Official Review: Tiny Tim and The Ghost of Ebenezer Scrooge

[Heidi M Simone]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Tiny Tim and The Ghost of Ebenezer Scrooge" by Norman Whaler.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Have you ever wondered what happened to the lovable characters from the classic, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens? Wonder no longer! In Norman Whaler’s Christian Romance, Tiny Tim and the Ghost of Ebenezer Scrooge, the reader explores what came next after Scrooge's change of heart.

After years has passed, the ever-changed Ebenezer Scrooge has passed away. Within the years between his transformation from “Bah humbug” Scrooge to his death, one of the people Ebenezer has become a role model and second father to was Tiny Tim. Now, Tim is no longer tiny, but his heart feels that way. Saddened by the death of Mr. Scrooge and his lost love, Becky, Tim is having a difficult time in feeling happy. When he is at his most depressed state-of-mind, Tim is visited by the Ghost of Ebenezer Scrooge. Can the Ghost of Ebenezer Scrooge help heal Tim’s heart and find his faith in God?

This lovely little tale was a delight to read and in one sitting nonetheless! A Christmas Carol is one of the classics that I do actually treasure and have read a few times, so I was excited for this read. I appreciated how the writing style, the illustrations provided, and the use of carols brought me to its nineteenth century, London setting. As an added bonus, there are four pieces of sheet music, using the carols mentioned in the read, at the end of the book.

Written in the third person point-of-view, there are strong themes of faith, depression, love, and healing throughout. Just in time for Christmas, each character shows love and the faith of God is discussed. Some might find some of the dialogue about having faith in God a bit preachy, but I did agree with what was said. It reminded me of the conversations I would have with my dad.

I found the character development and portrayal to be moving. It was easy to understand Tim’s frustration with his beliefs, sympathize with Becky’s distressing situation, and feel appreciative of the Ghost of Ebenezer Scrooge’s reflection and teachings. Though it was easy to become somewhat exasperated with Tim’s way of thinking when he had two loving parents with him, I stopped and thought if I lost my soul mate and then a second father, I also might feel too broken to be able to come out of the depressed feeling easily.

Aside from a handful of errors, there was just one aspect of this read that I wished would have been different. Without giving too much away, one person is portrayed as having an illness, but it was never stated what the illness was and if there was ever a resolution.

Given these minor flaws and the fact that I would have liked it to be longer, I happily give this read a 4 out of 4 stars. If you enjoy Christmas reads with a character who learns the true meaning of Christmas in a sweet Christian Romance, I would say give this read a try!

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Tiny Tim and The Ghost of Ebenezer Scrooge
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[inaramid]

Just in time for Christmas! I'm ashamed to admit that I have never read A Christmas Carol, although I have seen its storyline adapted, subverted, re-imagined, and sometimes even butchered by Hollywood executives. I admire the author for taking on this classic, but wouldn't he need a license or something, like the writers who continued the Sidney Sheldon or Stieg Larsson books? Just curious.

[Heidi M Simone]

Picking up this book was perfect timing! Before reading it (a while ago), I remember my first exposure to the classic was The Flinstones version of A Christmas Carol.

You raise a good point...I'm not sure who Sidney Sheldon is, but with Stieg Larsson, wasn't there information about the book he wanted to publish before passing away, so they needed special permission for the next one? Tiny Tim and the Ghost of Ebenezer Scrooge seems completely separate and imaginative from the original. It reminded me of when people use fairy tales to either retell them over and over again or somehow continue the story. Does that make sense?

[inaramid]

It reminded me of when people use fairy tales to either retell them over and over again or somehow continue the story. Does that make sense?

Ah, yes. I agree. There was a kind of a fairytale subversion trend before, with Cinderella and Wizard of Oz. That makes perfect sense.

[Heidi M Simone]

It reminded me of when people use fairy tales to either retell them over and over again or somehow continue the story. Does that make sense?

Ah, yes. I agree. There was a kind of a fairytale subversion trend before, with Cinderella and Wizard of Oz. That makes perfect sense.

It was a good point to bring up since it didn't even cross my mind.

[MarisaRose]

I considered reviewing this one too; I'm so glad you liked it! I love the characters and story from the original Christmas Carol, so I'm to see that the author handled them well. Great review!

[Heidi M Simone]

It was a nice, sweet, and short read. I think he did handle it well. Thank you for reading and commenting!

[kandscreeley]

How neat! I love the thought of following up on the characters from the classic tale! This sounds just wonderful. I saw it on the review list, but I thought I'd let someone else read it. After all, I've done one Christmas book already this season. Thanks for the wonderful review.

[Heidi M Simone]

It was pretty neat! That's actually nice of you to leave it for someone else. This is my first Christmas book this season, so I appreciate it!

[Gunnar Ohberg]

Sounds like a bit of fluff, to be honest. The original Christmas Carol was riveting in its invention. This book seems to just copy the invention a generation (and 150 years) later, like an unnecessary sequel. Good review, but I think I'll pass on the book.

[bookowlie]

Wonderful, insightful review as always. I particularly enjoyed your review because I almost selected this book for review recently. It's odd that the illness of a character is not stated or resolved. That would be bug me a little. Still, the book sounds like a great holiday read. Glad you enjoyed it!

[Heidi M Simone]

Sounds like a bit of fluff, to be honest. The original Christmas Carol was riveting in its invention. This book seems to just copy the invention a generation (and 150 years) later, like an unnecessary sequel. Good review, but I think I'll pass on the book.

Thank you for your thoughts. I can see your point about it being unnecessary, but I did find it enjoyable.

[Heidi M Simone]

Wonderful, insightful review as always. I particularly enjoyed your review because I almost selected this book for review recently. It's odd that the illness of a character is not stated or resolved. That would be bug me a little. Still, the book sounds like a great holiday read. Glad you enjoyed it!

Thank you, bookowlie! It was a bit odd about the illness. I can see why it was mentioned within the storyline, but it would have been nice if the author explored it more, or the very least said what it was exactly. I thought it was a fun, little read. Thank you.

[Mary Garrison]

I love the sound of this book. I will definitely have to read it before Christmas.

[Heidi M Simone]

It was sweet and short read that had a nice message across. If you do read it, I hope you enjoy!