Review: Carol: A Story of Christmas

Carol: A Story of Christmas by Bob Hartman

Publication Date: August 2010
Publisher: Lion UK
Genre: Fiction/Seasonal/Gift Book
ISBN-13: 9780745953366
ISBN: 0745953360

(Received for review from Kregel Publications)

Purchase: Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Borders, IndieBound

If you live in Morehead, KY or the surrounding area:

Purchase from our independent bookseller: CoffeeTree Books or
Borrow from our local library: The Rowan County Public Library

Excerpt: Click HERE!

Synopsis (Kregel Publications):

This contemporary retelling of the Charles Dickens classic is funny, moving, and hopeful.

Jack O'Malley hates shopping. He hates snow. He even hates Christmas. All three at once is Jack's idea of a very bad day. Storming into Starbucks to escape, Jack almost knocks someone over. Someone quite beautiful. And mysterious. And his entire life - what he once was, who he is now, and who he could become - flashes before him. This contemporary retelling of Charles Dickens's classic story, A Christmas Carol is funny, moving and thought-provoking.

Thoughts:

There have been many adaptations and re-tellings of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dicken's from books to movies and back again. Carol: A Story of Christmas by Bob Hartman is such a book, but with a few very refreshing twists.

We don't have Scrooge in this one, we have Jack O'Malley, a man who hates anything to do with Christmas. Shopping, snow, the hustle and bustle of the season are just not Jack's cup of tea or in this case cup of coffee. When Jack rushes into a Starbucks after a day of shopping that he hated he literally runs into a beautiful young woman, named Carol. Jack isn't obsessed with money as most of the re-tellings of A Christmas Carol use as a theme, he's obsessed with music. While discussing a retro song with Carol, Jack is transported back in time to his youth, then to his present, and on to the future. Jack learns a few things about himself and the man he wants to be.

I really enjoyed this short little book. At under 100 pages it's a perfect book for this fast-paced time of year. One of the things that impressed me about the book was the way the author was able to take the idea's of Dicken's and transform them into a modern story that reflects the same idea. Christmas has become such a commercialized holiday. It has become about who can give the biggest gifts and who has the biggest light display. It's all about presents and outdoing someone else. I love Christmas, but not this kind of Christmas. The book was really about to get into what Christmas is really all about. I liked it a lot.

I would recommend this one to anyone who wants a dash of Christmas Spirit. It's a great little hardcover book, that looks like gift book. It's a quick read with a great message.

Carol:A Story of Christmas is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.

I'm giving this one 4 out of 5 apples from my book bag!




Bob Hartman is a highly acclaimed author of many books, including the best-selling, Lion Storytelling Bible. Bob divides his working time between writing and storytelling in schools, and libraries. He lives with his family in Wiltshire, U.K but frequently returns to his native USA.