A Christmas Carol.
I deliciously sunk my teeth into this one. I savored every page. A few moments of doubt arose in me during Miss Lovejoy’s entanglement with Dickens, but her story fit perfectly in the end.
Mr. Dickens and His Carol was a delightful, Christmastime read that added much to my fondness for the classic story.
Bespoke: a Tiny Christmas Tale, by Amanda Dykes
Aria St. John, the daughter of a famous composer, learns early what loss means. Her deep-rooted gift is uprooted by a tragic accident. But she’s not the only one who bears the scars.
James Shaw blames himself for the silence that now reigns in the St. John house on the Isle of Espoir. Friends once, can Aria and James put the past behind them for a future they both desire?
Bespoke holds a deep message of forging a new path through tragic circumstances. Though a short novella, this beautifully wrought, Christmastime story full of meaning delves heavily in the heart of forgiveness and hope.
Fans of Christmas romance, Christian fiction, and historical fiction, will be enraptured by this sweet but deep tale of hope.
I thoroughly enjoyed this tale and look forward to reading another story by Dykes.
What are you reading?
Have you read any Christmasy books this month? If so, tell me about them.
What’s a novella? A short story?
It’s s short novel.