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  • A Christmas Carol: A Signature Performance by Tim Curry

  • Written by: Charles Dickens
  • Narrated by: Tim Curry
  • Length: 3 hrs and 31 mins
  • 4.9 out of 5 stars (515 ratings)

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A Christmas Carol: A Signature Performance by Tim Curry

Written by: Charles Dickens
Narrated by: Tim Curry
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Publisher's Summary

This version of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol, masterfully narrated by Tim Curry, was available for a limited time last year, and now it's back. This one-of-a-kind performance puts a unique spin on a treasured classic, and served as the inspiration for the exciting new line of Audible Signature Classics, including Adventures of Huckleberry Finn with Elijah Wood, and Heart of Darkness with Kenneth Branagh. Tim Curry performs this timeless holiday story in a deliciously dark tone, returning it to its Dickensian roots with a vivid imagining of Victorian London and just the right touch of outrageous fun.

A Christmas Carol has constantly been in print since its original publication in 1849, and has been adapted for stage, television, film, and opera. It has often been credited with returning the jovial and festive atmosphere to the holiday season in Britain and North America, following the somber period that emerged during the Industrial Revolution.

The story opens on a bleak and cold Christmas Eve as Ebenezer Scrooge is closing up his office for the day. As the story progresses and Christmas morning approaches, Scrooge encounters the unforgettable characters that make this story a classic: Bob Cratchit, Tiny Tim, and, of course, the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come.

Public Domain (P)2009 Audible, Inc.

Featured Article: The Best Holiday Audiobooks for Getting In The Festive Spirit

Are you feeling festive? As the holiday season approaches, there’s nothing better than enjoying a story that gets you in the mood for all the good times yet to come. We’ve compiled a list of the best holiday books for you to hit play on with the whole family.

What listeners say about A Christmas Carol: A Signature Performance by Tim Curry

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Just perfect.

Curry's voice would sound great ordering pizza, but this is magnificent. Rich in tone and dialect, it's a shame it can't be twice as long. Highly recommended for rush hour in December.

5 people found this helpful

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Fantastic

Tim Curry really brings this book to life. He previously played Scrooge in a late 1990's animated version of the Christmas Carol and he does bring elements of that performance. for the price point I choose this version over the Patrick Stewart version due to this book being unabridged.

2 people found this helpful

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Perfection

This was such an enjoyable listen. Tim Curry is the perfect narrator. His performance is warm, unhurried, with the perfect amount of melodrama. If you like this story or Dickens in general, you need to listen to this.

2 people found this helpful

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A Classic, beautifully rendered

There is no greater pleasure than a dramatic (but not melodramatic) recounting of this morality tale for the ages. Could not have been better.

1 person found this helpful

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Great story telling

Great story telling by Tim Curry. Very much enjoyed it and GOD bless us everyone

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Fantastic Narration of a Classic

Tim Curry is a treasure, and his narration brought the story and Dicken’s dry wit to life.

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Wonderful Narration

Tim Curry never disappoints. A Christmas classic told the way it should be. Highly recommended

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Tim Curry is masterful!

A tale we all know but to hear it read by the great Tim Curry is a different experience, such a good experience!

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Well read!

Just love all the voices Tim Curry does, he sure brings this old story to life!

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Wonderful Rendition of Story

Tim Curry does a beautiful job dramatizing this story. His narration and characterizations are very enjoyable.

Listening to the story during the holiday season is the best time to enjoy it. It has truly put me in the Holiday Spirit.

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  • Alia
  • 2009-12-11

Wonderful!!!

I'll admit I was a bit skeptical about whether or not I would enjoy such an oft-told literary classic (and I have heard disappointing versions before), but Tim Curry's fantastic narration grabbed me right from the first minute and didn't let go until the end! The emotions of the characters and Dickens' humorous wit really come through in his compelling rendition. I didn't pause it once from start to finish. I laughed, I cried (well, just a little!), and I enjoyed it completely. Recommended!!!

147 people found this helpful

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  • Tad Davis
  • 2009-12-14

Great reading!

