Kindle Edition Amazon Category:  Historical Fiction Publisher: Simon and Schuster ISBN-10:  1476766177 Type: Fiction Pages: 272 Copyright: 2014 ISBN-13: 9781476766171 Price: $1.99 (eBook) Two decades after the original Dickens tale, Tim Cratchit faces professional challenges and a personal crisis during the Christmas season. Tiny Tim is all grown up in this continuation of Charles Dickens’s beloved holiday classic A Christmas Carol, and this time, a certain ghost shows him the true meaning of Christmas cheer! In A Christmas Carol, evil Scrooge was shown the error of his ways by three helpful ghosts and vowed to become a better person. Bob Cratchit and his family benefited most from Scrooge’s change of tune—but what happened after the goose was given, and Scrooge resolved to turn over a new leaf? Tim Cratchit’s Christmas Carol shows us Tiny Tim as an adult. Having recovered from his childhood ailment, he began his career helping the poor but has since taken up practice as a doctor to London’s wealthy elite. Though Tim leads a very successful life, he comes home at night to an empty house. But this holiday season, he’s determined to fill his house with holiday cheer—and maybe even a wife. When a single, determined young mother lands on Tim’s doorstep with her ailing son, Tim is faced with a choice: stay ensconced in his comfortable life and secure doctor’s practice, or take a leap of faith and reignite the fire lit under him by his mentor, Scrooge, that fateful Christmas so many years ago.

Dianne's Review
October 28, 2014
It takes a brave author to write a “sequel” to A Christmas Carol. It takes a brilliant author to pull it off! Tim Cratchit’s Christmas Carol by Jim Piecuch has all the atmosphere of its predecessor, the feel of London, the warmth of the season and even a cameo appearance by Ebenezer, himself!

Remember Tim? How sick he was? How you just fell in love with him as a child? Thanks to Mr. Scrooge, Tim was healed, and grew to be a remarkable doctor with a huge and generous heart. But his kindness to the poor is not approved of by the “uppercrust” of London, and particularly by his egotistical partner, a doctor with low ethical standards and a large bank account. Tim tries to help a homeless young boy with a tumor on his spine and time is running out. But it’s the season of miracles and love and Tim still believes in the magic and miracles of Christmas. But has he the skill to operate?
With determination, a budding romance and his very best of friends and family around him, Tim knows there was some Christmas magic and love from beyond that has brought him to this place and time and like before, will guide him through, no matter the outcome.

I bow to Jim Piecuch for his ability to create a warm tale of Christmas, of helping others, of paying forward, of finding love and of believing in the Season. His characters were beautifully drawn, full –color, and exaggerated when needed, to depict the selfishness that so often mars life. Mr. Piecuch has created his own warm and inviting Christmas tale to share the meaning of Christmas for generations to enjoy.

I received an Arc edition from Pocket Star in exchange for my honest review.


