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Christmas Tales from Charles Dickens
A Christmas carol --
The chimes --
The cricket on the hearth --
The haunted man --
A Christmas-tree --
The seven poor travellers --
The holly-tree.
The chimes --
The cricket on the hearth --
The haunted man --
A Christmas-tree --
The seven poor travellers --
The holly-tree.
- GenresFiction
352 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 1994
9 people are currently reading
44 people want to read
About the author
Charles Dickens
12.8k books31.5k followersCharles John Huffam Dickens (1812-1870) was a writer and social critic who created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. His works enjoyed unprecedented popularity during his lifetime, and by the twentieth century critics and scholars had recognised him as a literary genius. His novels and short stories enjoy lasting popularity.
Dickens left school to work in a factory when his father was incarcerated in a debtors' prison. Despite his lack of formal education, he edited a weekly journal for 20 years, wrote 15 novels, five novellas, hundreds of short stories and non-fiction articles, lectured and performed extensively, was an indefatigable letter writer, and campaigned vigorously for children's rights, education, and other social reforms.
Dickens was regarded as the literary colossus of his age. His 1843 novella, A Christmas Carol, remains popular and continues to inspire adaptations in every artistic genre. Oliver Twist and Great Expectations are also frequently adapted, and, like many of his novels, evoke images of early Victorian London. His 1859 novel, A Tale of Two Cities, set in London and Paris, is his best-known work of historical fiction. Dickens's creative genius has been praised by fellow writers—from Leo Tolstoy to George Orwell and G. K. Chesterton—for its realism, comedy, prose style, unique characterisations, and social criticism. On the other hand, Oscar Wilde, Henry James, and Virginia Woolf complained of a lack of psychological depth, loose writing, and a vein of saccharine sentimentalism. The term Dickensian is used to describe something that is reminiscent of Dickens and his writings, such as poor social conditions or comically repulsive characters.
On 8 June 1870, Dickens suffered another stroke at his home after a full day's work on Edwin Drood. He never regained consciousness, and the next day he died at Gad's Hill Place. Contrary to his wish to be buried at Rochester Cathedral "in an inexpensive, unostentatious, and strictly private manner," he was laid to rest in the Poets' Corner of Westminster Abbey. A printed epitaph circulated at the time of the funeral reads: "To the Memory of Charles Dickens (England's most popular author) who died at his residence, Higham, near Rochester, Kent, 9 June 1870, aged 58 years. He was a sympathiser with the poor, the suffering, and the oppressed; and by his death, one of England's greatest writers is lost to the world." His last words were: "On the ground", in response to his sister-in-law Georgina's request that he lie down.
(from Wikipedia)
Dickens left school to work in a factory when his father was incarcerated in a debtors' prison. Despite his lack of formal education, he edited a weekly journal for 20 years, wrote 15 novels, five novellas, hundreds of short stories and non-fiction articles, lectured and performed extensively, was an indefatigable letter writer, and campaigned vigorously for children's rights, education, and other social reforms.
Dickens was regarded as the literary colossus of his age. His 1843 novella, A Christmas Carol, remains popular and continues to inspire adaptations in every artistic genre. Oliver Twist and Great Expectations are also frequently adapted, and, like many of his novels, evoke images of early Victorian London. His 1859 novel, A Tale of Two Cities, set in London and Paris, is his best-known work of historical fiction. Dickens's creative genius has been praised by fellow writers—from Leo Tolstoy to George Orwell and G. K. Chesterton—for its realism, comedy, prose style, unique characterisations, and social criticism. On the other hand, Oscar Wilde, Henry James, and Virginia Woolf complained of a lack of psychological depth, loose writing, and a vein of saccharine sentimentalism. The term Dickensian is used to describe something that is reminiscent of Dickens and his writings, such as poor social conditions or comically repulsive characters.
On 8 June 1870, Dickens suffered another stroke at his home after a full day's work on Edwin Drood. He never regained consciousness, and the next day he died at Gad's Hill Place. Contrary to his wish to be buried at Rochester Cathedral "in an inexpensive, unostentatious, and strictly private manner," he was laid to rest in the Poets' Corner of Westminster Abbey. A printed epitaph circulated at the time of the funeral reads: "To the Memory of Charles Dickens (England's most popular author) who died at his residence, Higham, near Rochester, Kent, 9 June 1870, aged 58 years. He was a sympathiser with the poor, the suffering, and the oppressed; and by his death, one of England's greatest writers is lost to the world." His last words were: "On the ground", in response to his sister-in-law Georgina's request that he lie down.
(from Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 27, 2008
I read this for A Christmas Carol but decided to read the rest and see what else Dickens had to say about Christmas. There were a few other little gems, although none were as good as A Christmas Carol, but there were some that I didn't like at all.
