A Christmas Carol [Audiobook, Unabridged] [Audio CD]

Charles Dickens (Author), Jim Dale (Narrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

"Bah Humbug!" That's how Ebeneezer Scrooge feels about Christmas--until the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future decide to show the crotchety old miser the error of his ways. Together they travel through time, revisiting all the people who have played an important role in Scrooge's life. And as their journey concludes, Scrooge is reminded of what it means to have love in his heart, and what the true spirit of Christmas is all about. A timeless story the whole family will enjoy!


From the Trade Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

"Bah Humbug!" That's how Ebeneezer Scrooge feels about Christmas--until the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future decide to show the crotchety old miser the error of his ways. Together they travel through time, revisiting all the people who have played an important role in Scrooge's life. And as their journey concludes, Scrooge is reminded of what it means to have love in his heart, and what the true spirit of Christmas is all about. A timeless story the whole family will enjoy!


From the Trade Paperback edition.

About the Author

Charles Dickens was born in a little house in Landport, Portsea, England, on February 7, 1812. The second of eight children, he grew up in a family frequently beset by financial insecurity. At age eleven, Dickens was taken out of school and sent to work in London backing warehouse, where his job was to paste labels on bottles for six shillings a week. His father John Dickens, was a warmhearted but improvident man. When he was condemned the Marshela Prison for unpaid debts, he unwisely agreed that Charles should stay in lodgings and continue working while the rest of the family joined him in jail. This three-month separation caused Charles much pain; his experiences as a child alone in a huge city–cold, isolated with barely enough to eat–haunted him for the rest of his life.

When the family fortunes improved, Charles went back to school, after which he became an office boy, a freelance reporter and finally an author. With Pickwick Papers (1836-7) he achieved immediate fame; in a few years he was easily the post popular and respected writer of his time. It has been estimated that one out of every ten persons in Victorian England was a Dickens reader. Oliver Twist (1837), Nicholas Nickleby (1838-9) and The Old Curiosity Shop (1840-41) were huge successes. Martin Chuzzlewit (1843-4) was less so, but Dickens followed it with his unforgettable, A Christmas Carol (1843), Bleak House (1852-3), Hard Times (1854) and Little Dorrit (1855-7) reveal his deepening concern for the injustices of British Society. A Tale of Two Cities (1859), Great Expectations (1860-1) and Our Mutual Friend (1864-5) complete his major works.

Dickens’s marriage to Catherine Hoggarth produced ten children but ended in separation in 1858. In that year he began a series of exhausting public readings; his health gradually declined. After putting in a full day’s work at his home at Gads Hill, Kent on June 8, 1870, Dickens suffered a stroke, and he died the following day.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Audio CD
• Publisher: Listening Library (Audio); Unabridged edition (October 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400086035
• ISBN-13: 978-1400086030
• Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 0.6 x 5.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #158,065 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #1 in Books > Books on CD > Authors, A-Z > ( D ) > Dickens, Charles
  • #20 in Books > Books on Cassette > Children's Books > General
  • #45 in Books > Books on CD > Children's Fiction > Classics

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Christmas Carol to treasure for Christmases yet to come, November 8, 2003

By 

Herbert T. Moskovitz "Herbphilly" (Philadelphia, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Christmas Carol (Audio CD)

A Christmas Carol Audiobook
read by Jim Dale

I once heard it said that to appreciate Dickens best, one should read his stories aloud. I have never had the time to try to do this, but having just listened to a new unabridged reading of A Christmas Carol from Random House, I can see the validity of the statement. Playing the CD's I felt as if the narrator was, in the words of Dickens himself, "standing in the spirit at your elbow."

And what a narrator! The multi-talented Jim Dale reads the story...no, that is not correct...Jim Dale PERFORMS the story. I counted 42 voices in the three-hour recording. Jim Dale is well known for his over 200 voices (and counting) bringing to life all of the characters in the Harry Potter books, which he also records for Random House's Listening Library.

