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  • Miss Marley

  • A Christmas ghost story - a prequel to A Christmas Carol
  • By: Vanessa Lafaye, Rebecca Mascul
  • Narrated by: Josie Dunn
  • Length: 3 hrs and 33 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (20 ratings)

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Miss Marley

By: Vanessa Lafaye, Rebecca Mascul
Narrated by: Josie Dunn
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Summary

Before A Christmas Carol there was… Miss Marley

A seasonal tale of kindness and goodwill

Orphans Clara and Jacob Marley live by their wits, scavenging for scraps in the poorest alleyways of London, in the shadow of the workhouse. Every night, Jake promises his little sister ‘tomorrow will be better’ and when the chance to escape poverty comes their way, he seizes it despite the terrible price.

And so Jacob Marley is set on a path that leads to his infamous partnership with Ebenezer Scrooge. As Jacob builds a fortress of wealth to keep the world out, only Clara can warn him of the hideous fate that awaits him if he refuses to let love and kindness into his heart…

In Miss Marley, Vanessa Lafaye weaves a spellbinding Dickensian tale of ghosts, goodwill and hope – a perfect prequel to A Christmas Carol.

‘A spellbinding Dickensian tale of ghosts, goodwill and hope’ Mail on Sunday

‘Redemptive… a fitting legacy for a writer who is so sadly missed’ Red

‘Evocative’ Heat

‘Delightful’ Sunday Mirror

‘A reminder of the power of kindness and love’ Stylist

A ‘gem of a tale’ Sunday Express

‘A beautifully written Dickensian tale’ Candis

‘Captivating … A beautiful and tender fable’ Daily Express

‘Fantastic’ Good Housekeeping

‘Ghosts, goodwill and hope on every page’ My Weekly

‘Lafaye masterfully brings the setting of 19th-Century London to life’ Woman

‘Love, disappointment, kindness and greed all play their parts in this delightful companion piece to Charles Dickens’ A Christmas CarolWoman & Home

‘A seasonal tale of kindness and goodwill that captures the atmosphere of Dickens’ Yours

‘Exquisite’ Veronica Henry

‘A beautiful, warm, rich hug of a story and bittersweet reminder to embrace life and enrich others as you go’ Liz Fenwick

©2018 Vanessa Lafaye (P)2018 HarperCollins Publishers
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Critic reviews

"Exquisite." (Veronica Henry, author of A Night on the Orient Express)

"A charming, finely detailed and beautifully written jaunt through Dickens’ London - a tale of heartbreak, love, kindness, and avarice. With Lafaye at her finest it’s seamlessly finished by Mascull; this book is a total, total joy." (Fionnuala Kearney, author of You, Me and Other People)

"A moving companion piece to the classic A Christmas Carol, with all the traditional echoes of the Dickensian festive season woven through, and with tragedy and joy in equal measure. A delight." (Essie Fox, author of The Somnambulist)

What listeners say about Miss Marley

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A nice pre- Christmas listen

Well narrated and pleasant story which is a nice compliment to A Christmas Carol. Worth listening to.

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Wonderfully Narrated

Narration was excellent. Interesting to hear the back story of Scrooge’s old friend Jacob Marley. Told mainly from the perspective of Jacob’s sister Clarabelle. Highly recommend to anyone who enjoys Dickension / Victorian tales.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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A Christmas Read

Curl up in your favourite reading place, preferably with a mince pie and a glass of wine at your side, and a fire crackling in the grate. The story begins with two hungry, ragged orphans, barely clawing a living on the cold and cheerless streets of London. Jacob Marley, later to become the unlamented business partner of Ebeneezer Scrooge, has had everything taken from him, except his sister Clara. Jacob is determined to overcome the dire straits he and Clara have found themselves in and gain revenge on their unfeeling. cruel, uncle. They come across a stranger one night, lying in the alley, mugged, garrotted and left to die. Seizing the opportunity, Jacob takes his purse, setting their frozen feet upon a fateful course. Redolent of Dickens' London, the atmosphere is thick with grime and suffering, ruthless avarice, love, loss, and a visit from a Christmas ghost.

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2 people found this helpful