Jacob T. Marley,

by William Bennett

I have always wondered about Jacob Marley. ... oh, I know he's just a fictious character, but I always sorta felt bad for him, he having to spend eternity dragging a lot of heavy chains around, while his compatriot and fellow Jerk - Ebeneezer gets a second chance to escape the same fate. Pretty good friend to warn him I'd say - since we all know Scrooge deserved the same chains "having added to them these seven years".

There is no question that Jacob got what he earned - he said it himself. "I wear the chain I forged in life. I made it link by link and yard by year. It is a ponderous chain." But exactly where does mercy and justice meet? We all cry out for mercy, and Ebeneezer (though not sold on the idea at the beginning) cried out for mercy too .... but doesn't Jacob Marley get any mercy? When I get this philosophical, my kids remind me "MOM, its a BOOK! A Story. Calm down. He wasn't real."
Well, good stories make me think about real life, and I love to see the deeper meaning in them. And when I read that classic favourite - A Christmas Carol - every December, a part of me is unsettled because of the unfinished piece about Jacob Marley .....

Evidently, there are others who felt the same way. Lucky for us, one of them happens to be the incredibly talented Latter-day Saint author William Bennett. ...

Enter the NEW book "Jacob T. Marley" the soon to be classic companion - at least in my family. (sssshhhh - don't tell them, but all my adult kids are getting one of these for Christmas to go along with each of their copies of A Christmas Carol.)

Written in 'Dickens-ish' language, it is beautiful to read - a pure literary pleasure that makes me smile, simply enjoying the flow of it.
Available at Generations Bookstore (and all other good Independent LDS Bookstores).
CLICK HERE to Read More about it on our website