Charles Dickens Books
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Patrick Stewart--A Christmas CarolReview Date: 2009-06-25
Patrick Stewart AUDIO: Wonderful, impressive, and ENJOYABLEReview Date: 2008-03-27
Stewart channels DickensReview Date: 2005-12-09
Sitting down and listening to this version is like hearing a beloved uncle tell your favorite story. A fine way to spend a quiet holiday evening.
God bless us, everyone!Review Date: 2008-11-30
It never fails to move meReview Date: 2006-12-23

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Great BuyReview Date: 2009-02-07
A Christmas CarolReview Date: 2009-01-11
Beautiful book!Review Date: 2009-01-10
Christmas Carol bookReview Date: 2009-01-07
The Spirit of Christmas Comes Alive!Review Date: 2008-12-30

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Best reading of Dicken's classicReview Date: 2009-03-06
Jim Dale scores againReview Date: 2009-02-06
A Christmas CarolReview Date: 2009-01-12
Dickens out loud is a whole new Dickens and Jim Dale is simply superb.Review Date: 2008-11-18
This is a 3 disc set of A Christmas Carol, audio version and Jim Dale gives each character its own unique voice and he is pleasant to listen to and he adds charm, warmth and humor to this very well known story.
Treat your self, treat your family. We will be listening to this during our holiday traveling.
Charles Dickens and Jim Dale are Outstanding!Review Date: 2008-01-14

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A brilliant bookReview Date: 2009-05-13
Love itReview Date: 2009-03-20
David CopperfieldReview Date: 2008-11-16
What a wonderful read. Times were tougher then but so were the people. Intriguing all the way through. I've been trying to catch up on some old classics and I couldn't have chosen a better one. I'm going to read more of Charles Dickens.
Travel Alongside Copperfield on the Road of Life Review Date: 2009-02-07
As I read this book, I noticed that it contains many elements of those other novels that Dickens wrote. It has the social commentary of Oliver Twist, the thematic complexity of Great Expectations, and the gripping and emotional story of Tale of Two Cities. I will also throw in the fact that I think Copperfield has the best humor out of all these books.
In David Copperfield, Dickens tells the quintessential tale of Growing Up. I am sure that you all have read a book that involves some sort of "coming of age" theme where the main character matures and develops throughout the novel. But this story tops them all. With this book, Dickens brings us the most colorful cast of characters that he's ever conceived. They each have their own personalities, motives, interests, and even senses of humor. The beauty of it all is that many of the characters that David meets, you have met in your own life, too. While they are in no means simple archetypes, they can surely be related to real life. A few of my favorite characters are the deceptive James Steerforth and Uriah Heep - two large influences on some of the choices David makes. And we should not forget the virtuous Agnes - his "Good Angel."
Through this cast of characters, Dickens shows us that a large part of growing up and experiencing life is defined by the people that you meet and the friends that you surround yourself with. Dickens shows masterfully that you must be careful whom you trust and whom you let influence your life. He also shows the importance of relying on family and your closest allies during your darkest times.
Through fateful interactions with these characters, David grows up. He learns about the world, love, and human nature. He witnesses the miracles of life, and the tragedies of death. In turn, the reader matures and learns about such things as well. We see the world clearly through David's eyes.
Even though the story is being narrated in retrospect by an older, wiser David, we still experience events how David experienced them the first time. The chapters where we observe David's childhood very accurately allow us to see the environment through a child's trusting eyes.
Unlike other main characters of Dickens books such as Oliver Twist and Charles Darnay, David is susceptible to making mistakes in life and being naive. David is a good and honorable person with a moral conscience, but he is just as susceptible to the vices of this world as everybody else. But this is part of growing up, too, isn't it?
As you journey with David through his life, there will be times when you laugh, feel happy, and feel very angry. And then there will be times when you will have to put down the book for a short time and reflect on the events that occured. This is a rich book, with several plots and characters to keep track of. There are certain chapters that are more exciting than others. But, if you voyage till the end with David, you will in turn be richly rewarded.
classic classicReview Date: 2008-10-10


Miss At Your Own RiskReview Date: 2008-03-08
Coming Unscrooged is a must read for every CEO as a touching reminder that increasing shareholder wealth does not mean sacrificing our humanity.
MAYOR (Miss At Your Own Risk :-)
It reaffirmed my priorities and direction.Review Date: 2007-12-25
Makes you thinkReview Date: 2007-12-18
Drayton's masterpieceReview Date: 2007-12-13
Not just for the Executive!Review Date: 2007-12-11
But, alas, the human factor of it all has not changed, and Drayton amplifies the call for the reader to not be consumed by the external, materialistic representations of "success", but to honestly assess ones life based upon other, more instrinsic, values.
This is a book that should be on every "Executives" short list as a modern, easily digestable harbinger of what may be in store should they not increase their level of individual and other awareness.
Not just for the executive, this book is also a must for all those surrounding the highly driven, "success" oriented person. Spouses, colleagues, subordinates, and aspiring executives would do well to read this book for a reminder of the pitfalls that often accompany "success", and what to do about them.

