A Christmas Carol (Reissue) [Abridged, Audiobook] [Audio Cassette]

Charles Dickens (Author), Patrick Stewart (Reader)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1991

Ebenezer Scrooge, whose name is now synonymous with greed and parsimony, believes Christmas to be "humbug." Refusing to donate any of his fortune to the poor, he comforts himself by saying, "I don't make merry myself at Christmas, and I can't afford to make idle people merry."

But then the ghost of his old partner, Jacob Marley, returns from the grave to haunt him. Dragging a long and heavy chain, representing his many sins, Marley sends down the three spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Future to warn Scrooge against a similar fate...

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Patrick Stewart's one-man production of Dickens's A Christmas Carol played to sold-out audiences in New York and Los Angeles. In this studio recording based on those performances, Stewart is in rare form, using his considerable range of voices to play all roles, from the Ghost of Christmas past to Tiny Tim. It must be said that Stewart clearly enjoys playing Scrooge best of all--but isn't the villain always the most compelling character? Even if you feel that "every idiot who goes about with 'Merry Christmas' on his lips should be boiled with his own pudding and buried with a stake of holly through his heart," this rendition of Dickens's classic will get you in a Yuletide mood. (Running time: 2 hours, 2 cassettes) --C.B. Delaney

Review

The Washington Post Not only is Patrick Stewart wonderful, but this is surely one of the best performances of A Christmas Carol ever recorded...By sheer energy and dramatic skill, Stewart invests this story with not merely life, but freshness, excitement and wonder. -- Review

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Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio; Abridged edition (November 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671769324
• ISBN-13: 978-0671769321
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,413,771 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #3 in Books > Books on Cassette > Nonfiction > Seasonal
  • #4 in Books > Books on Cassette > Authors, A-Z > ( D ) > Dickens, Charles
  • #65 in Books > Books on Cassette > Children's Books > Classics

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jean-Luc does Dickens, December 6, 2006

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C.S. Lewis fan - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

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

My family has listened to this recording every year since we bought it in 1998. My kids grew up with it, know most of it by heart and don't consider it Christmas unless they've heard it. Patrick Stewart is incredible as he performs the voices of all the characters, plus many of the sound effects. If you hear this recording and are not enthralled by it, I would have to question your sense of wonder or your appreciation for a magnificent performance and an enchanting story. Beautiful!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Tour de force, January 22, 2000

By 

Michael J. Berquist - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Christmas Carol (Reissue) (Audio Cassette)

Why is Charles Dickens "A Christmas Carol" so much a part of the Christmas season every year? Probably because the themes Dickens worked with- anger, sorrow, regret, the power of redemption -are nearly universal to the human experience and particularly enter our minds in the Christmas season.

"A Christmas Carol" is an supurb re-telling of Dickens tale by Patrick Stewart, one of the finer actors in Hollywood today. As much as this is Dickens story, this is Stewart's moment. Playing every character in the story, Stewart turns in a tour de force performance that leaves you desperately wanting more.

Believe me, you won't be disappointed.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Patrick Stewart brings it to life!, January 24, 2007

By 

happy cooker (Keizer, OR United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

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

Just wanted to say I have seen almost all productions of A Christmas Carol and read it many times, but I bought this on CD and Patrick Stewart as narrator is as good as it gets. His beautiful accent, bold intonations where it's called for and delicate tones when the characters dictate make this feel like a play with a full cast. Fantastic. I usually sell or pass along my books on CD, but this one is a keeper to listen to around the fire for years to come.