The Further Adventures of Ebenezer Scrooge

I read this during Christmastide and wanted to like it. However, I just could not get into it.

In this 2015 sequel of “A Christmas Carol” (1843), Ebenezer Scrooge has gone to the other extreme: He is now in trouble with the bank because he is a spendthrift. He gives money to charities, and to just about everyone he meets. He now dresses ostentatiously. He is the annoyance of his community because he merrily wishes people a Happy Christmas and New Year all year long. His business partner, Bob Cratchit, and nephew, Fred, are irritated with his zeal and obsessed with keeping the business profitable. Scrooge meets with the Spirits again in order to convince his associates to celebrate Christmas all year long by opening their eyes to the less fortunate. They eventually transform in the way Scrooge did in the original tale.

First of all, Scrooge’s transformation at the end of the original Christmas Carol suggested he became generous with his time and money, not that he went insane. I had a hard time believing a man so keen in economics would willingly, proudly give money away that he did not have, or that a man who truly transformed for the better would continue to chastise Fred and Bob and to put down their character, just for different reasons. This is what kept me from embracing the book. Second, on a positive note, the writing is fantastic. This is an easy read; the author is unquestionably talented. Overall, I'd say it's a matter of being content with beloved characters completely (and I mean completely) being rewritten.