A Carol Dickens Christmas: A Novel

It's Christmas, and Carol Dickens's life is in major transition. Her son Finn, a talented trumpet player, is about to leave for college. Her ex-husband, a real-estate wheeler-dealer, wants to sell their properties in Kansas and move to Arizona. Her wheelchair-bound friend, Laurence, has fallen in love with her. To top it all off, Scraps, the family dog, is dying. As her world spins out of control, Carol seeks refuge in her research on the use of the semicolon--and in her ritual of cooking the perfect series of Victorian holiday meals inspired by A Christmas Carol.

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Review

"This book is a gift, a stirring mix of Dickens; Hispanic American culture; food, drink, and generosity, brought together with a perfectly measured plot and spiced with Averill's savory prose. Recommended cold-weather reading, but will bring back the flavor of the holidays at any time of the year."--John Reimringer, author of Vestments

"The Christmas spirit was in short supply this year, until I read Tom Averill's plum pudding of a book. It's a heady, rich, contemporary take on transitions, traditions and the true meaning of Christmas. (Recipes included!)"--Linda Brand, director of the Kansas City Rep's A Christmas Carol for nine seasons

"A memorable Christmas story on its own terms, A Carol Dickens Christmas also subtly reworks Charles Dickens's classic with a multicultural cast. Thomas Fox Averill contributes an important addition to 'Victorian afterlife' fiction and offers special treats to 'foodies' too."--Linda K. Hughes, Addie Levy Professor of Literature, Texas Christian University

About the Author

Thomas Fox Averill's rode and Secrets of the Tsil Café: A Novel with Recipes are also available from the University of New Mexico Press. He teaches at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas.