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dawngarrett's review against another edition
3.0
Probably 3.5 but I could've attended better.
In an interesting comparison with wealthy Scrooge, we have poor Trotty who also needs to see the joy and value of living and loving.
In an interesting comparison with wealthy Scrooge, we have poor Trotty who also needs to see the joy and value of living and loving.
cartoonmicah's review against another edition
5.0
This book is Dickens' equal opposite effort to A Christmas Carol. It is a story revolving around New Years, in which a simple poor old man named Trotty who is accosted by various wealthy Scrooge types who each condemn the poor for their vices and deprivations. Dispirited, he continues to eagerly show kindness to his fellow man and ends the last day of the old year by being spirited away by the bells of the church tower, experiencing a series of visions in which all the worst scenarios of deprivation and poverty take place in the lives of those he loves.
This book provides an incredibly well-fleshed out perspective on poverty and social class issues. Trotty receives all sorts of unwarranted and unasked for advice about what's wrong with the poor and how they could all fix themselves if they only tried. Trotty himself suffers from no illusions about the residual brokenness and pain caused by humanity, but his dark visions of a terrible future where all that he was told comes true only serves to prove that the relationships between us, which are often times more readily available where wealth is lacking, are the greatest social force for beauty and love in the places of generational brokenness.
A less emotionally lifting but far more socially complex alternative companion to A Christmas Carol.
This book provides an incredibly well-fleshed out perspective on poverty and social class issues. Trotty receives all sorts of unwarranted and unasked for advice about what's wrong with the poor and how they could all fix themselves if they only tried. Trotty himself suffers from no illusions about the residual brokenness and pain caused by humanity, but his dark visions of a terrible future where all that he was told comes true only serves to prove that the relationships between us, which are often times more readily available where wealth is lacking, are the greatest social force for beauty and love in the places of generational brokenness.
A less emotionally lifting but far more socially complex alternative companion to A Christmas Carol.
nperrin_writer's review against another edition
4.0
Going through Charles Dickens' Christmas novellas. This one was written after [b:A Christmas Carol|5326|A Christmas Carol|Charles Dickens|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1406512317l/5326._SY75_.jpg|3097440], and this banger's about Christmas goblins showing a guy visions of the inevitable destruction of everyone he loves because of his lack of hope in his circumstances and because of his belief that poor people chose their poverty from inherent wickedness - from seeing relatives go through forced sex work to suicide. It's like if Bernie Sanders wrote fanfiction about Christmas.
It's a powerful commentary on poverty, and quite the tone shift from the whimsical folktale that was only written a year earlier.
A part of me kept shaking my head reading it: "You can't put Muppets in this," I whispered.
It's a powerful commentary on poverty, and quite the tone shift from the whimsical folktale that was only written a year earlier.
A part of me kept shaking my head reading it: "You can't put Muppets in this," I whispered.
shannonbooks14's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.25
mraltan's review against another edition
3.0
Awesome! I really liked how he made a story for Christmas and for New Years, this one being the New Years one, of course. I loved the descriptions of the characters (especially the phantoms!) and the general idea of the new year.
bookswithlydscl's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Not as charming as A Christmas Carol but I enjoyed it well enough
popsiwinkle's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
ronanmjdoyle's review against another edition
3.0
Is it cheating to try to belatedly make up for my relative inexperience with Dickens by tearing through the Christmas books? Probably, but quiet you. Rather too similar in its approach to the preceding A Christmas Carol to make its relative obscurity beside that classic a lamentable fact, The Chimes does have the benefit of some gorgeous Dickensian sad sack character work, never better espoused than in this most glorious of lines:
"There’s nothing," said Toby, "more regular in its coming round than dinner-time, and nothing less regular in its coming round than dinner."
"There’s nothing," said Toby, "more regular in its coming round than dinner-time, and nothing less regular in its coming round than dinner."
may_epub's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0