A Christmas carol - Charles Dickens - How are you getting on?

[Philip (sarah)]

Forgot to sayI watched the movie(yes,Lorraine.The Patrick Stewart version) while doing my ironing yesterday and was amused to see how closely it resembled the book.Having read the book so recently it let me compare them closely and I was pleasantly surprised.BTW you are right Lorraine.He was lovely!.HeHe.

[[deleted user]]

Just about to start this- got a few more pages of my current read and then I'll get going! Read Great Expectations at the start of this year which I loved but then tried reading the Pickwick Papers with a group and I only got half way through. Hoping this one, as a slightly shorter read, will be enjoyable!

[Darren]

People forget just how dark this book is. It's a story of redemption, but Scrooge has to go to some very low points before being redeemed and I've often wonsered if he has actually found redemption or is just trying to buy his way out of the future that frightened him so much. Englightened self-interest as it were.

Marley's ghost, for example, is not picnic and the ghost of christmas yet to come isn't a barrel of laughs and that's before we get to Tiny Tim and what is initially in store for him.

Incidentally, this is also true of the greatest Christmas film of all Time (TM) It's a Wonderful Life which is also astonishingly dark before you get to the uplifting ending.

[Philip (sarah)]

Thanks for joining us in the groupread Heather,sorry I didn't answer your post earlier but I have 2 family members wiped out with flu.Hope you enjoy the book and will join in the discussions.

[Philip (sarah)]

Very interesting discussion points Darren,I hope you will help me out when the discussion thread starts.I like to ponder over what affected Scrooge most, revisiting his past or the prediction of his future. I am now away to rake 'Wonderful Life' from the cobwebs:@)

[Jacquie]

Just finished this and am looking forward to the discussion thread.

[Philip (sarah)]

Great stuff Jacquie,I think the discussions should start midweek,glad you will be joining us.

[Patti (baconater)]

Yes, I'll be opening the discussion threads on the 15th. If I forget, someone please remind me.

[Philip (sarah)]

Thanks Patti.

[Jud]

I just started :o)

Glad its so short. At least I'll be finished 1 group read before the discussions start!

[Philip (sarah)]

Yay Jud,so glad you will be joining us.

[Jud]

:o)

30% through so far and still have lunch hour to take

[Jud]

woohoo I finished it :o)

[Elle]

Slow day today at work and got 21% through. Wasn't even starting this for the group read, just the next book on my pile and was happy to see I am participating in my first group read!!

[Jud]

YAY!!

Where do you work if you can read while at work?? I want to work there

[Elle]

LOL it's a place that does training and finds placements for people (including me) and i'm only doing like a 13week placement in it (that was organised by them - so confusing).

I don't have my own work load so I generally help out the others but coming up to Christmas they haven't got a lot going on!

[Jud]

ok cool think i understand :o\

When I first started my job i was only temping so I got to read all day basically cause the nature of the job i was doing (scanning, scanning and more scanning). It was the best job in the world.

[Elle]

All I do is fax and file -.-! But to do that there needs to be referrals coming in and because it is so close to Christmas everything is slowing down!

Today the girl I mainly help was at a meeting and I literally spent the day reading my book and planning my assignment (which I should be doing now, y'know, instead of reading goodreads forums!)

[Jud]

Yea me too I have a job application to finish... Ho hum.

[Philip (sarah)]

Louise-Lesley wrote: "Slow day today at work and got 21% through. Wasn't even starting this for the group read, just the next book on my pile and was happy to see I am participating in my first group read!!"
Great to see you joining us,even if unintended you are most welcome.Hope you will join us in the discussion.

[Philip (sarah)]

Jud (Krisztof) wrote: "woohoo I finished it :o)"

Hope you enjoyed the book Jud,not long now till the discussion,I am quite nervous about managing it so hope you will help me out.;@)
Good luck with the job application.

[Jud]

Ah you'll be fine Sarah

[Elle]

Hopefully I'll have it done by the 15th. I won't get much done tonight but hopefully tomorrow I'll whiz through it!

I keep finding myself say 'But that didn't happen to the muppets.'

How sad is that?