Steve's Review
I am usually one of the many who complain every year about why we are being ushered into the holiday season so early. I mean, after all, it’s not even Halloween yet. I haven’t finished putting up the storm windows, stowing away the summer lawn furniture, and am still hoping to have time to give my car a thorough cleaning, including its annual wax. I am not ready to get into Christmas mode yet. Heck, we havent even bought the mandatory 20 or 30 bags of candy for the neighborhood Trick-or-Treat visitors. Don’t take me wrong, I do love the holidays, but all in good time, please.
But when the time is right I try to usher in some holiday cheer by replacing the dusty stack of novels on my bedside stand (my reading Inbox) with some books that are somehow connected with the holidays. Not an easy task, my friends. Finding books that could qualify for a holiday reading list is easy enough but finding books that hold my interest and have some sort of redeeming value is a bit more of a challenge. I have yet to find a good novel that offers a pleasant dose of Thanksgiving atmosphere, my personal favorite. Quality holiday reads are rare.
Now holiday movies is another thing altogether. Movies and specials take over the airwaves the whole month of December and even though I may never admit it I DO keep my TV tuned to Hallmark for the 6-8 week holiday period. Im a sucker for Thanksgiving or Christmas related movies. Some are good, others are not so good, just like anything else but its fun sorting them out. I only wish that it was as easy to find good novels with holiday themes as it is movies. After perusing the new releases, I usually revert back to one of the old classics.
But this year has been different so far.
First, I stumbled across a good novel about fall that I reviewed earlier, “Autumn Leaves”. I was pleasantly surprised to find that one. But a few weeks later fortunate struck yet again. This time I was to be given an early peek at a new novel by Jim Piecuch entitled Tim Cratchit’s Christmas Carol
I was honored to have been given the opportunity to review a newer book, and wanting to provide a timely review of the novel, I pushed aside my other urgent reads and focused on the story whose sub title ambitiously read “the Sequel to the Celebrated Dickens Classic”. A pretty lofty title indeed. Declaring a new novel to be THE sequel to a recognized classic such as “A Christmas Carol” by Dickens, would seem to set near impossible expectations upon which to deliver, but in all honesty, I would have little qualm about admitting that Piecuchs novel fits the title wonderfully. Although I did have doubts at first, after reading this delightful story, I can honestly call myself a believer.
“Tim Cratchit’s Christmas Carol” is the story of Tiny Tim, now grown up and a practicing physician and surgeon in a more upscale London neighborhood than the one he and his family grew up in. After Ebenezer Scrooges’ fateful night of visitation from the Spirits of Christmas, the self-centered and judgmental miser repented of his ways and became like family to the Cratchit family, providing help in every way and became a benefactor to Tiny Tim specifically, funding and overseeing his medical care and later, his education and career. Tims practice consisted of providing medical care to the masses initially, but eventually when his inheritance from Scrooge finally ran dry, he joined with a more prestigious medical group in an uptown neighborhood. Though doing what he must to survive and pay the bills, Tim’s heart remained with the truly needy in London. He found himself wrestling with wasting his talents on the finer citizens of the city whose needs were more on a pandering level than on true medicine.
The author did not attempt to simply ride the coat tails of a timeless classic, but the book is itself a substantial and complete literary accomplishment. Piecuchs’ descriptions of the class differences is thorough and produces passion and real empathy. Without using emotional triggers, the reader experiences the desperation and hopelessness of the poor and abuse and indifference of the wealthy as much as any story I have read and much more than most. The plight of the smaller middle class is tentative and precarious. They are ever-mindful of the very thin line between their humble homes and employment and those a bit less fortunate who are forced to find refuge anywhere on the streets and search daily for food and shelter. The upper class uses this constant threat to keep their subordinates in a posture of servitude.
Tim, though accepted by the upper class by his vocation and endorsement of his benefactor, remains mindful of Scrooges charges to him to keep the servant’s heart, give to the poor, and spend the days of his life as Scrooge did his final days; using his wealth and influence to the benefit of the needy. But this approach is at odds with those who provide his living. His ability to have true empathy with the poor is uncomfortable to the rich as this requires effort and humility. Tim must play both sides of the aisle and does so very well until the time is right to make difficult decisions.
The supporting characters are unique and realistic. Each one is given the time and effort of description that it seems that they are main characters themselves. And though there is a whole slew of characters to consider, Piecuch gives each of them real life of their very own. The reader makes many new friends through this novel and is left not wondering how to make the connection to the original classic story, but instead, how, if ever, this story can continue on, which makes it very fitting for a Christmas story indeed.
What a great way to celebrate the holidays for those of us who find so much pleasure in literature. I will have no problem putting it at the top of my list of yearly reads now.
This one could sit on the display table at any book store on Black Friday along side the one I will dive into next, “The Big Book of Christmas Mysteries”, by Otto Penzler.



Marjorie's Review
Jim Piecuch's book Tim Cratchit's Christmas Carol - The Sequel to the Celebrated Dickens Classic is a very much must read. It is about Tiny Tim who is now grown up. He is no longer with his childhood ailment. He is now a doctor caring for the wealthy. It is a very successful practice. But it is a lonely life. He comes home to an empty house.every night. But it's this year that he decides that he is going to fill his home with a lot of Holiday spirit, Christmas cheer and maybe even a wife. Once you begin reading this book you will not be able to put it down until you finish it. I enjoyed reading it very much. I gave it 5 stars but it deserves more. I highly recommend it to all. I look forward to more from Jim Piecuch.