Miss Marley: A Christmas ghost story - a prequel to A Christmas Carol
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‘Exquisite’ Veronica HenryBefore A Christmas Carol there was… Miss MarleyA seasonal tale of kindness and goodwillOrphans 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.Praise for Miss Marley:‘Exquisite’ Veronica Henry, author of The Forever House and A Family Recipe‘A beautiful, warm, rich hug of a story and bittersweet reminder to embrace life and enrich others as you go.’ Liz Fenwick‘The beauty of this book is not only in the gorgeous story, the attention to detail, the flowing prose, and the tribute to the original A Christmas Carol, but in the legacy that it is. Just perfect.’ Louise Beech‘Miss Marley has a fable-like quality that beautifully echoes the original with a directness that is both poignant and powerful.’ Rachel Malik‘Miss Marley magically captures the true spirit of Christmas. A delightful stocking filler to melt the hardest heart.’ Martine Bailey‘A warm return to some of Dickens’ greatest characters – delivered with care, confidence and a vibrant heart, but most of all, with love.’ Jason Hewitt‘An absolute gem of a story… vivid and emotional on so many levels. It deserves to be in everyone’s Christmas stocking.’ Juliet West, author of Before the Fall‘Love, disappointment, kindness and greed all play their parts in this delightful companion piece to Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.’ Woman & Home
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VANESSA LAFAYE was born in Florida and studied in North Carolina. She moved to the UK in 1999 (having been deported once) and is the author of two novels, Summertime and At First Light. Her debut Summertime was chosen for the Richard and Judy Book Club in 2015 and was shortlisted for the Historical Writers Award. Vanessa passed away in February 2018.
This story is one of pure invention. I have long been fascinated by Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, finding new meaning and new dimensions with every version that I have studied. However, the one character who intrigued me the most, the one on whom the whole tale seems to hang, appears in only three brief scenes: Jacob Marley.
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Dorothy hovered in the doorway, red-nosed from crying, twisting a dishcloth. ‘I could look after ’em here, Master Marley. They’re like my own—’
‘Impossible,’ pronounced Uncle Robert. ‘As I said, my brother has not left the means to sustain this,’ and here his eyes roved over Mother’s pale blue silk curtains with the silver tassels, ‘lifestyle. This house must be sold to recoup some of the shortfall.’
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