3.5*

December 2020: This time I read the physical book. During this read through I remembered how difficult it was to follow as an audiobook, and even figuring out what the point to the story was. I think I know what he was trying to do with this story, but it doesn't come through as clearly as it does in A Christmas Carol.

December 2015: Listened to the audiobook narrated by Richard Armitage. Love his reading. If he read all of Dickens' work, I would probably have more of Dickens' work read. Interesting story. Dickens has a wonderful way of describing things throughout the book.

a tale of the utter bleakness found within destitution... with a few bell tolling goblins thrown in.

Ik snapte het op een gegeven moment niet meer...
Niet zeker of ik nu de rest nog wil lezen/luisteren.

I didn't even realise I had missed Dickens before I strated to read him again. The rhythm of the prose and the word play is clever and fun, in this case like ringing of the bells, and there's humour as well. I also noted this was the first time I'd read Dickens in English, and it was definitely worth every second. The Finnish translations are good, but the descriptions of weather and London feel more vivid in the original language. I especially loved the beginning where Dickens describes how the wind goes through the church and the bell tower.

However, I can't help but compare this to A Christmas Carol, and the latter wins without a doubt. Despite the similar concept, The Chimes is still good. You just have to consider it as an independent novel instead of a part of the Christmas Books -series or as a companion piece to A Christmas Carol. During these final hours of the old year it was great to just calm myself down, and prepare to receive the new year before all the partying. During this time of the year I always get chills, because one period of time is ending and the next is about to start. The most exciting thing is that there's no way of knowing what the future will bring, so you can grab onto it with a new kind of attitude and enthusiasm, and forget all the bad stuff of the previous year. You can start with a clean slate.

This is also the case with Trotty. Even though Scrooge is a more effective character, there's room for improvement with the melancholic Trotty as well. The passing of time offers a chance to improve. There's no use worrying about the past, because it's just that - the past. Don't doubt yourself, but instead you should trust and hope that everything will be alright eventually.

What?

I usually like Dickens, but this was really unpleasant. Oh well, book club discussion will make it worth the time it took to read.

3 1/2 stars

While this slim book is much darker than A Christmas Carol, there are many parallels - the visions, the moral lessons, the chance for redemption, and others. However, Trotty is no Scrooge, and in fact, it took me a while to figure out what his "failing" was. And once I did, I liked the story even more. I will definitely be reading this one again!

Especially fun to read this on New Years Eve! “So may the New Year be a happy one to you, happy to many more whose happiness depends on you! So may each year be happier than the last, and not the meanest of our brethren or sisterhood debarred their rightful share, in what our Great Creator formed them to enjoy.” From last paragraph of The Chimes.

Loved Richard Armitage as the narrator, the story was ok to me. It might've been because it took me so long to get through it because of my schedule and also partially because of how Dickens' writes.

I didn’t love listening to this book just because it was so sad in the bleak part- it was so gloomy, even though I knew it would come around. Well read, though.