What does one say about such a well known story. It is a timeless story of the importance in the way we live our everyday lives; that love, family and community are more than money or material possessions.

Nearly every year I watch one (or more) of the film versions. But, even if you think you know the story, I recommend that you still read the book. Coming back to Dickens' own words adds a depth to the story. The richness of his descriptive language and his ability to paint a scene in a few words is wonderful. One well worth revisiting time and time again. ( )

I've seen many movies and dramatic stage performances of A Christmas Carol, but as best as I can recall I've never read the original by Charles Dickens. A book group I belong to selected this book for our December 2009 meeting, so that gave me an excuse to listen to this book is audio format. Dickens' skill as a writer comes through in this short book much as he does in his longer books. It is worth the time to read or listen to the original version of a popular Christmas story.

A Christmas Carol is the one classic that almost everyone knows, even if they've never read the book. It's shorter and easier to read than most of Dickens' other books and really is suitable for people of all ages. I loved it as a child and after re-reading it this week for the first time in years, I loved it as an adult too. No matter how many movies, cartoons or TV adaptions you may have seen, it's still worth reading the book for the richness and humour of Dickens' writing and for his wonderful descriptions and imagery.

Although some readers might find it too sentimental at times, it's easy to see why this book has become a timeless classic, as it is everything a good Christmas story should be - heartwarming, inspirational and with an important message for us all. ( )

It took a while to understand the language but I liked it once I did understand it. ( )

Since everyone knows the story, I'll dispense with the usual plot and character analysis.

This book was on my to-read list for many years. I'm glad I finally read it. First, I was surprised how closely some of the movies follow the book. The only differences were some of the adventures with ghosts. For instance, the ghost of Christmas Past took Scrooge on a short trip to a ship at sea, which was never (as far as I know) portrayed in any movie. Many sections of the book take advantage of the written form to provide descriptions that couldn't be provided in video. And a proper portrayal of the ghosts would require some interesting special effects.

I think that some of the extras provided by the films are good addition to the story. There is often an expansion of Scrooge's relationship with Tiny TIm, who becomes more of a focal point than in the book.

Although the book is a good read, the story is well known enough that I think I would have gotten more value out of one of his others. But I'm still glad I read it. ( )