Mr. Dickens and His Carol

By Samantha Silva

I promise I read this before Christmas. Mr. Dickens and His Carol is fiction, but based on actual events in the life of Charles Dickens. For example, he really didn't want to write this book. He was desperate for money and his publisher convinced him this was the way to go. If you are familiar with Dickens' work, you will know that A Christmas Carol is FAR shorter than anything he had ever written. As for this novelization, some of this is true, some made up and some changed around... which is the very definition of historical fiction, right? And as with much of the genre, I felt like I learned a lot while reading this novel.

You do have to be familiar with A Christmas Carol to fully appreciate Mr. Dickens and His Carol, however. There are many winks and nods to the original work. Silva's novel is largely a tribute to Charles Dickens and his skinniest novel that has become his widest read book.

Enjoy a well-done interview with the author HERE.