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mcnallyswife's review
emotional
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
katykelly's review against another edition
4.0
After discovering the incredible Every Day, I’m always willing to try David Levithan. The concept of this sounded promising, there are a lot of current attempts to reinvent classics for a contemporary audience. Some successful, some less so (see the recent ‘Austen Project’ efforts for some mixed results).
Here it’s the turn of Dickens’ most famous ghosts-at-Christmas story, and they only one of which I’ve read. This was my first ever Dickens, and it is a true classic. Here David Levithan has ‘updated’ the story by placing it in a modern teenage high-school setting.
Rather than a financial miser, Ben (E-BEN-eezer) is grieving and angry at the world after the death of his childhood sweetheart Marly from leukaemia. And it’s not Christmas that faces his ire but the much-loved (at least in his high school and town) festival of good old St Valentine. I had to suspend my disbelief here – is it just me and England that really don’t pay any mind to February 14th? Never mind, on with the plot.
Ben makes inroads towards alienating himself from his friends at this most special time of year by lashing out at their romantic efforts. It’s only when a trio of familiar ghosts begin to make appearances that he can start to grieve properly and try and let go to live again.
I can see two sides to this short novel. On the plus side, it does help put an old story into a context that young adults will understand, make the language more accessible (though great chunks are direct from Dickens own pen), and does offer some very moving scenes in teenage grief and death.
On the more saccharine side, the Valentine stuff didn’t sit well with me (maybe being a stuffy Brit I’m not used to the overblown efforts of the American teens Levithan portrays). It didn’t all fit into a context that wasn’t Christmas. And even though it’s about the same length (and structure) as the original, I actually wanted it to last a bit longer!
But it DOES follow the original, and quite cleverly done, with Fezziwig’s party updated to a Valentine (or anti-Valentine) bash, the boy sent for the turkey (now flowers), scenes from Valentines’ past. If you shut your eyes and squint it’s a lot like reading the original. Quite liked the contemporary take on Tiny (and) Tim as well.
Ben is sympathetic in his sorrow, though the Dickensian language doesn’t always sit well in the mouth of a sixteen year old. I kept picturing Victorian costume and then having to force myself to think 21st century.
Overall, I liked this a lot. A clever interpretation, mostly successful. Would be interesting to see GCSE classes compare this to the original. Not very long. I read a Kindle version and believe there are illustrations but I couldn’t see any at all, so can’t comment on those.
Purists may not be happy, but I found it an enjoyable modern retelling (with a few flaws) of a famous story.
Review of a Netgalley advance copy.
Here it’s the turn of Dickens’ most famous ghosts-at-Christmas story, and they only one of which I’ve read. This was my first ever Dickens, and it is a true classic. Here David Levithan has ‘updated’ the story by placing it in a modern teenage high-school setting.
Rather than a financial miser, Ben (E-BEN-eezer) is grieving and angry at the world after the death of his childhood sweetheart Marly from leukaemia. And it’s not Christmas that faces his ire but the much-loved (at least in his high school and town) festival of good old St Valentine. I had to suspend my disbelief here – is it just me and England that really don’t pay any mind to February 14th? Never mind, on with the plot.
Ben makes inroads towards alienating himself from his friends at this most special time of year by lashing out at their romantic efforts. It’s only when a trio of familiar ghosts begin to make appearances that he can start to grieve properly and try and let go to live again.
I can see two sides to this short novel. On the plus side, it does help put an old story into a context that young adults will understand, make the language more accessible (though great chunks are direct from Dickens own pen), and does offer some very moving scenes in teenage grief and death.
On the more saccharine side, the Valentine stuff didn’t sit well with me (maybe being a stuffy Brit I’m not used to the overblown efforts of the American teens Levithan portrays). It didn’t all fit into a context that wasn’t Christmas. And even though it’s about the same length (and structure) as the original, I actually wanted it to last a bit longer!
But it DOES follow the original, and quite cleverly done, with Fezziwig’s party updated to a Valentine (or anti-Valentine) bash, the boy sent for the turkey (now flowers), scenes from Valentines’ past. If you shut your eyes and squint it’s a lot like reading the original. Quite liked the contemporary take on Tiny (and) Tim as well.
