Publication: November 5, 2024
Pages: 368 pages
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars ☆☆☆☆
Sweet Spark: Could Scrooge really just have happily ever after once Marley and the ghosts left? Or did he truly have the change of heart to want to fix what he'd messed up in his previously miserly life?
I meant to watch the 1950s movie that this continuation was based off, but never quite got to it (I'm way more of a reader than a watcher...). With that said, my very general knowledge of A Christmas Carol was plenty to be familiar with the characters in this great follow-up.
We've got Scrooge and Cratchitts, but several years have passed. There's a whole new generation of Cratchitts, and good ole Bob's son is at risk of being just as greedy as Scrooge was back in the day. Luckily, Scrooge's heart is truly changed, and he wants to prevent this path for his now-close friend's family. In familiarizing himself with their situation, he also encounters his previous love, Alyce, who left him for his selfish, greedy ways. Because, of course he does!
Scrooge knows that being blustery and trying to prove to everyone how he has changed will never work - it would only show him to be eternally selfish and look like he only changed for them to appreciate it. And that's not what happened.
The lessons that Scrooge learned from Marley go on to benefit several groups that Scrooge finds it within his power to influence.
What could probably have been summed up in a much shorter fan-fiction was developed into an enjoyable novel. Scrooge's life and business changed, and so did his whole way of seeing the world. He knows that while something may be right, he can't control or buy everything he wants, even if he's rich enough. The book earned 4 out of 5 stars and was a great progression of a classic holiday story.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my free copy of this ebook. Receiving the book for free did not influence my opinions or review.