A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens is a classic novel set during the turbulent times of the French Revolution. The story focuses on a family caught in the midst of the revolution, showcasing the suffering of innocent people as the tide of change sweeps through society. Dickens masterfully portrays the chaos and bloodshed of the French Revolution, while creating characters that range from noble to evil, with a special emphasis on the enigmatic Sydney Carton. The book delves into themes of oppression, violence, and injustice, offering a gripping narrative that captures the spirit of the era.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
The novel includes themes of violence, execution, and a vivid portrayal of the brutality of the Revolution.
Has Romance?
The major romance is between Lucie Manette and Charles Darnay, complicated by Sydney Carton's unrequited love.
From The Publisher:
Against the backdrop of growing discontent in Paris, Doctor Manette is released from the Bastille after eighteen years of unjust imprisonment and begins a new life in England with his devoted daughter Lucie. There, the gifted but dissolute lawyer Sydney Carton and the exiled French nobleman Charles Darnay find their lives increasingly intertwined with those of the Manettes. Yet soon both men are drawn ineluctably from the peaceful English capital to the horror and bloodshed of the Paris Terror and the looming threat of the guillotine.
Representing a departure from the social satire of most of his other novels and deemed by Dickens himself to be "the best story I have written", A Tale of Two Cities is a powerful historical novel about the repercussions of epochal events on the personal lives of people on both sides of the Channel.
Ratings (162)
Incredible (24) | |
Loved It (41) | |
Liked It (53) | |
It Was OK (25) | |
Did Not Like (18) | |
Hated It (1) |
Reader Stats (332):
Read It (172) | |
Currently Reading (3) | |
Want To Read (102) | |
Did Not Finish (12) | |
Not Interested (43) |
4 comment(s)
So good. So good. Read it now.
Favorite Dickens novel. About the French Revolution
I would like to begin my thoughts with a simple disclaimer: Whatever I write here are mere musings on just one of Charles Dickens' novels in his vast collection of works.
My English teacher claims that the book is slow only through the first few chapters. I have to disagree and say that the novel is slow up until the third book--a good two thirds of the book in. In other words, if you're looking for a suspenseful, gripping page-turner, this book may not be for you.
Just to be clear, however, there is a good reason for the action to begin two thirds of the way in. Dickens is a master of meticulous buildup of a steamrolling chain of events. I can't even imagine how this man managed to write this novel by publishing it one chapter at a time. Dickens earns high marks in my book for construction.
The other redeeming quality of the book is the characters. A Tale of Two Cities is a book of parallels-- good and bad, weak and strong, heroes and anti-heroes. There a certain characters that turn out to infinitely better than you originally expect, and that makes one adore (and perhaps surprisingly but not ashamedly fangirl over) those characters.
Overall, I gave A Tale of Two Cities four stars because of its slow pace but excellent construction and phenomenal characters.
it was one of those books i was made to read for class so i had no passion for trying to like it, unfortunately. but it's alright, i'm not a huge fan of dickens anyway
What can you read after
A Tale of Two Cities?
About the Author:
Charles Dickens was born in a little house in Landport, Portsea, England, on February 7, 1812. The second of eight children, he grew up in a family frequently beset by financial insecurity. When the family fortunes improved, Charles went back to…
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