Ben is sympathetic in his sorrow, though the Dickensian language doesn’t always sit well in the mouth of a sixteen year old. I kept picturing Victorian costume and then having to force myself to think 21st century.
Overall, I liked this a lot. A clever interpretation, mostly successful. Would be interesting to see GCSE classes compare this to the original. Not very long. I read a Kindle version and believe there are illustrations but I couldn’t see any at all, so can’t comment on those.
Purists may not be happy, but I found it an enjoyable modern retelling (with a few flaws) of a famous story.
Review of a Netgalley advance copy.
labunnywtf's review against another edition
3.0
Read for Book Roast's Magical Readathon: NEWTs Exams. Subject: Arithmancy, E Level. (Ends on an even numbered page)
(Marked to read October 22, 2011, so it also hits my Clearing the TBR challenge)
This was pretty much exactly what I expected, which is both nice and also disappointing. I like both authors involved with this, and to see a modern retelling of A Christmas Carol, except set on Valentine's Day, is such an amazing premise.
This is the second book I've read in as many days that deals with grief. I don't know why I'm doing this to myself, especially this time of year.
Ben and Marly dated for three years before she died from (I think) a brain tumor. Ben is devastated, and hardens his heart to love, in all forms. He cuts himself off from his friends and glares in disgust at couples.
We all know the story, you see where this is going. The one thing I liked best is that when Marly appears to him, she is wrapped not in old chains, but in a charm bracelet she always wore, that Ben now has. I thought that was a really nice touch.
Not so much a retelling as a modernized version of the original, complete with some of the original language, which doesn't really work in a modern version. Sweet enough, though.
(Marked to read October 22, 2011, so it also hits my Clearing the TBR challenge)
This was pretty much exactly what I expected, which is both nice and also disappointing. I like both authors involved with this, and to see a modern retelling of A Christmas Carol, except set on Valentine's Day, is such an amazing premise.
This is the second book I've read in as many days that deals with grief. I don't know why I'm doing this to myself, especially this time of year.
Ben and Marly dated for three years before she died from (I think) a brain tumor. Ben is devastated, and hardens his heart to love, in all forms. He cuts himself off from his friends and glares in disgust at couples.
We all know the story, you see where this is going. The one thing I liked best is that when Marly appears to him, she is wrapped not in old chains, but in a charm bracelet she always wore, that Ben now has. I thought that was a really nice touch.
Not so much a retelling as a modernized version of the original, complete with some of the original language, which doesn't really work in a modern version. Sweet enough, though.
aliciet's review against another edition
3.0
Esse não foi o livro mais original do mundo, nem de perto. O último fantasma não me surpreendeu - no momento que ele chegou eu já sabia o que ia acontecer - e eu achei o fim muito apressado. O livro foi curto demais pra eu me apegar a qualquer personagem, principalmente ao Ben. Mas eu tenho que admitir que a prosa do David Levithan é simplesmente LINDA, cada página tinha uma frase que eu tinha vontade de tatuar. Ele tem um jeito de descrever sentimentos que eu nunca vi em nenhum outro autor. Doida pra ler The Realm of Possibility, eu acho que ele deve fazer coisas absolutamente incríveis com poesia!
thestoryowl's review against another edition
3.0
I loved the idea of a Valentine's spin on A Christmas Carol, but I felt like the story stayed TOO true to Dickens an didn't modify/update it enough to really appeal to teens.
missbookiverse's review
4.0
Above all things, this book is about love. You can find it on every page, in every sentence. Every word is pure feeling. As usual David Levithan managed to capture something beatiful in his words, something you can feel by reading those unique descriptions.
This story has the undertitle "a remix of The Christmas Carol" which describes it perfectly. It is a retelling of Charle's Dickens classic but instead of Christmas the holiday of the moment is Valentine's Day. I'm impressed how Mr. Levithan managed to write a whole book about this holiday without making it sound cheesy (even though I bet some people would argue with me on this point).
