The First Christmas Carol - A Miser, A Manger, A Miracle

I read this book on my kindle, it was actually the very first book I ordered on my kindle when I got it as a gift. I truly enjoyed reading it as it was around the Christmas Season and I was in the mood for a, "Christmas themed book." As I read this book, I felt I was there amidst all the things happening in the story. Written with the insight of someone who wanted to share with us a unique look at "CHRISTMAS" and how so important it is to know the true meaning of it. I am anxiously awaiting for another book to soon be available to read........

The First Christmas Carol is an imaginatively and cleverly reinvented telling of the well-known Dickens' classic, A Christmas Carol, co-mingled with the story of the birth of Christ. The core elements of Dickens' classic story are beautifully rendered as they are reimagined, transporting the setting back to that of Roman occupied Bethlehem.

Ebenezer Scrooge takes up the role of the originally anonymous innkeeper, and with that the story takes on a whole new meaning, almost better than the original as now there is more meaning and character development for Scrooge's behavior. The rest of the cast has everyone fulfilling their original roles from both stories. Watching Bob and Mrs. Cratchit, now Aaron and Martha, meet and interact with Mary and Joseph is truly revealing in this setting, by the well and in the stable. Fred, Scrooge's nephew, is now Issac, and he still wants his uncle to come to dinner. Tiny Tim is still the loving little man but now he ultimately brings everyone together.

The back and forth takes on an almost real-time effect, as the events of Christ's birth unfold and Scrooge has his late-in-life awakening. His visitors are now clearly angels, rather than spirits, teaching him, transporting him, transforming him. There are new elements from the visitations Scrooge experiences. No longer does he simply visit his own life and the limitations he has created for himself. Now, he finds meaning from the life and sacrifice of another.

It's obvious early on that a great deal of research was put into the blending of both classic tales, Scrooge's traditional backstory with the backdrop of Herod's Jerusalem and the Roman occupation. This blending, in addition to the easy, intelligent manner in which the writing flows and develops, is one of the story's greatest strengths. The author maintains a steady pace by bridging any potential areas where the plot may lag with historical events and happenstances, which keeps the narrative consistent and engaging, even exciting as the plot climaxes.

Great story. I love how the author took two well known stories and intertwined them together. It is both an engaging and inspirational read!

Mrs. Jordan has wonderfully written a combination of two great Christmas stories. I love the detailed descriptions of the characters. I believe The First Christmas Carol is going to be a great gift this holiday season!

This book catches your imagination and interest from the first page. Mrs. Jordan has done a wonderful job in capturing the real meaning of Christmas in a fictional story. Well done!!

A wonderful way to spend a cold afternoon! A compelling book that blends two precious Christmas stories into an eye opening experience. Highly recommend!

I cannot tell you how strongly I feel about this book. With all the books I have read in my life this is in the top 3 maybe even number one. This author did the impossible, she mixed the birth of CHRIST and some other surprises and A Christmas Carol. I was like this is going to be a disaster but it was genius. I have to be totally open and honest there were places it touches you so deeply I cried. This book moves you in so many ways and it makes you think could this have happened? You will know what I mean if you get it and I tell you it is something to read anytime of year, honest. I cannot tell you how special this book is. I hope the author writes another one and I get a chance to read it. I received a copy of this book from the Publisher to read; all the opinions expressed in the review are all my own.

What a marvelous adaptation of the Christmas Carol by Dickens! I've never heard of anyone taking the Christmas story and adapting it this way. Better yet, this book came about as a result of a play written by the author for her church production. What the author has done is to flesh out the story for the readers. She has done this so well that at times I was walking with Ebenezer in his soul searching journey led by three different angels.

Ebenezer was the Inn keeper in the tiny town of Bethlehem. He was delighted at the opportunity to earn a great deal of money when the Romans decreed that the descendants of David register in their home town to be counted and taxed. Ebenezer loved making money. He didn't care how he accomplished that or who he hurt on the way. He considered himself above the rabble anyway. As people crowded into the small spaces of the Inn, Ebenezer had one room left and he was holding onto it to save it for a rich customer who could afford his lavish rates. One couple he turned away was a man and his pregnant wife.

Then that night the angel Gabriel appeared to him in his home. He would be visited that night by three more angels, in an effort to redeem his corrupted soul. First he visited his past. Then the present. But nothing touched his heart until he started to get to know a man called Jesus. Even the man's teaching didn't touch his heart until he witnessed the scourging and the crucifixion of this innocent one. Finally he was a broken and repentant man. For the first time in his life, he wanted to save this man's agony by offering his life for Jesus' life. Then he was told this was Jesus' choice, to die for him, the wretched, greedy Ebenezer.

Don't let the familiarity of the story scheme distract you. The author has done a marvelous job of allowing us to see life from Ebenezer's eyes. There are many other elements of the Christmas Carol you'll find familiar when you read this book. All of this enhances the experience Ebenezer lived in his one night of revelation. Since we already know the outcome of the story, and even the way it is being told, the joy is in the details. And the author did a wonderful job of telling this story with realistic detail and heart. I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I hope you do too.

If you only read one book this Christmas..this should be the one. It is a skillful blending of two stories . The charaters are familiar and yet written in a way to bring the events alive in the now.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I happened upon A Miser, A Manger, a Miracle by Marianne Jordan. I thought it would be about a miserly old man who refused to give Mary and Joseph a room at the inn, and it was that, but it was so much more.

The author has taken A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens and mixed it with the story of the birth of Christ and it works beautifully. The character of Ebenezer Scrooge, is still called Ebenezer, but he runs an inn in Bethlehem and he's hoping to make a buck because of the census Herod has called. All the characters are there - tiny Tim is Timothy, Bob Cratchit is Aaron and the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future are instead, angels who make their visits to Ebenezer all in one night. And all the characters of the "first Christmas" are there as well - Mary, Joseph and of course baby Jesus. The author skilfully introduces them to Ebenezer through the angels who visit him and he gets a glimpse not only of Jesus in the manger, but he is able to see what happens to Jesus at the end of his life.

While the story is charming and interesting in its adaptation and could quite easily become a "Christmas Classic," it did not move me as it should have and that is probably because the "Scrooge" story is all too familiar. However, I loved the creative aspect of this story. The author has taken a Christmas classic that was devoid of Jesus, but heavy on redemption, and remade it to include Jesus who redeemed mankind. I highly recommend this book as something you should be reading this Christmas!