ARC Review: Jacob T. Marley

Title: Jacob T. Marley
Author: R. William Bennett
Release Date: October 12



"Marley was dead to begin with ..." These chillingly familiar words begin the classic Christmas tale of remorse and redemption in A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Now R. William Bennett rewinds the story and focuses the spotlight on Scrooge's miserly business partner, Jacob T. Marley, who was allowed to return as a ghost to warn Scrooge away from his ill-fated path. Why was Marley allowed to return? And why hadn't he been given the same chance as Ebenezer Scrooge?

Or had he?

Written with a voice reminiscent of Dickens, Jacob T. Marley is to A Christmas Carol as the world-famous Wicked is to The Wizard of Oz as this masterfully crafted story teaches of choices, consequences, and of the power of accountability. It is sure to become a Christmas favorite. --Goodreads


In all honesty, the only Dickens I could ever really get into was A Christmas Carol. It’s one of my all-time favorite classics, and I tend to find myself picking it up often-- most particularly around the holidays. I had tried other Dickens’ novels in the past, and just couldn’t really get a grasp or enjoy it much truthfully. A Christmas Carol was masterful, though.


In Jacob T. Marley we get a whole new light, set in the same style, and I admit to going into it with some trepidation-- perhaps even a bit of annoyance that an author could even attempt this. Well, thank you, R. William Bennett for the surprise. While it’s normally dangerous to toy with a classic, this companion was fitting, well-crafted, and it worked very well. I breezed right through it and find that it will be a wonderful piece to set alongside my own worn (but well-loved) copy of A Christmas Carol.


4 stars!