This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.
Reviewed by K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite
Bob Cratchit's Christmas Carol: The Untold Miracle of Charles Dickens's Classic is a work of fiction in the historical subgenre. It is suitable for the general reading audience and was penned by author Leonard Szymczak. As the title suggests, the author takes on what is arguably the most famous work of Christmas literature of all time, but turns the lens onto secondary character Bob Cratchit instead. As Bob is visited by the same three spirits who visit Scrooge on Christmas Eve, we discover that he too has choices in his past that he needs to reconcile, and an uncertain future that he must attempt to resolve for his family’s sake. What results is a heartfelt and fascinating new perspective on the Dickensian Christmas concept.
Author Leonard Szymczak presents a superbly resonant, intelligent, and charming addition to the Dickens classic, and one which celebrates the original style and atmosphere of Dickens himself, but also seeks to convey more complex messages about the nature of true happiness. Where Dickens tells a relatively simplistic tale about greed and self-centeredness, Szymczak explored missed opportunities, mistakes, and errors of judgment that can lead even a fundamentally good man down a dark road to despair. I found myself particularly enraptured by Cratchit’s exploration of his present situation, and I marvel that the author could pack so much emotional complexity into such a concise holiday read. Overall, I would not hesitate to recommend Bob Cratchit's Christmas Carol this holiday season for readers who still adore the masterful atmospheric storytelling of the classics, but are looking for something with a deeper meaning and impressive original ideas in the story development.