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Just SuperbReview Date: 2008-11-16
Initially I had trouble getting past the title. Was this going to be a sort of "Dickens for Dummies"? No. The author skillfully interweaves Dickens biography with trenchant, readable criticism about the prose.
She also is skilled at placing the man and his work within his 19th century contexts. For example, her little sidebar on the Victorian idea of death being "slipping away" is extremely helpful.
She accomplishes a lot in a few pages...dipping into about a hundred years of criticism and commentary to pull out the best nuggets.
And this book is funny.
And she underlines a lot of the sex that lies underneath the surface of this writing.
And she loves Dickens.
Buy it.
Ebenezer Scrooge Says this Book is No HUMBUG!!Review Date: 2003-12-05
The author, Norrie Epstein, in the book's introduction tells us the purpose of her book: "[This book]...is an attempt to reveal some of the contradictions and nuances of the man and [his]novels. Its title...refers not only to our feelings for Dickens--and his toward us--but to my desire to make a complex figure more understandable and...friendly."
There is another reason for reading this book: so as to fully appreciate the novels written by Dickens. As Epstein says, "Knowing the man behind the words does change [each novel's] significance."
Epstein fulfills her purpose admirably!! Why do I say this? Here are my reasons:
(1) THE AUTHOR'S WRITING STYLE. The author writes in a relaxed and leisurely but enthusiastic way such that Charles Dickens (1812-1870) seems to come alive.
(2) THE BOOK'S ORGANIZATION. This book progresses linearly from Dickens' birth to his death. To do this, Epstein divides the book into three parts. The first part is entitled "Early Life" and tells us about Dickens' life from 1812 to 1840. Part two titled "Middle Years" goes from 1840 to 1855. The third part called "Final Years" deals with his life after 1855.
Along the way you'll find copious quotations from those who admired Dickens and his writings. For example, guess what famous Russian author said, "If it were possible I would like to devote fifty minutes of every class meeting to mute meditation, concentration, and admiration of Dickens."
I found two sections particularly informative and enjoyable. One of these sections is entitled "How to Read Dickens." It gives eight important pointers on how to get the most out of Dickens' works. Another section is entitled "A Select Filmography." This section describes films inspired by Dickens' works. These films are those made between the years 1895 and 2000.
(3) DISCUSSION OF NOVELS. Sixteen novels are thoroughly discussed throughout the book. In part one, seven novels are given attention, most notably "A Christmas Carol" and "Oliver Twist." Part two looks at five novels, "David Copperfield" being the best known. The final part critically discusses four novels, most notably "A Tale of Two Cities" and "Great Expectations."
Note that in part one there is also discussion of Dickens' first published book "Sketches by Boz." As well, this part also includes a glimpse into his book called "American Notes" that would later become "a public relations nightmare."
(4) BLACK AND WHITE ILLUSTRATIONS AND PHOTOGRAPHS. These are peppered throughout the book. I especially liked the reproduced November 1994 cartoon from "The New York Times" that featured Newt Gingrich as Scrooge.
(5) SIDEBARS. These can be found throughout the book. They highlight interesting bits of information that the author wants to bring to the reader's attention. The sidebar that caught my attention was entitled "If You Liked the O.J. Simpson Trial, You'll Love Bleak House." In this sidebar, the Simpson trial is compared to Dickens' novel "Bleak House."
(6) INTERVIEWS. These, too, are found throughout the book. My favorite is an interview with a famous actor (hint: he played "Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the starship Enterprise") who feels he must "read" the novel "A Christmas Carol" every year.
(7) TRIVIA. And lots of it!! What I especially enjoyed was that there are complete sections devoted to trivia. For example, in the discussion of Dickens' first serial novel "The Pickwick Papers" there is a complete section devoted to interesting trivia called "Pickwickiana." The same thing occurs under the discussion of his last novel "The Mystery of Edwin Drood" where the trivia section is called "Droodiana."
In conclusion, this is the definitive book for any Dickens' fan or anyone who wants to know more about him. Old Ebenezer himself guarantees that after reading this book you will become an aficionada of Charles Dickens. And that's no humbug!!
+++++
Please, sir, I want some more"....Review Date: 2006-01-24
McChoakumchild just had to have imagination and a sense of humor. Even if you aren't inspired to run out for a new copy of Great Expectations, you'll probably enjoy The Friendly Dickens all on its own.
Dickens Comes AliveReview Date: 2001-02-20
Warning: Reading This Book May Cause Dickens-FeverReview Date: 2001-04-07

