A Christmas CarolA Christmas Carol
Score Classic
What it's about
Ebenezer Scrooge is a cold, miserly old businessman who hates Christmas. On Christmas Eve, the ghost of his dead partner, Jacob Marley, appears in chains and warns him that three spirits will visit him that night. The Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come show him his lonely childhood, the poor family of his clerk Bob Cratchit, and where his life is heading.
Why it's worth reading
It was voted onto the BBC's Big Read and has shaped how the world celebrates Christmas ever since. It's short, funny, spooky and warm.
You'll love it if you liked
Little Women
The Secret Garden
Winter SolsticeGood to know
It's a novella that can be read in an evening. It was written to protest the treatment of the poor.
By the numbers
- Readers61 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller50 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
Why it made the list
Reads as
Thought-provoking
More by Charles Dickens
David Copperfield
Bleak House
Great Expectations
A Tale of Two CitiesIf you like this, read next
To Kill a Mockingbird
The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York
The Color Purple
1984
The Lord of the Rings
A Brief History of TimeExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is A Christmas Carol worth reading?
Yes. It was voted onto the BBC's Big Read and has shaped how the world celebrates Christmas ever since. It ranks #1,253 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 70.5 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is A Christmas Carol about?
Ebenezer Scrooge is a cold, miserly old businessman who hates Christmas. On Christmas Eve, the ghost of his dead partner, Jacob Marley, appears in chains and warns him that three spirits will visit him that night. The Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come show him his lonely childhood, the poor family of his clerk Bob Cratchit, and where his life is heading.
How long does it take to read A Christmas Carol?
About 2 hours (96 pages), or about 4 days at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after A Christmas Carol?
If you liked it, try Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett or Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher.