Monday, November 10, 2014

Blog Tour/Review: Jacob T. Marley by R. William Bennett


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Jacob T. Marley, by R. William Bennett
2011, 202p, Christmas, Inspirational
My Rating=5 Stars
Source: Received a copy from the publisher for an honest review



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.

This book has such a great message! We're all familiar with A Christmas Carol and this book tells the "rest of the story." We learn about Jacob T. Marley's background, what the "T" in his name stands for, how Marley and Scrooge met, and why Scrooge became the miser we all know him to be.

Then we learn more about the night when Scrooge's heart is changed and he decides to become a better man, what Marley's role was that night and what became of him afterward. We learn about the remainder of Scrooge's life and how he's able to redeem himself. I felt that the author did a great job conveying the anguish Jacob Marley felt when he realized his role in molding Ebenezer Scrooge into the man he was and his willingness to do whatever he needed to in order to fix it.

This is the kind of story that causes me to reflect on my life and ways to make it better. I tend to be "busy" quite a bit and don't always make time for human interaction. There is always someone to listen to, give service to and show kindness to and it's important to help those who cross my path.

I love how this book adds to A Christmas Carol and love that the message is one that will resonate no matter what time of year it is. If you love A Christmas Carol, this is a book you will definitely want to read!



About the Author

R. WILLIAM (BILL) BENNETT spent more than thirty years in business, most recently as a division president of FranklinCovey. The author of the award-winning novella The Christmas Gift, Bill and his family live in Alpine, Utah. You can contact him at Bill@rwilliambennet.com.


1 comments:

Unknown said...

It sounds fantastic. Great review!

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