It's the Christmas season, and Mr. Timothy Cratchit, not the pious child the world thought he was, has just buried his father. He's also struggl... read full description
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Jan 10, 2012
MaritaBeth
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Bought for me by my husband, as a gift, the subject matter and plot of this book are not really within my usual realms of interest. It’s really quite the thriller—a murder mystery, edge of your seat sort of story. I rarely choose to read (or watch movies, for that matter) about violence that occurs in a fictional setting. Some fantasies, like JRR Tolkein’s works are notable exceptions, but for the most part, if it’s not history … stories that are factual, not fictional … I don’t want the viol
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Jan 05, 2011
Jen
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I didn't really know what to expect from this when I picked it up. My friend Allison recommended it, but all she told me about it was that she liked it and that it was a story written about the character of Tiny Tim from A Christmas Carol, but that he's an adult. Okay, so that part is true, but it doesn't make a whole lot of difference to the story that he's a well-known character - there's very little that we know of him from A Christmas Carol anyway, and while there is some mention of his fa
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Dec 17, 2009
Liddy
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Bayard sets out to answer a question I'm not sure most people bothered to ask: what happened to Tiny Tim at the end of A Christmas Carol? Apparently, he was not nearly as smarmy as Dickens made him out to be; in Bayard's hands, Timothy is an interesting and complicated character. Not so, sadly, for any of the other characters in the book, who fall neatly into Victorian stereotypes: the cheeky orphan boy, the gruff riverboat captain, the evil aristocrat. The action sequences here were obviously w
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Feb 11, 2012
Tony
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In 1843, Charles Dickens brought us A CHRISTMAS CAROL and introduced us to Tiny Tim, a pitiable lad who stole our hearts. That fateful Christmas when young Tim hobbled around in wretched style, old Ebenezer Scrooge spent a fitful night with three ghosts who taught him some hard lessons about stinginess. Now, Louis Bayard shows us Timothy Cratchit in his 23rd year, grown up yet still quite a charmer. And "Uncle N," despite some unwise money handling, pledges a monthly stipend to Tim and
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Jun 19, 2011
Paul
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Author Louis Bayard takes a long, hard look at the child character Timothy "Tiny Tim" Cratchit of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" and constructs a fully realized and completely plausible adult version, complete with neuroses, uncertainty and the directionlessness of young adulthood. Mr. Timothy, as he is now known, lives a dissolute, aimless life on the fringers of 19th century London society, or at least he does until he repeatedly spots a young homeless girl who, for
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Oct 31, 2009
Paul
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Charles Dickens, English literature's unmatched character creator, managed to conjure up the most romantic, sweetly sick, maudlin personality ever to poke his tiny head into our Christmas celebrations. The Cratchit dinner party with Tiny Tim's banal "What a goose, Mother!" is more than enough to turn the cranberry sour on us.
I imagine a much older Timothy Cratchit would cringe hearing the tiresome family stories of his infant self, as we all do when our parents, in a flush More...
I imagine a much older Timothy Cratchit would cringe hearing the tiresome family stories of his infant self, as we all do when our parents, in a flush More...
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Jul 13, 2009
Elizabeth
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Mr Timothy is Tiny Tim Cratchitt from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol – all grown up now and a very different being from the innocent, pathos-riddled child with whom readers might already be acquainted. Louis Bayard’s Big Tim is a creature of the night who dwells in a brothel and undertakes nocturnal work with a partner, plucking bodies from the Thames for the reward of what might be in their pockets and a finding fee from the authorities. Fortunately he has a stipend from Uncle Ebe More...
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Jan 08, 2010
Laura
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Mr. Timothy is the story of a grown up “Tiny Tim.” With his Uncle Ebenezer’s (or Uncle “N”) help, Timothy became a man with a slight limp and a great education. Uncle N’s help left Timothy with a sense of always wanting something greater than circumstances allowed. After his father’s death, Timothy finds himself adrift in Victorian England. He takes residence in a brothel and pays rent by teaching the madam how to read. Traveling through the foggy streets of London and trolling the Thames R
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Jul 30, 2009
Elizabeth
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I must confess, I went into this novel with mediocre expectations. I looked forward to a mystery with perhaps a sincere but brief nod towards the Dickens spirit and the language of old England. I encountered, to my immense delight, something far better. I found myself involved in an immensely satisfying novel.
