The Chimes | What the Dickens? Christmas Edition | VLOGMAS DAY 3 

I love the secretary Mr. Fish and the shopkeeper Mrs. Anne Chickenstalker. Those Dickens surnames 😂!

Do you think that Dickens wrote _The Chimes_ strictly as a money making venture? I'm often tempted to diminish Dickens works for their length, repeated themes, happy endings, etc. because those things seem to be a byproduct of his commercial success and the way in which his work was published. Even when I am enjoying a Dickens book (which I usually do), I always wonder if he's not simply working towards a formula designed to increase his earnings. I am curious if you think _The Chimes_ is affected in that way.

It's a shame that we've had dozens of adaptations of A Christmas Carol yet The Chimes is completely forgotten.

The way Dickens describes every detail in that book accentuating misery, death, screaming and moaning etc, I think the book is labeled with a kind of a wrong genre, cuz for real it brings more of sad and horror vibes instead of "merry Christmas" 🤣

First of all: THAT. SWEATER! Love love love. I got the audiobook narrated by Richard Armitage. Nothing cheers you up like spirit-goblins! Great discussion!

I am still waiting for my "Christmas novellas and other Christmas writings" book to arrive so I will be reading this when it arrives.

Thank you, I’ve just finished the third quarter and I’ve been at a loss having just read A Christmas Carol beforehand. The story is lacking linking to the point where I’ve been very confused and needed to check I had it correct in my head. Having read A Christmas Carol just before this story it reads - as you say- as a really bad version of A Christmas Carol. Very helpful!

So excited to read The Chimes!! Loved this discussion 😘

HELLO! I LOVE UR CHANNEL! nd I like how much u seem obssessed with Dickens (for I am too.) I have read The Chimes only twice, nd I still think it's soo great! Smh I think it's more emotional than The cricket on the Hearth and A Christmas Carol. it's definitely one of my favourite books of Dickens.

The Chimes is the ONLY one of Dickens' Christmas books I have NOT read. It was on my list to read this December. P.S. I LOVE THESE THEMED VIDEO SERIES. Thank you for your thoughtful, intelligent content. Merry Christmas!

I was so glad to hear that "The Chimes" is your least favorite, because after the first few pages, with their wonderful description of the wind blowing through the old cathedral, I found the story so heavy-handed that I thought perhaps I wouldn't pick up another Dickens Christmas novella (beside s rereading "A Christmas Carol") until I had read all the regular novels. Having now watched your videos on the other Christmas novellas, though, I am really looking forward to them, especially "The Haunted Man."

Will you be doing a video on 'American Notes' or 'Pictures from Italy'? Maybe 'Sketches by Boz'? Strange, I think 'The Cricket on the Hearth' is more famous than 'The Chimes'.

I’m still trying to figure out why Meg (as Toby imagined her in the future) was so upset that her baby resembled Lilian’s mother... was Dickens hinting that this was Lilian’s child and Richard had brought it home to Meg to raise without telling her? I feel like I missed some essential piece of the plot!

Spot on.

Great video as always, thank you!

I must say, I wanted to enjoy The Chimes more than I did. It wasn't a bad book and I don't regret reading it, but I felt Toby and the Goblins were way too harsh on him. I know Dickens was a champion of the poor, and this novella clearly described the disparity of the classes which still exists today, but I found myself pitying Toby for his self deprecation more than focusing on the cruelty of Alderman Cute and the blind hypocrisy of Sir Joseph Bowley. I still have yet to read Cricket on the Hearth and will listen to your review first.

I haven't read it or even heard of it!

Thank you for this wonderful review! I think the moral of the story was that the poor are good people who are not responsible for the terrible things that happen to them. It's those in power who are enforcing their oppression and responsible for their hardship. I felt like the story was weak because Toby was the one who had to learn this lesson and, as you said, he was both kind and poor. His journey only freed him of self-judgment. This made central moral be that the poor are good people, which should be obvious, instead of focusing on the corruption of the rich. It would have been a better story if it was a rich man learning the error of his ways... but that was the Christmas Carol.

The Chimes is not my favorite either. I gave it three stars for the colorful writing and interesting characters, but the plot is not that engaging. I liked the IDEA of the plot, but the execution is sort of forced.

Good review, once again. I was in love with Toby, as a character, but the story was totally ruined for me, after the first chapter ended. I hate the almost knock-off feel it has of “A Christmas Carol”. I also hate the supernatural element, and feel it almost ruins the entire book. Toby is too great of a character to be in this piece of crap lol. I also reviewed this on my channel I actually upload on. I was disappointed, but at least “The Battle Of Life” made-up for it lol. Merry Christmas, and God bless you!