Tim Curry is one of the last people I would have thought of in connection with "A Christmas Carol": my image of him is more the snivelling villain type, a kind of Uriah Heep. To my surprise, he does a bang-up job. The narration is clear and well-paced, and the characters are all given distinctive voices. Curry's reading of Scrooge himself is one of the best I've heard; and his Marley wheezes and gasps like a real ghost. (Not that I've ever actually encountered one outside this story.) Small things matter too: the five "staves" of the tale are labelled as such rather than being turned into "chapters" as on some other recordings.

I've built quite a collection of performances and adaptations of this tale over the years, starting with Mr Magoo. This version will definitely be one of the ones I return to in future.

117 people found this helpful

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  • NF Robertson
  • 2009-12-11

Superb story and reading!

Although I've known the story of "A Christmas Carol" since I was a child, my knowledge of it came mostly from Mr Magoo and Disney; I had never actually read the book until now. This audio reading was a special treat: The story itself is excellent in all its descriptive detail, and Tim Curry does an outstanding job as the reader. There were many times I had to remind myself that all the characters were 'played' by one actor. Highly recommend listening to this book!

101 people found this helpful

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  • Mel
  • 2012-12-23

Often Copied--Never Bettered

Like setting the star on top the tree, Christmas is complete when we've heard at least some version of Dickens's A Christmas Carol -- and as much as I've enjoyed every one of the many homages to Dicken's Carol, (from Alastair Sim to Mr. Magoo to Bill Murray to Scrooge McDuck) nothing warms the cockles like the original icy Scrooge..."tight-fisted hand at the grindstone, squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner, hard and sharp as flint"... without Mr. Scrooge, there is something missing in Christmas. "Marley was dead..." those opening lines send shivers of memories and delight through me each year I hear them anew. Stupendous production, Curry's expressive and distinctive voice alone is an ensemble; for 3 1/2 hours I was as mesmerized as the first time I read the story. Dickens is always a favorite, but perhaps at his wisest and timeless best here.

55 people found this helpful

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  • Philip
  • 2009-12-08

Get This!

You have heard this story a thousand times before but you have not truly heard the story until you listen to Tim Curry. He is a genius. Get this book for the holiday season!

53 people found this helpful

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  • Darwin8u
  • 2012-12-23

Can't Imagine a December without Ebenezer Scrooge

I absolutely love Dickens. This is one of those stories where it has moved almost into the soul and center of Christmas. Dickens' style is sharp, his wit is evident, and the story flows like a crisp, step waterfall. I could imagine a December without Ebenezer Scrooge, like I could imagine a December without lights, peppermint, Nativity scenes or Bing Crosby's 'White Christmas'. This was the first year I shared the story with my kids and they enjoyed it as much as I did.

45 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Linda
  • 2009-12-13

Riveting!

I've been completely enthralled by this audio book. It is so well done as to feel much more like a dramatic production than a simple narration. I'm not a great fan of Tim Curry normally, but his portrayals of Dicken's characters is full-hearted and spot-on (but not over the top or in any way goofy, which is what I had feared). Highly recommended.

37 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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  • Susannah McBride
  • 2009-12-20

Thank You!

I'm already a fan of Charles Dickens, and of A Christmas Carol--unabridged edition. The whole book has so much heart and detail that can never fit into even the best movie version. I'm also a big fan of other readings of this book. But Tim Curry did a wonderful job. His rattling voice of Jacob Marley is not to be missed, plus he brought out the humorous parts very well. Thank you, Audible, for this wonderful gift!

31 people found this helpful

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  • Savannah
  • 2018-11-14

Weirdest version ever

Alrighty, now I know this’ll be controversial.... BUT Tim Curry is just awful in this. His voice is perfect for narrating but not voice acting. You can never tell who’s even talking. There’s no variation between characters when he voices them. Every character is nearly the same tone and same volume and that’s terrifying when he starts voicing children. It’s awful. I just can’t listen to it past the first ghost because I can’t tell anyone apart.

19 people found this helpful

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  • Mardie
  • 2009-12-16

A Christmas Carol

Tim Curry is a fabulous reader. I thoroughly enjoyed his rendition of the timeless story!

17 people found this helpful