So I've known this story since I was a child, but this Christmas was the first time I've actually read the book.
I love the various adaptations that have spawned from this story (The Muppet Christmas Carol is one of my favorite Christmas movies, no regrets) and the audiobook, narrated by Jim Dale, was only 1.5 hours long, since I listened to it at 2X speed. It was fine. Dickens is very...wordy. He is the kind of writer who will use a paragraph when five words would express the same idea. The first sentence, "Marley was dead: to begin with." is followed by two more paragraphs (132 words) to reiterate that he is dead. As if that first statement wasn't clear enough. That is just part of his style. Now, if this book was written today, I would have a whole list of annoyances and issues as far as the writing is concerned. But when I rate classics, I try to keep in mind the norm of the day as far as writing conventions go.

I'm glad I finally read this, and hope to read more Dickens in the future.