3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Must Read, December 20, 2006
This review is from: A Maine Christmas Carol (Paperback)
A Maine Christmas Carol had me mesmerized from the first page. While loosely based on the traditional Christmas Carol, Philip Harris has brought the story into today's world and given it some unique twists that make it a brand new story.
Anyone with kids, gramdkids or even anyone who knows someone with kids needs to pick up a copy of this book. It is one that you will find yourself reading over and over again.
Joyce A. Anthony
author of Storm
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
DO NOT LISTEN TO THE OTHER REVIEWS!, December 10, 2010
This review is from: A Maine Christmas Carol (Paperback)
The fact that anyone has given this 5 stars, is incomprehensible to me. I wish I could get my money and my time back. It reads like poorly written fan-fiction.
The diction and word choice are inconsistent. The author should have committed to the modernization and not tried to tuck in period vocabulary and turns of phrases to recall the Dickens classic. None of the characters behaved in logical or appropriate manners, they flip flopped and changed personalities to suit the point of that particular passage. Not to mention that we were constantly told, rather than shown, character traits. The narrative constantly contradicts itself and can be confusing.
I can honestly say that I've read better fan-fiction stories (with the same Christmas Carol conceit), stories that put this one to shame. I'm not sure how this got published, it seems so unpolished. Even the editor didn't seem to care about it too much, because there are typos and unevenly spaced words and letters. In a soft cover book I payed over $14 for. Like I said, I wish I hadn't wasted my time on this. Though it's my own fault, I suggested it for book-club. Maybe if I'm lucky I will realize that it was all just a 'nightmare caused by an undigested brownie'...
And here's a bonus review from another member of my book club (who universally gave this book 1 star- only because there was nothing lower to give):
"Seriously how did it get published? The story goes that TJ is depressed and angry because of his father's death in Iraq a few years before the story takes place. He hates his mother because she works, Christmas, and life in general. One night before Christmas he is visited by his father, sister, and dead girlfriend. At the end he decides to embrace life.
The story is poorly written and contains every cliche possible. Cliches would be fine as the story is based on a Christmas Carol but my problem with it is that it lacks the magic and complexity of the original story."
And another:
"Can we give negative stars?"
Honestly, I don't enjoy putting down other people's work, but I don't want anyone to be fooled into paying so much money for such a low quality product. I advise against buying this book.
I feel betrayed by all of the blindly positive reviews. I would have gotten a failing grade if I'd handed it in to a teacher in high school. I worked in a writing center in college, and this type of writing was what professors sent students to be helped with, not what was submitted for final grades.
It just isn't very nice to leave such a long detailed positive review when you don't mean a word of it.
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2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Maine Christmas Carol, December 2, 2007
This review is from: A Maine Christmas Carol (Paperback)
Philip Harris' A Maine Christmas Carol, a modern retelling of the Dickensian fable of Christmas' past, present, and future in a middle class New England setting is a holiday treat for readers of all ages. The spirit of the original story is cleverly unraveled in a more up to date but equally grim narration of the experiences of a blighted contemporary Scrooge named Thomas as he "sees" Christmas with his spirit guides.
The classic unfolding of the life of a beleaguered and very ill-spirited young man faced with the consequences of his own self-serving actions is cleverly layered with messages aimed at the socially irresponsible of our own life and times. A Maine Christmas Carol is a powerful parable of the ills of progressive society left to exist unchecked and held unaccountable. Through the eyes of the spirit guides, Thomas sees that while he is not responsible for the happiness of others, his actions do deeply impact all those who come in contact with him. From the local shop owners to his eight-year-old sister, his exploits leave a deep and lasting impression. Even more critical to note is the tsunami-like wave affect his acts, deeds, and lack of achievement has on those he will never meet. What he does not do with his life is just as significant as what he has done so far in his 16 years.
In Harris' A Maine Christmas Carol, a new family tradition is born. The easy conversational writing style, the logical flow of the story, and the twist to the original story makes this book a new classic that will go on the shelves right next to Dickens' original morality tale. Harris does a marvelous job of weaving Thomas' profound experience of redemption with the underlying themes of social justice and poverty. A Maine Christmas Carol is explicit in demonstrating the relationship of the privileged class in our country who has failed to address the social issues facing our society. Philip Harris has clearly and unequivocally produced a rich allegory that redefines the importance of Christmas to a new generation of readers.
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