Customer Reviews

A Midnight Carol: A Novel of How Charles Dickens Saved Christmas

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
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1 star:		(2)

 

 

Patricia Davis' novel about Charles Dickens and the circumstances surrounding his writing of "A Christmas Carol" is wonderfully entertaining and highly educational. She does an outstanding job of bringing to light this most compelling true story, using beautiful language that is very appropriate for Victorian England and yet quite easy for the modern reader to understand. Her characters are poignant and fascinating, and her descriptions of the newly-industrialized London bring The City to life. It's hard to believe she isn't English! This book is a perfect stocking-stuffer for any lover of historical fiction from age 12 to 120.

Beautifully written and well researched, this book makes you feel as though you are right there with Dickens trying to get his book published as scoundrels try to steal it from him and creditors are at his door. Within the story are historical pearls such as how Scotland Yard, in the middle of London, got its name and why an English policeman is called a bobby. The story is a fun adventure that leaves you with a rich picture of Victorian England and of Dickens as a family man and writer. I'm giving it to all my friends.

I read this enchanting little novel and wanted more! I loved the way the author portrayed Dickens, he was a character worthy of one of his own novels, and my one complaint is that the story ended too soon. One caution I would make to readers is to remember that although this book is, as stated on the book flap, "fact-based", remember that it is in 'fact' a novel -- a work of fiction. I do not know the actual facts of the story, what parts of Dickens life at the time he wrote "A Christmas Carol" are actually represented in the novel, as opposed to the poetic license of the author to tell a good tale. But I will say that since this book is so entertaining, and intriguing, I now feel compelled to read a biography of Dickens to see how much the author actually gleaned from "fact". This is a compliment to the author. Her work stays with you, and in my case, makes me want to learn more. This is a wonderful story, and of course, a perfect holiday gift.

I read this wonderfully wrought tale in one evening sitting by the fire. This was an enthralling read with such wonderful descriptions as:"By December, the sun forsook the sky by late afternoon, taking with it heat and hope. Then cold blew in with its polar breath, hardening the ground--and human hearts--from the icy Orkneys to barren Dartmoor." It made me want to read more of the characters Dicken's was surrounded by in his life. This is fascinating all the more because it is based in truth. It was fascinating to me, to see the bleak conditions in Dicken's own life that led to his writing of my favorite piece of literature, "A Christmas Carol". It made it seem even more magical. :)

First, I must comment on the remarks by the reviewer in Carlsbad, CA. While everyone one has a right to their opinion, this reviewer's statements miss the mark. Indeed, Davis did not ignore the fact that Dickens had a distaste for upper crust Victorian England. How could you miss this? Furthermore, the story was wonderfully crafted. She brought Mr. Dickens to life on the page and by doing so gives us more insight into Dickens' wonerful classic 'A Christmas Carol.' Read the publisher's review to get a thumb nail sketch of the book, I wont reiterate what has already been written. I only add that it is an enjoyable, even delightful read. I plan to read it again next Christmas!

Patricia Davis has done a suitable job of capturing the genius and spirit of Charles Dickens--his fears, hopes, and ideals. Davis also has a talent for portraying the mood of a scene without a lot of detailed description of setting. Unfortunately, as the book progresses, I found that this strength became a weakness-there are times when more description and context would have been helpful and appropriate.

I would have liked to have seen more of the private Dickens, wrestling with the development of his story and it's characters. Charles Dickens wrote that as the tale unfolded he "wept and laughed, and wept again" but in Midnight Carol, we get only a tantalizing glimpse of that. While the use of the ghost of Oliver Cromwell was a clever device, I thought the book could have used more of him as the principal foil to Dickens' muse. Also, I must agree with a previous reviewer that the ending was badly rushed. In the last two chapters, important plot questions are resolved in far too much of an "offhand manner." (And, yes, the lack of an historical afterword is a very serious flaw).

All in all, If you love Dickens' Christmas Carol-I mean, REALLY love it (as I do)-then Midnight Carol is required reading. It's brevity means that you can finish it in a single evening. Its brevity (combined with the author's demonstrated talent with the English language) also makes you wish for more substance.

This is a thoroughly entertaining story, allowing us into the mind of Charles Dickens.

I honestly do not know if the events depicted in the book are historically accurate, but after reading the story I know two things; one, I don't care if the story is accurate, and two, I was moved enough to want to find out if it was.

For a first novel, this is a real winner. The author clearly establishes the personality of Dickens, and his emotions. I felt quite honestly as if we had a window through which we could view his thinking.

The book shows good research has been made, and although charming and pleasant, it does not shy from the harsh reality of the class struggle in Dickensian London. This enhances the personality of Dickens the author has crafted, and his feelings towards the injustices heaped upon the poor.

The book is nicely laid out, too. The printing has the look of an old-style novel, even though this is a paperback.

The only thing I would call attention to is the ending, which seemed a little too quick. I think the ending could have been drawn out a bit further, and perhaps more fully developed. An afterword about what in the book was fact or fabrication, as well as a brief outline of the real Dickens' actions after the period the story takes place, would have been helpful.

The individual steeped in Dickens lore will undoutedly find some elements of the story "nettlesome", and an end section such as I suggest might have mollified them somewhat.

However, the reading experience was quite good, and I highly recommend the book for fans of "A Christmas Carol" as well as followers of Mr. Dickens.

I'm also looking forward to more work by this author.

Imagine blending "It's a Wonderful Life" with "A Christmas Carol" and you have Patricia K. Davis's novel, "A Midnight Carol, or How Charles Dickens saved Christmas". This charming tale finds our hero, Charles Dickens, broke, his wife pregnant with her fifth child and his books failing to sell and generate royalties, and Dickens desperate and at the end of his rope. He knows that he must write something to keep the roof over his head and food on the table for his family, when circumstances suddenly converge and inspire him to write the timeless classic, "A Christmas Carol". He decides to get it published, own the rights to it himself and have it selling before Christmas. When his publisher finds out about the idea, they realise that Dickens has struck gold, and conspire to find a way to keep the book for themselves and reap the profits from it. In the meantime, Dickens is haunted by the ghost of Oliver Cromwell, who he believes stole Christmas, and finds an unlikely ally in a street urchin who will eventually reveal the plot against Dickens to steal his story. It all adds up to a marvelous book that perfectly captures the flavour of Dickensian England and reveals how the timeless story "A Christmas Carol" came to be. In the end, the plot to steal the story is foiled, Christmas is saved and Dickens receives a new lease on life. This is a book that can be read in an evening over a nice hot mug of mulled wine or cider, and should be read as a companion volume to Dickens' classic story. A highly imaginative and recommended read for the Holiday Season!

I picked up this book in the used section of my bookstore, thinking it would spark up some holiday spirit. In less than two days, I've read and loved it. The author does a superb job of setting the historical and societal tone of Victorian England (both the luxe and the poverty-stricken quarters are described well), and she gets us inside the fascinating mind of Dickens himself. My favorite character, though, was Ben Newborn, a fictional street urchin worthy to be attached to the Dickens name. In the end, I had more regard for Dickens, more insight into his world, and yes, the spark of Christmas spirit I was looking for.

I would tend to think of this like historical fiction, but more accurately biographical fiction with a great story based around actual events. But it could still be considered of some historical fiction value as Dicken's work was so influential, particularly through the classic this story is about. This book make a very good holidaze season read as it is fairly short and easy to follow. It imitates in some ways the kind of writing reminiscent in the classic Christmas Carol, so one gets the feel of Dicken's thinking and surroundings at the time he crafted the classic tale. I enjoy reading this after the classic every Christmas season.