The book takes us into the confidence of A Christmas Carol's Tiny Tim as a grown man known in his later years as "Mr. Timothy."
A complex man with a decided More...
The book takes us into the confidence of A Christmas Carol's Tiny Tim as a grown man known in his later years as "Mr. Timothy."
A complex man with a decided More...
Dec 03, 2011
Darlene
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I was very excited to finally read this book as I've been a huge fan of Charles Dickens for many years. This story is centered around Timothy Cratchit (Tiny Tim from A Christmas Carol) who is now a young man. Louis Bayard does a fantastic job of recreating the atmosphere of a Dickens novel... the foggy, cobbled streets of Victorian England complete with the fake cheerfulness of the hypocritical aristocracy and the underbelly of society... the impoverished who are all but invisible to the rest of
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Sep 17, 2008
Mary
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Mr. Timothy follows the now adult Tiny Tim of A Christmas Carol as he navigates the dark streets of Victorian England to solve a murder and face his own murky past. Disaffected, leery of the surreal eternal Christmas of his sometime benefactor Scrooge, haunted by his father's ghost, the adult Mr. Timothy presents a far more compelling and sympathetic character than his youthful counterpart in the Dickens tale.
Apr 07, 2011
Mackay
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This book rather defies categorization. It's a thriller, but it has a stately pace. How it keeps you turning pages has little to do with the gripping plot and more to do with the writing and the insights and the playful, serious way Bayard explores a real, three-dimensional character behind that most cloying of classic characters, Tiny Tim. This is Tiny Tim all grown up, and much of the mystery--aside from that gripping plot, which has to do with the nastiness of Victorian England--is Timothy'
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May 28, 2011
Anjanette
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After reading The Black Tower, I thought, "I have GOT to read some more of this guy's stuff!" His style in that novel was sparkling in the manner of Carlos Ruiz Zafon, and I was completely engrossed. Unfortunately I picked this book as a follow-up, and now I don't really want to read any more Bayard. To begin with, I simply don't understand the literary device of using a grown-up Tiny Tim as the protagonist. There is no point in it. It would have been just as good with any character -
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Feb 08, 2012
Richard
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Mr. Timothy was an unusual experience for me. I didn't like it very much: the writing was stilted, the vocabulary struck me as anachronistic, and the key villainous roles seemed underwritten. It's also worth mentioning that the narrator's interest in the ten year old Philomena often stuck me as, um, more than a bit pedo, although the story never makes that explicit and -MINOR SPOILER AHEAD- he is (apparently) gay anyway.
My main problem is that - aside from the gimmick -there seems More...
My main problem is that - aside from the gimmick -there seems More...
Dec 04, 2009
Dwhren
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This book was for one of my book clubs. We were looking for something vaguely Christmas related, and the title Timothy in this book is the character Tiny Tim from A Christmas Carol all grown up. As seems to be the curse of this book club we once again picked a book that I didn't care for. I'm not really sure what the point of having the protagonist of this book be Tiny Tim was as it didn't really contribute much to the book. The main plot of the book revolves around Timothy getting caught up
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Feb 03, 2009
Babette
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I read this book based on the references I found while reading The Pale Blue Eye. Louis Bayard has impressive credentials - both academically and professionally. His writing is literate and intelligent, and he creates characters that are sympathetic and, at times, inspiring.
This actually was Bayard's first attempt to use a well-known character (this one fictional) at the center of his novel. In a brief interview, he confesses that Dickens had a significant influence on him. This stor More...
This actually was Bayard's first attempt to use a well-known character (this one fictional) at the center of his novel. In a brief interview, he confesses that Dickens had a significant influence on him. This stor More...
Jul 16, 2009
Claire
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Well, even though the book didn't knock my knickers off, I think I might have found a new favorite author.
Like The Pale Blue Eye, Bayard has once again crafted a novel of historical suspense with a character who is known the world over: Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol's Tiny Tim, all grown up and more maturely called Timothy Cratchit.
The book follows much of the same formula that Bayard used for Eye: a sentimental protagonist, stained by his past relationships, seeks More...
Like The Pale Blue Eye, Bayard has once again crafted a novel of historical suspense with a character who is known the world over: Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol's Tiny Tim, all grown up and more maturely called Timothy Cratchit.
The book follows much of the same formula that Bayard used for Eye: a sentimental protagonist, stained by his past relationships, seeks More...
Jan 07, 2009
Kassandra
rated it:
Finished this one last night. It's about Tiny Tim in his 20's and some adventures he has involving street urchins, young foreign girls, prostitutes, and a plethora of other old Londonesque characters.
I absolutely fell in love with Bayard's use of the English language in the first 50 or so pages. Such talent and beauty was refreshing. Alas, it was only a short-lived infatuation for by page 200 I was still enjoying his writing but not the content. The story drags on and on and on. I li More...
I absolutely fell in love with Bayard's use of the English language in the first 50 or so pages. Such talent and beauty was refreshing. Alas, it was only a short-lived infatuation for by page 200 I was still enjoying his writing but not the content. The story drags on and on and on. I li More...
Apr 28, 2011
Kathy
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Nov 03, 2011
Marcia
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I enjoyed Mr. Timothy very much -- thought that Bayard's device of a consciously literary figure, frozen in fiction as a precious child (one imagines what W. C. Fields would have said -- and one knows 20th century critics did say), looking for a narrative that will allow him to be an adult.
Timothy clearly flees the Dickensian getmutlichkeit -- the stuff Dickens apparently longed for and could never quite achieve, Aunt Betsy Trotwood's nurturing home and Peggoty's devotion -- and se More...
Timothy clearly flees the Dickensian getmutlichkeit -- the stuff Dickens apparently longed for and could never quite achieve, Aunt Betsy Trotwood's nurturing home and Peggoty's devotion -- and se More...
Dec 15, 2009
This was decent-to-pretty good. Thanks to Danielle's review I was ready for it to have nothing except a character and time period in common with A Christmas Carol. This is basically a Dickensian mystery novel, featuring grown-up Tiny Tim and a couple of young London ruffians. They run around having adventures first trying to rescue one of the trio, and then trying to prevent an evildoer from doing his thing. I thought Bayard did a pretty good job of combining a Dickensian style of narration with
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Feb 04, 2009
Kelly
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As a big fan of Dickens, I was very timid about reading this book but, I am glad I took the chance. This is a brilliant part 2 to Dickens' Christmas Carol. Not only is it a part 2 but, really a completely different story - not a ghost story but, a murder mystery using the same characters as A Christmas Carol. And the way Bayard captures Dickens' London is just perfect. I never thought I would find - and I have tried in the past - I never thought I would find an author who has the ability to
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May 09, 2009
D.
rated it:
ok. I had to be dragged to this book and I went kicking and screaming. My friend asked me to read it and NOT compare it to the great books I've read in the past but only to books I've read recently. I did that. I hated the entire Dickens gimmick and felt it brought NOTHING to the story (but it probably helped the author sell the book to the publisher).
Aside from that I thought it was, at least, a story with a plot-- one where the action was related to the tale.
Overall, I thought it w More...
Aside from that I thought it was, at least, a story with a plot-- one where the action was related to the tale.
Overall, I thought it w More...
Dec 02, 2010
Chris
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Tiny Tim is all grown up and living in a brothel. He makes his living teaching the Madame to read and taking the occasional handout from Uncle N. (Guess who?)
