Jacob T. Marley

“The very first thing I loved about this book was how the author, Benett, attempted and succeeded at writing the novel in a similar style to the original Dickens classic.
The book is well written, making it easy to read, but not so easy to put down. In fact, there were quite a few times where I looked up from the book and fully expected to see snow out the window and decorations hung around. I would recommend this novel to anyone who is a fan of Dickens, Scrooge and Marley, or simply a fan of Christmas.
I give this book 4 out of 5 stars!”

It’s dangerous to toy with a beloved classic. When dealing with Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, the ice could be dangerously thin. R. William Bennett has written a companion book answering all the questions that readers were too happy with the ending of the original to ask. And it works.

Jacob T. Marley is Ebenezer Scrooge’s partner in business. Seven years after his own death, Marley arranges for the visit of three spirits who show Scrooge a better way. We all know the outcome – Tiny Tim is saved, Scrooge finds redemption and becomes a compassionate man and Bob Cratchit finally gets enough coal to keep him warm at the office. What we don’t know is how Jacob was able to arrange for this divine intervention, what he did in life that forged those heavy chains and whether or not the eternities changed for Marley.

Though he was raised with compassion and love, Jacob Thelonius Marley chooses to use his considerable talents to fill his coffers and rejects his birthright. The bottom line justifies the means and Marley is a hard bargainer, looking for ways to take advantage of those unfortunate enough to engage in business dealings with him.

Jacob’s character is as mean and cold-hearted as they come, and we learn that he was a mentor to Scrooge, encouraging his cutthroat business dealings. After his death, Jacob feels responsible for Ebenezer’s stingy heart. With the regret that only hindsight can bring, Marley begs for the chance to warn Scrooge so he can avoid the fate that he has earned for himself.

The author read Dickens extensively in preparation for this novel and is able to convey the feeling of Dickens’ writing without the complex sentence structure. There is even a coincidence that Dickens himself wishes he would have thought of. I approached this novel with a little caution – trying to emulate Dickens is a big job – however, I enjoyed reading this novel. It fit in nicely with Dickens’ original and even though, like Dickens, it was a little overly dramatic and sentimental, I cried at the end.