A Christmas Carol was a 4 star book for me. It was entertaining, Dickens made his point pretty quickly, and it was actually kind of funny. That surprised me. I loved this part: "Old Marley was as dead as a door-nail. Mind! I don't mean to say that I know, of my own knowledge, what there is particularly dead about a door-nail. I might have been inclined, myself, to regard a coffin-nail as the deadest piece of inronmongery in the trade. But the wisdom of our ancestors is in the simile; and my unhallowed hands shall not disturb it, or the Country's done for. You will therefore permit me to repeat, emphatically, that Marley was as dead as a door-nail." I'm glad I read this, but at the same time, I can't help but feel that if you've seen one of the many, many movies, you know what the book is about. There is very little in the book that doesn't make it into the movies. Read it if you're curious, but don't feel you're missing out on anything if you don't.
"The Chimes"--2 stars--This was similar to A Christmas Carol, but this time a poor man is shown how much worse the world could be. There aren't any little flashes of humor, the book got very preachy, it was too melodramatic, and I was left wondering why Trotty, the main character, is going through all this when he's surrounded by rich jerks who really need to be taught a lesson. I did like this quote though: "There's nothing more regular in its coming round than dinner-time, and nothing less regular in its coming round than dinner." Overall, I felt like Dickens was trying to re-do what he'd already gotten right the first time around with A Christmas Carol. I would give this one a pass.
"The Cricket on the Hearth"--4 stars--An older man is given reason to doubt the fidelity of his younger wife. This was a nice, happy little story. It didn't have much to do with Christmas, but I enjoyed it. Here's my favorite quote from this one: "And the fact is, that the kettle began it, at least five minutes before the Cricket gave any sign of being in existence. Contradict me, and I'll say ten."
"The Haunted Man"--3 stars--An unhappy man sort of makes a "deal with the devil" to forget all his troubles and wrongs and all the associated memories. He spreads this "gift" to everyone else he comes into contact with. He realizes that memories of trouble help make us compassionate and the good in our memories outweighs the bad. This story was decent. Not anything great, but decent. The family of the Tetterbys was funny. One lady at the end gets all Sally Field, "You like me! You really like me!" That sort of cracked me up in that context.
"A Christmas-Tree"--3 stars--This just felt like an essay on Dickens's Christmas memories. He remembers toys and books he got for Christmas when he was younger, ghost stories told, and the true meaning of Christmas. This also felt like a journal entry in that it seemed to be something that would really only be relevant to the writer. It was fun to recognize some of the books and stories that he mentions, but mostly the language was dense, it was hard to read and understand, and I thought it was boring.
"What Christmas Is As We Grow Older"--3 stars--This one also feels like an essay or editorial. He reflects on how dreams from our youth seem almost real and how the memories of our lost loved one become sweeter. The language in this one is very high-flown, dense, overwrought, and hard to wade through. The good part is that it's short.
"The Poor Relation's Story"--3 stars--A poor relation tells about what his life has really been like. I didn't really get this one at all. I think it was something about rising above our circumstances and maybe even not letting dreams die. I don't know.
"The Seven Poor Travellers"--3 stars--A rich man provides a nice dinner for some poor travellers on Christmas Eve and tells them a story. The story is one of redemption and forgiveness, which I'm always a sucker for. That was probably what saved this story for me. The framework for the story is boring and pointless.
"The Holly-Tree"--2 stars--A man gets snow bound at The Holly-Tree Inn and reflects on other inns he's stayed at in the past to pass the time. This was a big, jumbled mess of three unrelated stories in one. None of the stories had anything to do with each other that I could see. One of the stories was cute by itself. It was also kind of fun to read an early version of what sounded like Sweeney Todd.
"Doctor Marigold"--4 stars--A man writes about his life as an early version of a travelling salesman, his wife, and his daughters. This one was very good. I enjoyed reading it. I liked the voice Dickens used for this narrator. He really sounded like a fast-talking salesman. I recommend this one.
Overall, this edition was hit-or-miss, but if you're in the mood for some Dickens at Christmas, there are a few of these stories I would recommend.
A Christmas Carol was a 4 star book for me. It was entertaining, Dickens made his point pretty quickly, and it was actually kind of funny. That surprised me. I loved this part: "Old Marley was as dead as a door-nail. Mind! I don't mean to say that I know, of my own knowledge, what there is particularly dead about a door-nail. I might have been inclined, myself, to regard a coffin-nail as the deadest piece of inronmongery in the trade. But the wisdom of our ancestors is in the simile; and my unhallowed hands shall not disturb it, or the Country's done for. You will therefore permit me to repeat, emphatically, that Marley was as dead as a door-nail." I'm glad I read this, but at the same time, I can't help but feel that if you've seen one of the many, many movies, you know what the book is about. There is very little in the book that doesn't make it into the movies. Read it if you're curious, but don't feel you're missing out on anything if you don't.
"The Chimes"--2 stars--This was similar to A Christmas Carol, but this time a poor man is shown how much worse the world could be. There aren't any little flashes of humor, the book got very preachy, it was too melodramatic, and I was left wondering why Trotty, the main character, is going through all this when he's surrounded by rich jerks who really need to be taught a lesson. I did like this quote though: "There's nothing more regular in its coming round than dinner-time, and nothing less regular in its coming round than dinner." Overall, I felt like Dickens was trying to re-do what he'd already gotten right the first time around with A Christmas Carol. I would give this one a pass.