Tim becomes obsessed with a young orphaned waif named Philomela. Philomela trusts no one, so Tim has to gain her trust before he can discover what is going on.
The book is more of a dark "Christmas Carol". Not Mr. Dicken's version, but with glimpses of his London and his characters through different eyes.
The langua More...
Tim becomes obsessed with a young orphaned waif named Philomela. Philomela trusts no one, so Tim has to gain her trust before he can discover what is going on.
The book is more of a dark "Christmas Carol". Not Mr. Dicken's version, but with glimpses of his London and his characters through different eyes.
The langua More...
Nov 22, 2009
Rich
rated it:
This is an interesting book... A murder mystery set in the 1860s, and the protagonist is a grown-up Tiny Tim from 'A Christmas Carol.' After the death of his father, Tim has moved into a brothel, his room and board paid for by teaching the owner to read. From there, he starts finding the bodies of young girls, each branded with a G. A lengthy detective story follows, leading him to encounter a variety of bizarre and unsavory characters. I enjoyed it, though the plot was overshadowed by the cleve
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Apr 09, 2011
Michael
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Review from Badelynge
Louis Bayard's Mr Timothy rejoins Dickens's Tiny Tim when he is an adult. Timothy is something of a lost soul, drifting through the days waiting for the happy part of 'happily ever after' to kick in. Dickens didn't conclude 'A Christmas Carol' with that phrase but it was certainly implied. In this book the majority of the Cratchits are either dead or scattered, no longer a family but instead a remnant of one. Scrooge goes on though, locked forever in his embodiment of More...
Louis Bayard's Mr Timothy rejoins Dickens's Tiny Tim when he is an adult. Timothy is something of a lost soul, drifting through the days waiting for the happy part of 'happily ever after' to kick in. Dickens didn't conclude 'A Christmas Carol' with that phrase but it was certainly implied. In this book the majority of the Cratchits are either dead or scattered, no longer a family but instead a remnant of one. Scrooge goes on though, locked forever in his embodiment of More...
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May 16, 2009
Jessica
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It's fascinating that Mr. Bayard took a literary character known to us as a good, pious young cripple, and created a character in his twenties who was fairly far removed from the "And God bless us, everyone" goody-goody that closed out the story for us.
I loved the descriptions of Tim's London, the places he wandered and the people he encountered. Gully was strange but encouragingly lovable. Colin the Melodious more than made up for Tim's staid, ploddingly slow mind and acti More...
I loved the descriptions of Tim's London, the places he wandered and the people he encountered. Gully was strange but encouragingly lovable. Colin the Melodious more than made up for Tim's staid, ploddingly slow mind and acti More...
Dec 17, 2008
Allison
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Mr. Timothy is a psychological exploration into the grown up Tiny Tim mixed with a gruesome mystery of dead girls. It doesn't sound all that Christmas-y, but it does take place around the same holiday as Dickens' carol. In it, Tiny Tim has grown up to be a quiet and melancholy man. He no longer needs a crutch and instead walks with only a slight limp-- but a load of emotional baggage. Bayard imagines that his generous spirit as a boy was covering something dark, and gives us an insight into
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Sep 15, 2008
Will
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The Mr. Timothy of the title is Tim Cratchit, Tiny Tim as an adult, with Uncle N as his sponsor, offering an income in return for a visit now and again. Tim is not very settled in the world, even though he has overcome his infirmity to a point where he has merely a limp from a shortened leg to remind him of his past. He finds work in Mrs. Sharpe’s bordello, teaching the madame to read and write, helping keep the business’s books. One day he spies a young girl in the alley, a homeless child strug
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Jul 28, 2008
Meagan
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Mr. Timothy picks up many years after the end of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, and is as different from that classic story as you can imagine. Tiny Tim, now all grown up, has lost his father and is living on his own, teaching the mistress of a brothel to read in exchange for room and board. In order to make money, he joins a friend in dredging the depths of the Thames for bodies to supply to medical schools and scientific researchers, and still accepts the occasional stipend from his "
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