A Christmas Carol

By: Charles Dickens

Narrated by: Simon Vance

Length: 2 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

A Christmas Carol is a novella by English author Charles Dickens first published by Chapman and Hall and first released on 19 December 1843. The story tells of sour and stingy Ebenezer Scrooge's ideological, ethical, and emotional transformation after the supernatural visitations of Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of Christmases Past, Present, and Yet to Come. The novella met with instant success and critical acclaim. The book was written and published at a time when Britain was experiencing a nostalgic interest in its forgotten Christmas traditions, and at the time when new customs such as the Christmas tree and greeting cards were being introduced. Dickens' sources for the tale appear to be many and varied but are principally the humiliating experiences of his childhood, his sympathy for the poor, and the Christmas stories of Washington Irving. The tale was pirated immediately, was adapted several times to the stage, and has been credited with restoring the holiday to one of merriment and festivity in Britain and America after a period of sobriety and somberness. A Christmas Carol remains popular, has never been out of print, and has been adapted to film, opera, and other media.

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Timeless, incomparable story and narration!!

I've listened to this version of The Christmas Carol every year and it never gets old. Simon Vance does an incredible job!

Entertaining And Most Enjoyable!

I'm so glad I chose this version of "A Christmas Carol" to listen to over the holidays. Simon Vance does an impressive job of making each of the characters distinct and easy to recognize, without overly dramatizing the reading. Even though I've previously read the story, and we've all seen countless film versions, I found this unabridged reading to be quite satisfying and entertaining to listen to! I know it’s one I’ll listen to over and over again…at any time of year.

One of the best narrations of this classic

Simon Vance is lately becoming one of my favorite British narrators for audible books, and this proves it. He does all voices extremely well, even the women. May not keep it, but, an excellent take all the same.

Wonderful!

The reader did a great job. Good emphasis. Professional voice. My imagination went wild as well as my intellect. I gift to my heart.

Good voices

With a good voice acting, I felt like I was at the play! I enjoyed it!

Simon Vance does it again.

Hands down one of my favorite narrators! Brings life to every story he reads. This is one of my favorite Christmas stories and he lifts this story to an even higher level.

A Classic

I read or listen to “A Christmas Carol” year. I was not totally engaged with this recording, however. Normally I love Simon Vance, and though he is his usual excellence here, I think I prefer the Tim Curry recording.

Simon Vance Delivers The Goods Yet Again

I was so pleased when I discovered the recording of this classic Christmas story that I knew I needed to have it in my collection, even though I have other recordings of the story. In his own talented way he really brings to life all the beloved characters in the story. I can now listen to this and his reading of Jacob T. Marley and have a truly enjoyable listening experience.

A Christmas Season Classic

I’ve listened to this for several years in a row now and it’s become a personal tradition. I love the narration and the classic story really comes to life because of it.

All that's missing is 19th century London

This is one of the jewels of Dickens' well-deserved crown, a perennial favorite that evokes the Christmas spirit whenever and wherever it's told. The bonus for the listener? Simon Vance is the best Dickens narrator out there. I realize that's a high bar, but Vance clears it from the opening paragraphs. His narration not only brings each character to glowing life, but it also makes some of the "chewier" passages of Dickens' prose glide by in a natural and understandable manner that actually helped me comprehend those passages more clearly. His cadence is spot-on and his delivery is nuanced in ways not achieved by more over-the-top narrators. Curl up with this one, and you won't be disappointed--all that you will be missing in the final effect is physically being there in 19th century London.