"The Cricket on the Hearth"--4 stars--An older man is given reason to doubt the fidelity of his younger wife. This was a nice, happy little story. It didn't have much to do with Christmas, but I enjoyed it. Here's my favorite quote from this one: "And the fact is, that the kettle began it, at least five minutes before the Cricket gave any sign of being in existence. Contradict me, and I'll say ten."
"The Haunted Man"--3 stars--An unhappy man sort of makes a "deal with the devil" to forget all his troubles and wrongs and all the associated memories. He spreads this "gift" to everyone else he comes into contact with. He realizes that memories of trouble help make us compassionate and the good in our memories outweighs the bad. This story was decent. Not anything great, but decent. The family of the Tetterbys was funny. One lady at the end gets all Sally Field, "You like me! You really like me!" That sort of cracked me up in that context.
"A Christmas-Tree"--3 stars--This just felt like an essay on Dickens's Christmas memories. He remembers toys and books he got for Christmas when he was younger, ghost stories told, and the true meaning of Christmas. This also felt like a journal entry in that it seemed to be something that would really only be relevant to the writer. It was fun to recognize some of the books and stories that he mentions, but mostly the language was dense, it was hard to read and understand, and I thought it was boring.
"What Christmas Is As We Grow Older"--3 stars--This one also feels like an essay or editorial. He reflects on how dreams from our youth seem almost real and how the memories of our lost loved one become sweeter. The language in this one is very high-flown, dense, overwrought, and hard to wade through. The good part is that it's short.
"The Poor Relation's Story"--3 stars--A poor relation tells about what his life has really been like. I didn't really get this one at all. I think it was something about rising above our circumstances and maybe even not letting dreams die. I don't know.
"The Seven Poor Travellers"--3 stars--A rich man provides a nice dinner for some poor travellers on Christmas Eve and tells them a story. The story is one of redemption and forgiveness, which I'm always a sucker for. That was probably what saved this story for me. The framework for the story is boring and pointless.
"The Holly-Tree"--2 stars--A man gets snow bound at The Holly-Tree Inn and reflects on other inns he's stayed at in the past to pass the time. This was a big, jumbled mess of three unrelated stories in one. None of the stories had anything to do with each other that I could see. One of the stories was cute by itself. It was also kind of fun to read an early version of what sounded like Sweeney Todd.
"Doctor Marigold"--4 stars--A man writes about his life as an early version of a travelling salesman, his wife, and his daughters. This one was very good. I enjoyed reading it. I liked the voice Dickens used for this narrator. He really sounded like a fast-talking salesman. I recommend this one.
Overall, this edition was hit-or-miss, but if you're in the mood for some Dickens at Christmas, there are a few of these stories I would recommend.
September 17, 2022
Forward by Stefan R. Dziemianowicz (my 1985 edition, New York: Bonanza Books: Distributed by Crown Publishers ✔
A Christmas Carol 5⭐
The Chimes 3.25⭐
The Cricket on the Hearth 3.5⭐
The Haunted Man 2⭐
A Christmas-Tree 4⭐
What Christmas is as We Grow Older 3.25⭐
The Poor Relation's Story 4⭐
The Seven Poor Travellers 3.5⭐
The Holly-Tree
The Guest 4⭐
The Boots 3.5⭐
The Bill 3⭐
Doctor Marigold (chapters I, VI and VIII of Doctor Marigold's Prescriptions
Chapter I To be Taken Immediately 5⭐
Chapter VI. To be Taken with a Grain of Salt 4⭐
Chapter VII. To be Taken for Life 4.5⭐
A Christmas Carol 5⭐
The Chimes 3.25⭐
The Cricket on the Hearth 3.5⭐
The Haunted Man 2⭐
A Christmas-Tree 4⭐
What Christmas is as We Grow Older 3.25⭐
The Poor Relation's Story 4⭐
The Seven Poor Travellers 3.5⭐
The Holly-Tree
The Guest 4⭐
The Boots 3.5⭐
The Bill 3⭐
Doctor Marigold (chapters I, VI and VIII of Doctor Marigold's Prescriptions
Chapter I To be Taken Immediately 5⭐
Chapter VI. To be Taken with a Grain of Salt 4⭐
Chapter VII. To be Taken for Life 4.5⭐
November 26, 2021
A Christmas Carol is a tradition for me. I'm glad to have the classic tale here...the rest....a tougher read.
December 17, 2021
I didnt know there were other christmas stories from charles Dickens than a Christmas Carol
January 7, 2026
It’s rather a classical and formal Christmas read than the one that you would reread yearly.
Want to read
February 4, 2011141/352
January 9, 2013
Some of the stories were hard to get into, but I loved each of the unique tales.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews