• A Christmas Carol: A Signature Performance by Tim Curry

  • By: Charles Dickens
  • Narrated by: Tim Curry
  • Length: 3 hrs and 31 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (22,323 ratings)

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A Christmas Carol: A Signature Performance by Tim Curry  By  cover art

A Christmas Carol: A Signature Performance by Tim Curry

By: Charles Dickens
Narrated by: Tim Curry
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Editorial reviews

Renowned actor Tim Curry’s voice is warm, deep, and arch to the point of campiness. Curry is an actor’s actor. His voice is so distinctive as to be unmistakable. Fans of this Dickens classic will enjoy hearing Curry manifest the coterie of pithy characters that inhabit this novel, ranging from small boy to old man to dire ghost. Curry’s knowing tone suits this fable well. His dramatic but nuanced performance highlights the emotions of loss, fear, hope, and joy that inform this text. Curry takes delight in the macabre aspects of this gothic tale. His irreverent take on this famous novel heightens the drama even for listeners who know the story inside and out.

Publisher's summary

This version of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol, masterfully narrated by Tim Curry, was available for a limited time last year, and now it's back. This one-of-a-kind performance puts a unique spin on a treasured classic, and served as the inspiration for the exciting new line of Audible Signature Classics, including Adventures of Huckleberry Finn with Elijah Wood, and Heart of Darkness with Kenneth Branagh. Tim Curry performs this timeless holiday story in a deliciously dark tone, returning it to its Dickensian roots with a vivid imagining of Victorian London and just the right touch of outrageous fun.

A Christmas Carol has constantly been in print since its original publication in 1849, and has been adapted for stage, television, film, and opera. It has often been credited with returning the jovial and festive atmosphere to the holiday season in Britain and North America, following the somber period that emerged during the Industrial Revolution.

The story opens on a bleak and cold Christmas Eve as Ebenezer Scrooge is closing up his office for the day. As the story progresses and Christmas morning approaches, Scrooge encounters the unforgettable characters that make this story a classic: Bob Cratchit, Tiny Tim, and, of course, the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come.

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Featured Article: Tune into the Best Christmas Movies Based on Books


What's just as satisfying—or maybe even better—than curling up under a blanket with a big bowl of popcorn and a mug of hot cocoa to watch one of your favorite holiday films? Listening to the audiobook that it's based on! Many of the most iconic movies we watch every year during the holidays were inspired by books, some well-known and some eclipsed by the fame of their adaptations. These listens are worth revisiting time and time again.

What listeners say about A Christmas Carol: A Signature Performance by Tim Curry

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful!!!

I'll admit I was a bit skeptical about whether or not I would enjoy such an oft-told literary classic (and I have heard disappointing versions before), but Tim Curry's fantastic narration grabbed me right from the first minute and didn't let go until the end! The emotions of the characters and Dickens' humorous wit really come through in his compelling rendition. I didn't pause it once from start to finish. I laughed, I cried (well, just a little!), and I enjoyed it completely. Recommended!!!

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151 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Great reading!

Tim Curry is one of the last people I would have thought of in connection with "A Christmas Carol": my image of him is more the snivelling villain type, a kind of Uriah Heep. To my surprise, he does a bang-up job. The narration is clear and well-paced, and the characters are all given distinctive voices. Curry's reading of Scrooge himself is one of the best I've heard; and his Marley wheezes and gasps like a real ghost. (Not that I've ever actually encountered one outside this story.) Small things matter too: the five "staves" of the tale are labelled as such rather than being turned into "chapters" as on some other recordings.

I've built quite a collection of performances and adaptations of this tale over the years, starting with Mr Magoo. This version will definitely be one of the ones I return to in future.

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119 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Superb story and reading!

Although I've known the story of "A Christmas Carol" since I was a child, my knowledge of it came mostly from Mr Magoo and Disney; I had never actually read the book until now. This audio reading was a special treat: The story itself is excellent in all its descriptive detail, and Tim Curry does an outstanding job as the reader. There were many times I had to remind myself that all the characters were 'played' by one actor. Highly recommend listening to this book!

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102 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Often Copied--Never Bettered

Like setting the star on top the tree, Christmas is complete when we've heard at least some version of Dickens's A Christmas Carol -- and as much as I've enjoyed every one of the many homages to Dicken's Carol, (from Alastair Sim to Mr. Magoo to Bill Murray to Scrooge McDuck) nothing warms the cockles like the original icy Scrooge..."tight-fisted hand at the grindstone, squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner, hard and sharp as flint"... without Mr. Scrooge, there is something missing in Christmas. "Marley was dead..." those opening lines send shivers of memories and delight through me each year I hear them anew. Stupendous production, Curry's expressive and distinctive voice alone is an ensemble; for 3 1/2 hours I was as mesmerized as the first time I read the story. Dickens is always a favorite, but perhaps at his wisest and timeless best here.

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57 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Get This!

You have heard this story a thousand times before but you have not truly heard the story until you listen to Tim Curry. He is a genius. Get this book for the holiday season!

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54 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Can't Imagine a December without Ebenezer Scrooge

I absolutely love Dickens. This is one of those stories where it has moved almost into the soul and center of Christmas. Dickens' style is sharp, his wit is evident, and the story flows like a crisp, step waterfall. I could imagine a December without Ebenezer Scrooge, like I could imagine a December without lights, peppermint, Nativity scenes or Bing Crosby's 'White Christmas'. This was the first year I shared the story with my kids and they enjoyed it as much as I did.

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45 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Riveting!

I've been completely enthralled by this audio book. It is so well done as to feel much more like a dramatic production than a simple narration. I'm not a great fan of Tim Curry normally, but his portrayals of Dicken's characters is full-hearted and spot-on (but not over the top or in any way goofy, which is what I had feared). Highly recommended.

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37 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Thank You!

I'm already a fan of Charles Dickens, and of A Christmas Carol--unabridged edition. The whole book has so much heart and detail that can never fit into even the best movie version. I'm also a big fan of other readings of this book. But Tim Curry did a wonderful job. His rattling voice of Jacob Marley is not to be missed, plus he brought out the humorous parts very well. Thank you, Audible, for this wonderful gift!

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31 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Weirdest version ever

Alrighty, now I know this’ll be controversial.... BUT Tim Curry is just awful in this. His voice is perfect for narrating but not voice acting. You can never tell who’s even talking. There’s no variation between characters when he voices them. Every character is nearly the same tone and same volume and that’s terrifying when he starts voicing children. It’s awful. I just can’t listen to it past the first ghost because I can’t tell anyone apart.

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20 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A Christmas Carol

Tim Curry is a fabulous reader. I thoroughly enjoyed his rendition of the timeless story!

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18 people found this helpful