I first saw Jim Dale in the 1977 Disney movie Pete's Dragon where he played the bumbling villain. The next year he played three hilarious characters in another Disney film, Hot Lead and Cold Feet. I was lucky to see him in two musicals on Broadway, in Barnum, and Me and My Girl. Both very memorable performances. I plan to see him next month as he sings and dances Scrooge in Madison Square Garden's Christmas Carol - The Musical. I figure if he is great in the audiobook, he will be even better on stage. An actor has only two tools...his voice and his body. In the audiobooks, of course, only the voice can be used.

And Dale's voice talents are well showcased here. I often found myself laughing out loud, thanks to the combined genius of Dickens and Dale. In a couple of cases, the genius is pure Dale. At one point he adds a bit of a dog's panting that really cracked me up.

I have seen and/or heard other wonderful actors do one-man renditions of A Christmas Carol. A number of years ago a friend played a tape for me of John Gielgud doing an abridged version. I saw Patrick Stewart do his acclaimed one man show on Broadway; from the first row! And I have seen the author's great-great grandson, Gerald Dickens do his skilled and energetic version several times. They are all memorable and it would be impossible to say which was the best. But I can heartily recommend that Jim Dale's version be added to the family library. It is complete, it is accurate and it is a virtuoso performance.

Although I certainly know the story well, I found by listening to the audiobook I was paying closer attention to the lesser known parts...the parts that, to be honest, I usually would skim over when rereading the book. In fact, there were several sections where I felt as if I were hearing them for the first time. Marvelous sections. I couldn't believe I had missed them in the past. Maybe Jim Dale's voice just made them more vibrant than my own inner voice.

I suppose that asking me to review Jim Dale reading A Christmas Carol really isn't fair. One of my favorite performers reading my favorite story by my favorite author! But surely I am not alone. Dickens is universally known as England's greatest novelist. I wouldn't be surprised if Jim Dale was gaining a reputation as one of the world's greatest readers of audiobooks. They are both master storytellers. And to quote the Dickens himself, "If that's not high praise, tell me higher, and I'll use it."

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As Magnificent as the Ghost of Christmas Present!, November 30, 2005

By 

portledgesteven "portledgesteven" (Carbondale, IL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Christmas Carol (Audio CD)

Charles Dickens is a legend, and Jim Dale should be. I was thrilled to find out that Mr. Dale had recorded "A Christmas Carol" because I've listened to many many hours (and more voices than hours!) of Mr. Dale.
One of the great strengths of "A Christmas Carol" is that it can be presented in many different ways and appeal to a variety of people at many ages. I've seen and listened to, live or recorded, Owens, Sims, Barrymore, Stewart and even Mr. Magoo perform this story but I knew Mr. Dale could bring something new to it.
I'd forgotten that Crachit had no topcoat and Scrooge's niece had kissable lips. I'd lost the memory of Scrooge trying to put out the light of the Ghost of Christmas Past and was glad to be reminded of all of the descriptions of food that Dickens layers throughout the book. I love listening to the English phrases and words that had slipped from our common usage. When I was young I thought the Ghost of Christmas Future was not much of a threat, but now, deep into middle age and a cancer survivor, I see that hooded figure quite differently.
It's a wonderful story, told with a fresh view from a beloved voice. What a great Christmas present!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lead on spirit...lead on!!, August 20, 2005

By 

frfubar8 "joe reader" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Christmas Carol (Audio CD)

Mr. Dale provides his usual vocal magic to bring Dickens' immortal holiday classic to life. Excellent narration, sprightly character voices and the reader's sense of good fun make this recording my personal favorite of 'A Christmas Carol'.

If you enjoy this then pick up more of Mr. Dale's audiobook recordings. I highly recommend all 6 of the Harry Potter audiobooks *on CD of course as you will wear your tapes out & replace them constantly* and 'Peter & the Starcatchers'.