BOOK REVIEW: Tim Cratchit's Christmas Carol: The sequel to the Celebrated Dickens Classic

This is a book review for Tim Cratchit's Christmas Carol: The sequel to the Celebrated Dickens Classic by Jim Piecuch. I received this ebook from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I have not read Dickens book A Christmas Carol in a really long time and I have been meaning to give it a reread during this holiday season. In this sequel, the author picks up with Tim Cratchit as an adult. He is now a physician and we learn that after that magical Christmas Dickens wrote about, Scrooge became an integral part of the Cratchit family. He ensured that Tim Cratchit received excellent medical care and paid for medical school so Tim could become a doctor. Tim promised Scrooge that he would spend his life helping people. We also learn that Scrooge died shortly after Tim graduated from medical school. Tim began his career helping the poor but has since taken up practice as a doctor to London’s wealthy elite. Though Tim leads a very successful life, he comes home at night to an empty house. When a single, determined young mother lands on Tim’s doorstep with her ailing son, Tim is faced with a choice: stay ensconced in his comfortable life and secure doctor’s practice, or take a leap of faith and reignite the fire lit under him by his mentor, Scrooge, that fateful Christmas so many years ago.

This book was just the heartwarming tale I needed to get me in the holiday spirit and remind me what really matters. I wasn't sure how I would feel about a sequel to such a classic, but I loved it. There were so many times that I teared up in this book, especially with Ginny and her poor son, Jonathan. When Tim looks at Jonathan, he remembers his ailment as a child and can't help but want to help. I don't want to give anything away, but there is a new twist to visits by ghosts to loved ones. 

In this book, Tim's business partner Eustace takes on the role of Scrooge. He chastises Tim for helping the poor and takes advantage of him. He treats poor Tim as more of an employee than a partner. When Eustace wants a day off, he simply directs all of his patients to Tim's door with no warning or question. He just shows up every month to collect his share of the profits from Tim's patients. There were so many times I just wanted to strangle Eustace and I was so glad when Tim stood up to him. 

This book is a must read for anyone who loved A Christmas Carol and is excited to see where the characters end up. 

I give the book a 4/5.