"Carol - A Story for Christmas" by Bob Hartman

About the book:  Jack O'Malley hates shopping, snow, and even Christmas. All three at once is Jack's idea of a very bad day. Storming into a Starbucks seeking escape, Jack runs smack into a beautiful and mysterious stranger, almost knocking her over and unintentionally changing his life forever. In this one moment his entire life—who he once was, who he is, and who he has the potential to become—flashes before his eyes. In this humorous rendering of Charles Dickens' classic tale, timeless lessons are reexamined through the lens of modern society. The result is funny, moving, and ultimately thought-provoking

My Thoughts:  A nice little Christmas novella read that is a re-take or even a spoof on A Christmas Carol by Dickens.  While it is virtually impossible to re-tell such a classic, Hartman does a nifty job of bringing a modern, funny slant to the story. It rolls along with the lovely Carol and the lecherous Jack zipping along time and space to show Jack what he could have been.

While the book focuses on the need for Jack to revisit his earlier life when he was more inclined to want to do something good in the world, I felt at times that all we needed was to give a  “name” to the charity for the little book to actually be a PR piece for some specific charity.  

The story has a nice ending and it is a warm, fuzzy read as most Christmas novellas are.

DISCLOSURE: I was provided a complimentary copy by Kregel  for the purpose of giving my honest review. Opinions expressed are solely my own. No compensation was received for this review.