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jfkaess's review against another edition
5.0
Another home run by author Jon Clinch. Have you ever wondered how Scrooge became so bitter and cold? Have you wondered what evil resulted in the chains that Jacob Marley would carry for eternity? What about Marley and Scrooge's families?
Clinch hasn't filled in the backstory with fluff. This is a dark book crafted to tell a story which feels real to Dickens' world and enlightens the reader to how Marley and Scrooge ended up as they are at the beginning of A Christmas Carol.
The writing will draw you in and keep your interest throughout the story. The narration of the audio book is spot on in intonation and feeling.
Before all the ridiculous advertisements that flood the TV every year using Scrooge to sell any and everything, get this book and read it or listen to it. It will make the idiocy of those who use Scrooge to market their wares even more blatant.
Jon Clinch is a treasure. If you haven't read or listened to The Thief of Auschwitz, i heartily recommend the audiobook, read by 2 narrators in the roles of the two protagonists in the story. It's my favorite one of Clinch's books. Or rather, it was until Marley came out.
Clinch hasn't filled in the backstory with fluff. This is a dark book crafted to tell a story which feels real to Dickens' world and enlightens the reader to how Marley and Scrooge ended up as they are at the beginning of A Christmas Carol.
The writing will draw you in and keep your interest throughout the story. The narration of the audio book is spot on in intonation and feeling.
Before all the ridiculous advertisements that flood the TV every year using Scrooge to sell any and everything, get this book and read it or listen to it. It will make the idiocy of those who use Scrooge to market their wares even more blatant.
Jon Clinch is a treasure. If you haven't read or listened to The Thief of Auschwitz, i heartily recommend the audiobook, read by 2 narrators in the roles of the two protagonists in the story. It's my favorite one of Clinch's books. Or rather, it was until Marley came out.
colorfulleo92's review against another edition
3.0
A decent and interesting read, didn't completely fall in love with it.
windmillofwords's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Well written, good plot, just too sad and bleak an ending, but of course that was the nature of the story since it is a prequel to A Christmas Carol.
Content Warnings
Minor: Slavery, Sexual content, and Violence
dana_reads_books's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This imagined prequel to Dickens A Christmas Carol brought some more depth and backstory to Scrooge. I’m glad to know the man he eventually becomes and the lessons he learned in A Christmas Carol because he was not a great guy for most of this story, but we do come to understand how he got that way. Marley, on the other hand, is shown to be a villain through and through. Overall I enjoyed this book. It’s very atmospheric with rich language and it’s fun to pick out the same character names used by Dickens in various books. If you want a comp to this book, Mr. Dickens & His Carol by Samantha Silva would be a wonderful, heart-warming choice!
teriboop's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Jon Clinch imagines the world of Dickens' A Christmas Carol in a novel based on the life of John Marley, Ebenezer Scrooge's business partner. Clinch focuses this novel on the partnership of Marley and Scrooge and breathes life into the character that Dickens briefly mentions in his classic tale. The two men met as young students at the Drabb's Academy for Boys and formed a friendship that would last to their deaths. As young gentlemen, the two become business partners, with Clinch pitching Marley as a mysterious, dark villain who utilizes their business as a front for slave trading and money laundering. Clinch also unfolds the background of the relationships between Scrooge's sister Fan and Marley and between Scrooge and his betrothed Belle Fairchild. In Dickens' A Christmas Carol, Belle breaks off her engagement with Scrooge during the scene with the Ghost of Christmas Past. This story imagines the relationship between these two characters and the events that led up to their parting.
Although this book centers on the characters of Dicken's classic tale, it does not include the events of his story but simply offers a background story. The idea of Marley may not be to everyone's liking as he comes across as a villain with Scrooge being more understanding and human than we see him in Dickens' text. As much as this book is centered on Marley, Scrooge plays a major role, so perhaps the title is a misnomer.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. My only real criticism is that it at times focuses more on Scrooge than Marley, but you can't have one without the other to provide a prequel for A Christmas Carol. I plan to read some of Clinch's other works where he imagines the lives of other classic literary characters.
Although this book centers on the characters of Dicken's classic tale, it does not include the events of his story but simply offers a background story. The idea of Marley may not be to everyone's liking as he comes across as a villain with Scrooge being more understanding and human than we see him in Dickens' text. As much as this book is centered on Marley, Scrooge plays a major role, so perhaps the title is a misnomer.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. My only real criticism is that it at times focuses more on Scrooge than Marley, but you can't have one without the other to provide a prequel for A Christmas Carol. I plan to read some of Clinch's other works where he imagines the lives of other classic literary characters.
stephco724's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
coleen_nieto's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
emilybryk's review against another edition
5.0
Beautifully written, timely as all hell, and filled to bursting with characters who feel like people you might actually know. If you haven't read this, you're missing out. If you have, then you've made a damn good choice.