Today, I’m hosting author Sarah Whelan’s latest audiobook release Humbug: Scrooge Before the Ghosts, a historical fiction. Be sure to read my review of the e-novel.
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Title: Humbug: Scrooge Before the Ghosts
Author: Sarah Whelan
Narrator: Charles Robert Fox
Release Date: November 7, 2023
Genres: Historical
Tropes: Forbidden love
Themes: Prequel to classic story, redemption, recovery from loss
Heat Rating: 2 flames
Length: 344 pages
Audiobook Length: 9 hours and 29 minutes
Publisher: Mascot Books
In this retelling of A CHRISTMAS CAROL, Scrooge recounts the defining moments of his life, revealing his love affair with business partner Jacob Marley, the reasons why he hates Christmas so much, and what turned him into the scowling, penny-pinching old man we think we know so well.
Blurb: A Christmas Carol shows us one terrible day in Ebenezer Scrooge’s life, but have you ever wondered what came before his fateful encounter with the ghosts of Christmas time? What happened to turn him into the scowling, penny-pinching old man we think we know so well?
There is so much more to this character—possibly more than Charles Dickens himself could ever have imagined.
Scrooge has compelling reasons for hating Christmas, for rejecting his fiancée and his precious nephew, and for employing Tiny Tim’s father, despite his obvious incompetence. He is a doting uncle, beloved brother, successful businessman, and passionate lover, but a dark secret puts both him and his loved ones at risk. Scrooge struggles to embrace his true self and live in defiance of the Victorian era’s repressive moral standards. Soul-crushing losses and his own destructive choices shape his fate into a twisted path of sorrow, frustration, and uncertainty—but also happiness, fulfillment, and love.
Scrooge’s own words sum it up best: “How delightfully queer life is.”
Available at:
Audible US | Audible UK | Amazon US | Amazon UK
The phantom looms over my deathbed, his skeletal form shrouded in the same hooded cloak as the first time he appeared to me, on Christmas Eve some seven years ago. He is silent, as before, but his mission is a different one. Instead of the redemption he and his fellow spec- ters offered on their previous visit, he has come to collect and deliver me to the spirit world.
“Do not take me yet, Phantom.” My voice is as shaky as my resolve.
A tear trickles down my cheek, but I lack the strength to wipe it away. It lingers there, stalled halfway through its journey, just as I remain teetering at the edge of a desolate chasm between life and death.
It is not the fear of dying that keeps me here, for I know what awaits me in the afterlife. I redeemed myself after Jacob Marley and his ghosts left me with a soul churning in regret. I embraced my penchant for com- passion, loved and was loved in return, and undid some of the damage I had inflicted on the souls of others, as well as my own. It took the better part of my life to amass the courage needed to reject the moral constraints society imposed and overcome the obstacles I had embedded in my own path. True happiness came only when I gave myself completely to the person I loved most.
I earned my rightful place in eternity, and my heavenly sanctuary awaits just beyond the mortal realm. But I choose to endure, despite the agony, as spasms tear through my body and I shiver with cold, though the blankets weigh heavily upon me. I offer this suffering willingly in ex- change for the opportunity to revel in the memories of my seven decades on this blessed earth.
In my final moments, I wish to honor those who walked beside me through a lifetime comprised, in turns, of misery and happiness, selfish- ness and altruism, isolation and kinship, bitterness and love.
On my knees, hands clasped against my chest and head bowed to the towering shadow figure, I beg, “Grant me time enough to remember. Then I will surrender my soul. I will offer no resistance. Will you have mercy on your old friend Scrooge?”
A single nod is the phantom’s response.
Grateful for his gift of a temporary reprieve, I grip his bony hand.
“Lead on, generous spirit. Let us journey to the past.”
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I enjoy A Christmas Carol like everyone else, so when an LGBTQ+ version came up to read and review, I was most interested. This isn’t a romance but has romantic elements as Scrooge explores was he truly years for.
Did I like this Scrooge? I found him interesting. Considering the time, and the one shocking scene that could happen to him if people knew what he kept buried deep down inside, of course he was the way he was. This novel stays true to Victorian times. My favourite character was his sister Fran. I adored her. I also enjoyed Scrooge’s younger years and why he was sent to boarding school.
There are some parts in the novel where the author deviates from how the character was portrayed in Dickens’ classic, such as the character Belle. I think this was done to make Scrooge more sympathetic when the inevitable happened between them because she wasn’t the Belle I envisioned whenever I watched Scrooge on TV.
Jacob Marley is much older instead of another apprentice who helps Scrooge take over the place of employment where they both work. Instead, he is a business man who invests in the business and shows Scrooge who he truly is. I really enjoyed the scenes with these two, along with the author’s take on their relationship, and especially how Scrooge became part of the business.
The book reads more like an autobiography than a novel, and I enjoyed this. I felt as if I could see Scrooge at his desk, quill in hand, writing out his thoughts and feelings for someone to one day read, perhaps his nephew Fred.
All in all, it’s an enjoyable read for Christmas. Do yourself a favour and get a copy.
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Unlike Scrooge, SARAH WHELAN loves Christmas: the decorations, the music, the traditions—everything. She is excited to make her own contribution to the holiday with a new twist on Charles Dickens’ classic tale. Sarah is a full-time professional writer, and her nonfiction has appeared in a variety of magazines. Her first novel, The Struggle Within, was published in 2018. She lives in Connecticut and loves spending time in her favorite city of Boston.
Follow Sarah: Audible Profile | Blog/Website | Facebook | Instagram
Maggie Blackbird 