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Interesting Read!Review Date: 2009-01-23
Very Well DoneReview Date: 2003-12-16
Excellent - extremely comprehensive and insightfulReview Date: 2007-11-25
The opening chapters, which provide a relatively brief yet surprisingly insightful treatment of Dickens' Christmas writings and social conscience, are a concise picture of the setting in which Dickens brought his classic to life. For those unfamiliar with the period, I would find this to be an essential background, lest A Christmas Carol be reduced to a fairy tale, as it is in certain film treatments. Those who are acquainted with these matters undoubtedly would find the quotations from Dickens' more obscure Christmas writings, and references to such other Christmas scenes as those in The Pickwick Papers, to form a comprehensive image of the combination of commentary and imagination in these works, and underlying themes which influenced a Christmas Carol itself.
The treatment of film adaptations, including the earliest silents, is extremely well researched and comprehensive. Even the biggest fan of "Scrooge pictures" would find some in this collection which were unknown. The classic films (for example, Alastair Sims' version) are analysed with an insightfulness that would increase anyone's understanding and enjoyment of their content.
As a Dickens lover, and also as one who is a "Christmas nut" (for whom the insights in this volume were a welcome and lovely nutcracker), I would highly recommend this book on all counts.
A Wonderful TreatReview Date: 2000-02-16
Excellent Reference MaterialReview Date: 2001-12-17

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A FUN DINING EXPERIENCEReview Date: 2008-12-13
Mouth WateringReview Date: 2008-12-09
A Christmas DinnerReview Date: 2008-12-06
A Lost ClassicReview Date: 2008-12-05
Dickens DishesReview Date: 2008-12-05

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FantasticReview Date: 2008-04-14
A quick read for the holidaysReview Date: 2003-01-03
A Good Book For The HolidaysReview Date: 2002-12-19
A classic tale of ChristmasReview Date: 2002-12-17
Dickens' language is very descriptive, and he paints clear pictures of his characters. Take Scrooge, for example:
"Oh!
but he was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone, Scrooge! a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous
old sinner! Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire, secret and self-contained, and
solitary as an oyster."
Another strength of Dickens was showing the common man, sometimes with quiet dignity, as in the case of Bob Cratchit, and sometimes at his lowest, as in the case of the workers at the pawnbrokers hawking Scrooges goods.
The images of Jacob Marley's ghost "wearing the chains he forged in life" are very vivid, as are the souls that Scrooge sees out his window.
Scrooge is forced on a journey by three spirits, the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future. All of the scenes have distinct images and evoke intense emotions within Scrooge. The reader feels part of his change. I never did quite understand why his father treated him so poorly, but that he did contributes to the man Scrooge becomes.
In the end, Scrooge is a changed man and goes out of his way to share his generosity.
I recommend this book for children and adults alike, because the story is timeless and Dickens practicallly defined the quintessential Victorian Christmas. The name Scrooge and 'Humbug' will forever be linked, and the name has come to define someone miserly or without holiday spirit.
What day
is it?
It's Christmas Day!
A Classic of the Christmas SpiritReview Date: 2001-10-17
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So, you want to know Scrooge?Review Date: 2009-01-06
It is second only to the Gospel in Christmas literature.
But there are many points that we tend to gloss over because we don't live in either England, or in the Victorian culture.
The "Annotated Christmas Carol" is a gem because it explains many of the points that we miss -- the significance of much of the symbolism, especially during the Ghost of Christmas Present's visit. What is Brawn, for example?
This is a fascinating addition for those who love this wonderful story.
A must for Dicken's fans!Review Date: 2000-12-12
"A Christmas Carol" in its proper historical contextReview Date: 2001-12-03
The "Annotated Christmas Carol" neatly solves this issue by fully explaining the story behind the story, and defining some of the more obscure contemporary references. Dickens basically wrote the story because he needed money quickly: his previous novel was only lukewarmly received by the public. Additionally, his desire to awaken a social consciousness in the British upper-class led him to a short story format. Given his long standing committment to keeping the celebrationsn of Christmas alive, the result is, for the English-speaking world anyway, as much a tradition as a tree and presents.
The format is exactly as that for the first edition published in 1843, along with reproductions of Leech's original illustrations. Well researched and written notes in the columns allow the reader to follow along with explanations of terms, identification of likely locations, and the development of the ongoing theme. The book could likely benefit with a new edition, as the commentary seems to be written around 1975 or so. Even so, this is a book that any Dickens enthusiast will want to own, any Christmas Carol enthusiast for that matter...
Highly Recommended.
Annotated DickensReview Date: 1998-02-25
Related Subjects: Education Works Quotations Reviews
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