The story is the one of Ben who is 16 and lost his girlfriend Marly to cancer 4 months ago. He's devastaded and won't let anyone close to him, not even his best friend Fred who refuses to give up on him. That's why Marly visits him in her ghost-form and asks him to let her go and sends him 3 spirits, the one of Love Past, Love Present and a last spirit.
The love story between Ben and Marly felt so warm and perfect to me, it broke my heart to read about Ben's loss. The first part of the book is depressing but in the end it managed to leave me alright and hopeful.
The end itself was a bit too much in my opinion, too many positive feelings too fast but I'm sure this was exactly David Levtihan's intention and yes, maybe actually cheesy.
It wasn't possible for this story to be any longer because of the remix-style it was written in but I would have loved to read so much more about Marly and Ben's past relationship, how she first told him she was ill, how they first kissed and all the other details.
I must admit that I didn't like the drawings (or the drawing style) much but I understand that they were an important part of the book because the original Christmas Carol had similar pictures in it. Still, the story would've worked perfectly without them.
SPOILER//
What I found out of place was the scene in which Ben discovers his name "Ebenezer Scrooge" on the gravestone. I know this is a connection to the original story and Ben is short for Ebenezer but I thought it was unnecessary.
//SPOILER
All in all a perfect read for cold days that you'll finish in 1 or 2 days because it's so short. It's probably even more fun if you know Charles Dicken's Christmas Carol well because that way you can easily catch all the similarities.
This story has the undertitle "a remix of The Christmas Carol" which describes it perfectly. It is a retelling of Charle's Dickens classic but instead of Christmas the holiday of the moment is Valentine's Day. I'm impressed how Mr. Levithan managed to write a whole book about this holiday without making it sound cheesy (even though I bet some people would argue with me on this point).
The story is the one of Ben who is 16 and lost his girlfriend Marly to cancer 4 months ago. He's devastaded and won't let anyone close to him, not even his best friend Fred who refuses to give up on him. That's why Marly visits him in her ghost-form and asks him to let her go and sends him 3 spirits, the one of Love Past, Love Present and a last spirit.
The love story between Ben and Marly felt so warm and perfect to me, it broke my heart to read about Ben's loss. The first part of the book is depressing but in the end it managed to leave me alright and hopeful.
The end itself was a bit too much in my opinion, too many positive feelings too fast but I'm sure this was exactly David Levtihan's intention and yes, maybe actually cheesy.
It wasn't possible for this story to be any longer because of the remix-style it was written in but I would have loved to read so much more about Marly and Ben's past relationship, how she first told him she was ill, how they first kissed and all the other details.
I must admit that I didn't like the drawings (or the drawing style) much but I understand that they were an important part of the book because the original Christmas Carol had similar pictures in it. Still, the story would've worked perfectly without them.
SPOILER//
What I found out of place was the scene in which Ben discovers his name "Ebenezer Scrooge" on the gravestone. I know this is a connection to the original story and Ben is short for Ebenezer but I thought it was unnecessary.
//SPOILER
All in all a perfect read for cold days that you'll finish in 1 or 2 days because it's so short. It's probably even more fun if you know Charles Dicken's Christmas Carol well because that way you can easily catch all the similarities.
michalice's review against another edition
4.0
When I first heard about Marly's Ghost it drew my attention, a retelling of Christmas carol, but instead of Christmas it's based on Valentine's Day...sounds interesting. I made my request and a short time later soon had the book in my hands...or on my Ipad. Now please note that I have not actually read A Christmas Carol, but I have seen it and know what happens, but that being said I went into Marly's Ghost not knowing what to expect from this unique twist to the story.
Marly's Ghost was a quick read that had me crying at the start and end of the book. If you can make me cry within the fist few pages then that's a good sign, you have managed to draw me in an really become emotionally involved with the characters. One character I really connected with was Ben, especially his feelings of loss, and loneliness. How he felt like no-one could understand, that it felt like he was looking at them in a different light. How could they lose someone yet still act like they don't miss that person, I have had those exact same feelings, and I think that's the reason why the following quote really meant something to me.