[Philip (sarah)]

Lol,Louise-Lesley.I watched the Patrick Stewart DVD and did the same,though I do think it was pretty close to the book.I am typing this wearing fingerless gloves (as my hands are cold),OH said I look just like Scrooge and he thinks I am taking the group read too seriously!!!!!.

[Jud]

I was the same!! I kept picturing a mix of characters from the muppets christmas carol and the new disney one.

[Elle]

god aren't we all too obsessed with the movie? lol

and yes, today in work a few people had fingerless gloves on and we started up a conversation about scrooge. was very appropriate xD

[[deleted user]]

Just finished the book. Loved it. Now to watch the film!

[Philip (sarah)]

Which film Heather? Muppets seems to be the favourite choice,though I like the Patrick Stewart one.I believe there is a new Disney Christmas Carol due out soon.
Glad you enjoyed the book,please join the discussion.

[[deleted user]]

Philip (sarah) wrote: "Which film Heather? Muppets seems to be the favourite choice,though I like the Patrick Stewart one.I believe there is a new Disney Christmas Carol due out soon.
Glad you enjoyed the book,please jo..."

Probably the Patrick Stewart one. I will look out for anything on tv over the Christmas period. I've seen the muppets before and enjoyed it!

[Philip (sarah)]

I know there is a new adaptation of Great Expectations on BBC.Christmas Carol is bound to be on somewhere though.I have a freebie DVD of P.Stewart one from the Daily Mail.Bet you will be comparing it to the book now!

[Patti (baconater)]

Odd coincidence...one of the South African channels here do 30 second fillers between programmes. Last night I saw one about A Christmas Carol.
Seems Charles Dickens wrote it in only six weeks and it's never been out of print since it was published 167 years ago.

[Darren]

He also made a lot of money by doing tours reading abridged versions of it on stage.

That's what he was doing when he encountered Doctor Who in the The Unquiet Dead.

[Jud]

The new Disney A Christmas Carol has been released already, unless they are doing another one but I'm sure I would have heard about it if they were. It has Jim Carey doing like all the characters... I have to admit (as much as it pains me) it was not the best I'd rather have muppets but technically they are Disney now too so its ok.

Phew

[[deleted user]]

Philip (sarah) wrote: "I know there is a new adaptation of Great Expectations on BBC.Christmas Carol is bound to be on somewhere though.I have a freebie DVD of P.Stewart one from the Daily Mail.Bet you will be comparing ..."

I read Great Expectations earlier this year so really looking forward to this. I love the BBC

[Philip (sarah)]

Sorry folks,work,shopping,phone calls then visitors keeping me away from my duties.It is not good enough.
Patti,Iknew the book was written quickly but not that it had never been out of print.I read somewhere that almost every Victorian home had a copy,kept on a shelf,often with the family bible and read every Christmas.
Darren....Apparantly his great,great grandson now delivers the tours.
Jud....When did the Disney version come out?
Heather.....The Beeb do great costume dramas,I agree.

[Jud]

It was a couple of years ago, amazon says 2010 i'm guessing thats the dvd release year cause it was definitely 2 Christmas's ago it came out. I remember cause I was working in the Disney Store at the time :o)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Christmas-Car...

[Philip (sarah)]

Thanks for that Jud,now I am dithering,should I buy it or will it now be on TV if it is 2 years old.Decisions,decisions.
Have a lovely time back home on your holiday,travel safe and have a wee potine for me(hope I spelt it right).

[Jud]

Disney are a bit funny with their movies though, they dont really show them on TV, although I noticed the other night Cars was on BBC 3. Maybe once they are really old they'll show them. If I were you I'd go for the DVD.

P.s If you do buy it dont forget to go through our group store link!

[Philip (sarah)]

Just bought it Jud,thanks for reminding me re the group store.Lol.

[Moray]

Since it is Christmas and the Radio Times revealed its annual wall-to-wall schedule of Christmas Carol adaptations I decided that it was past time for me to read the original. I am not a Dickens fan at the best of times, for shame, (unless it's A Tale of Two Cities) so I was surprised at how much this story touched me, especially as well known as it is. I'll keep watching the films (you can't beat a blue, furry Charles Dickens!) but I think the book will become another festive staple.

[Philip (sarah)]

Thank you for joining us Moray(what a lovely name).I am so glad you enjoyed the book.