Hardship and bitterness
Sam and Lizzie struggle on the streets while freezing and hungry; Sam’s rejection by a wealthy man focuses his frustration.
Book details
Chris Priestley - Author
A dark, Dickens-inspired ghost story about hunger, hardship and the possibility that a bitter course might change. Its central tension comes from Sam deciding whether Scrooge should live or die.
Sam and Lizzie are freezing and hungry on the streets of Victorian London. When Sam asks a wealthy man for some coins, he is rudely turned away. Months of struggle suddenly find their focus, and Sam resolves to kill the man. Huddling in a graveyard for warmth, Sam and Lizzie are horrified to see the earth around one of the tombs begin to shift, shortly followed by the wraithlike figure of a ghostly man. He warns Sam about the future which awaits such a bitter heart, and so begins Sam's journey led by terrifying spirits through the past, present and future, after which Sam must decide whether to take the man, Scrooge's, life or not. A perfectly layered, tense and supremely satisfying twist on one of Dickens' most popular books, cleverly reinvented to entice a younger readership.
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Sign in for personalised guidanceA dark, Dickens-inspired ghost story about hunger, hardship and the possibility that a bitter course might change. Its central tension comes from Sam deciding whether Scrooge should live or die.
Sam and Lizzie struggle on the streets while freezing and hungry; Sam’s rejection by a wealthy man focuses his frustration.
After a spirit warns Sam about the future of a bitter heart, Sam is led through the past, present and future and must decide whether to take Scrooge’s life.
A wraithlike figure rises near a tomb and leads Sam through the past, present and future.
Expect sustained tension, supernatural imagery and a threat of killing.
This is a grounded book brief while Suitabook strengthens the analysis: the current material supports only a cautious reading; another book-specific source is still needed.
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