Marly's Ghost is told by Ben, the protagonist, and we see this day of love through his eyes, but it's not really a celebration of love for him since losing Marly, and he makes it known loud and clear what he thinks of Valentine's Day, what he thinks of love in general, berating others for sharing their feelings with him and with others. Seeing how he pushed his friends away was sad, but also sobering, seeing how much he loved Marly and how much she meant to him.
Marly's Ghost was a quick, but brilliant read. I loved the characters, the twist on the original story, and most of all the connection to the original story..which took me till near the end to get.
Marly's Ghost was a quick read that had me crying at the start and end of the book. If you can make me cry within the fist few pages then that's a good sign, you have managed to draw me in an really become emotionally involved with the characters. One character I really connected with was Ben, especially his feelings of loss, and loneliness. How he felt like no-one could understand, that it felt like he was looking at them in a different light. How could they lose someone yet still act like they don't miss that person, I have had those exact same feelings, and I think that's the reason why the following quote really meant something to me.
When you die, the heart just stops. When she died, my heart just stopped.
Marly's Ghost is told by Ben, the protagonist, and we see this day of love through his eyes, but it's not really a celebration of love for him since losing Marly, and he makes it known loud and clear what he thinks of Valentine's Day, what he thinks of love in general, berating others for sharing their feelings with him and with others. Seeing how he pushed his friends away was sad, but also sobering, seeing how much he loved Marly and how much she meant to him.
Marly's Ghost was a quick, but brilliant read. I loved the characters, the twist on the original story, and most of all the connection to the original story..which took me till near the end to get.
patchworkbunny's review against another edition
3.0
It’s A Christmas Carol retelling that has nothing to do with Christmas. The idea had potential but was maybe let down by the melding of modern day teen life with the original prose. The story is a mix of new, some paraphrased and some completely lifted out of the original. Maybe it was more noticeable to me as I had recently read A Christmas Carol. Some of it works, some of it seems forced.
I’m not sure how Ben’s anti-love grumpiness is meant to break up Tiny and Tim, a gay couple this time rather than a sickly child. Ben just happens to have gone to school with them and been a bit of a nob to their faces. But if they were actually in love, surely that would make no difference to them in the long term?
I know Christmas has become quite commercial but Valentine’s Day has even more of a please-spend-money vibe about it. It’s something lots of people don’t celebrate. Some of the things Ben was supposedly missing out on seemed a bit materialistic. I didn’t see a problem with him not liking the day, which differs to Scrooge making everyone’s life miserable at Christmas which is a holiday.
There are some little gems and wonderful snippets amongst the story. Some of it focuses on Ben’s grief, still raw. Imagine having Valentine’s Day shoved in your face when the girl you love is dead? He’s bound with chains to Marly’s memory and the idea of letting her go is a better one than some fabricated message of Valentine’s Day. I loved that Marley found out he was also the saint of beekeeping. Now that’s what I’ll be celebrating every February 14th.
Review copy provided by publisher.
I’m not sure how Ben’s anti-love grumpiness is meant to break up Tiny and Tim, a gay couple this time rather than a sickly child. Ben just happens to have gone to school with them and been a bit of a nob to their faces. But if they were actually in love, surely that would make no difference to them in the long term?
I know Christmas has become quite commercial but Valentine’s Day has even more of a please-spend-money vibe about it. It’s something lots of people don’t celebrate. Some of the things Ben was supposedly missing out on seemed a bit materialistic. I didn’t see a problem with him not liking the day, which differs to Scrooge making everyone’s life miserable at Christmas which is a holiday.
There are some little gems and wonderful snippets amongst the story. Some of it focuses on Ben’s grief, still raw. Imagine having Valentine’s Day shoved in your face when the girl you love is dead? He’s bound with chains to Marly’s memory and the idea of letting her go is a better one than some fabricated message of Valentine’s Day. I loved that Marley found out he was also the saint of beekeeping. Now that’s what I’ll be celebrating every February 14th.
Review copy provided by publisher.
andreamunyoz's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
captkaty's review against another edition
1.0
This wasn't offensively bad or anything, but honestly, this just didn't work for me at all except for the illustrations.