Customer Reviews

A Christmas Carol

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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."

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!

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'.

First, the tale: Dickens' story hasn't aged at all. On the first page, there's this wry joke about how Marley was "dead as a door-nail," then goes on to speculate about why door-nails are more dead than, say, coffin-nails. This sets the tone for a powerful tale of redemption and change laced with both humor and a bit of fear (all these ghosts!). At the end of it all, Dickens inspires us to be better with this old story; he really captures a "spirit of Christmas" (and I listened to the story in March).

Second, the reader: Jim Dale is simply one of the best in the business. He lends similar creative, dramatic interpretation to his characters here as in his masterful readings of the Harry Potter books. We plan to initiate a family Christmas tradition of listening to this audiobook every December, letting it both entertain and inspire us.

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens has always been a holiday tradition in my home and now joined with the versatile voice talents of Jim Dale, the story takes on a new life and vibrancy. This reading by Mr. Dale will now be a holiday tradition in my home.

I ordered the audio book A CHRISTMAS CAROL to use with my class. We are studying the Dickens' novel and I usually read it to them. But this year I have 3 classes and by the end of the day, I would be hoarse from reading. So I decided to order the audio version of the unabridged text and it worked like a charm. Jim Dale, a classically trained British actor, did a wonderful job using many voices to read Dickens' masterpiece and it really came to life for my students.

Absolutely, hands down the best reading of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol". Jim Dale is the most versatile voice actor working today and puts forth a tremendous performance in this novel. My family and I listen to this every year and never tire of this rendition. A must have for your family holiday travels.

Another "how does he do it" in Christmas Carol. Brings the story to life as no other presentation.

Fabulous from beginning to end. Jim Dale's performance makes the characters in the book come to life. I highly recommend it.

Jim Dale is truly amazing. You would not believe that there is only one person reading the story. He really brings Dickens alive. I cried at the end.