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    A Tale of Two Cities
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    A Tale of Two Cities
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    A Tale of Two Cities
    Ebook578 pages7 hours

    A Tale of Two Cities

    By Charles Dickens

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    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSheba Blake Publishing
    Release dateJun 14, 2014
    ISBN9781312263192
    Author

    Charles Dickens

    Charles Dickens was born February 7, 1812 in Landport, Portsmouth, the second of eight children to John and Elizabeth Dickens. Dickens' father had great difficulty managing his affairs and was often under the burden of crushing debt, which culminated in his imprisonment in Marshalsea debtor's prison in 1824. As a result, Dickens was forced to leave school and begin work at a boot-blacking factory to assist in getting the family out of debt, an experience that would allow Dickens to sympathize with the plight of the poor and destitute that would last his entire life. Dickens took to writing immediately and, in 1833, he published his first story: A Dinner at Popular Walk in Monthly Magazine. The following year, he began writing under the pseudonym Boz and released a collection of short stories entitled Sketches by Boz in 1836. That same year he married Catherine Hogarth, daughter of the editor of the Evening Chronicle. They had 10 children before they separated in 1858. From 1836 to 1837, Dickens serialized what would become the novel The Pickwick Papers, which was an immediate sensation and became one of his most popular works, released in book form in 1837. Encouraged by this success, Dickens began writing at a furious and astonishing rate, producing (in serial form) some of his most favorite novels: Oliver Twist (1837-39), Nicholas Nickleby (1838-39), as well as The Old Curiosity Shop and Barnaby Rudge (1840-41). After that, Dickens barely paused for the rest of his career. He would regularly release a book ever year or so for the next two decades, including American Notes, his five Christmas Books (including, of course, A Christmas Carol), David Copperfield, Bleak House, A Tale of Two Cities, and Great Expectations. Charles Dickens suffered a stroke on June 9, 1870 at died at Gad's Hill. Buried in the Poets' Corner of Westminster Abbey.

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    Reviews for A Tale of Two Cities

    4/5

    6,637 ratings192 reviews

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    • 4/5
      It was my first Dickens, it was not my last. It was summer in Chicago and I was surrounded by lovely albeit unruly children. Oh dear, it was a struggle at times, watching three kids while my wife and their mother were in the city. Still I finished the novel over a long afternoon without drugging my charges.

      It is a story of sacrifice, maybe of redemption. I felt for everyone, zealots and drunkards alike. The concluding scaffold scene engendered tears, it has to be admitted. Is there a better novel about the French Revolution, its aspirations and its contradictions?
    • 5/5
      Suuuuuper glad I read this as an adult. I'm sure I appreciated it a lot more than I would have at 15. Not sure if it was reading via audiobook (Dickens' writing is incredibly lyrical), but I really enjoyed this book.
    • 2/5
      over rated
    • 2/5
      The French Revolution takes an interest in a family of expatriates.2/4 (Indifferent).There are some good characters (and also some terrible ones who exist purely to be noble or evil). About half the book is spent dwelling on Big Important Historical Tragedy in a way that guarantees the book is regarded as a Big Important Historical Work. A Tale of Two Cities is to Charles Dickens what Schindler's List is to Steven Spielberg.
    • 5/5
      It's been so long since I read this intense love story that much of it seemed new to me when I read it again. That's not bad. I am always attracted to Dickens' dialogue. His characters feel what they say and they distinctly say what they mean. Sydney Carton, of course, is the protagonist, he does the 18th century version of singing the blues and he's a laid back superhero. I don't mean to disdain his performance; Carton perfects his moral life in a bravely spectacular way, and the escape of Evremonde and his family really is one of literature's most unheralded anticlimaxes.For my money, Miss Pross is the heroine, a classic Dickens supporting character, so haughty, so tenderly solicitous of her Miss Lucie, so contentedly secondary, with such genius of physical and moral courage. Madame Defarge never had a chance when she went up against that pride of the English nation.A reading of Dickens is a swirl of characters you'd really like to meet.Read more on my blog: Barley Literate by Rick
    • 5/5
      A Tale of Two Cities with David Copperfield & Great Expectations acclaimed by some as one of the finest of Dickens many superb novels, however, other critics have been much less positive: It really does depend on the reader's viewpoint of Dicken's blend of historical-fiction with very well known events & and cities. It is a story that evokes the thrilling excitement and ghastly butchery of the French Revolution & all the social emotional explosion surrounding it told through the life, love and experiences of French Dr. Manette in Paris, & his daughter Lucie in London. Every student or lover of literature should have read it.
    • 4/5
      A family is caught up in the drama and terror of the French Revolution.Often I can summarize the plot of a classic, even one I have not read, because it's such a touchstone in the general culture. Not so this book. I knew the first line and the last line, but not much about what happened in between (just, blah, blah, blah, French Revolution, blah, blah, blah...). Now, having read it, I still find it a little difficult to summarize. It's a great story, full of love and sacrifice, high ideals and Revolutionary fervor. As with all of the classics I've tackled this year, I'm glad I read it -- and (which is not the case with all the classics I read this year), I'm keeping it on my shelf against the possibility of future rereadings.
    • 3/5
      A Tale of Cities. Charles Dickens. Open Road. I haven’t read any Dickens since high school and I enjoyed this as it was quite a change from the books I usually read even for book club. I enjoyed the love story and the description of life in France before and after the revolutions. Faults on both sides, friends, and Dickens showed them. I was only familiar with the first and last paragraphs of the book before I read it. And those are still the best lines. If you like to sink into Dickens, this is a good one.
    • 4/5
      This is book number 22 of the Kings Treasuries of Literature Series. Beside the text of the story itself, the book contains commentaries on: The structure of the story, the historical basis of the story, a memoir of Dickens and some notes and suggestions for student readers. As with all of these little books, it is a pleasure to hold, to see on your shelf and to read.
    • 3/5
      Probably nothing I can say that hasn't been said before: a socially-conscious novel from Dickens full of gorgeous description and startling passages of anger against the inhumanity of man. Particularly interesting to read in 2016, as the Arab world recovers from several years of revolution and the English-speaking Western world faces some surprising outsider politicians.

      Coming along in 1859, after Dickens had spent a couple of years primarily enjoying the theatre lifestyle and working for the betterment of sick children, it seems as if CD felt the need to write a historical novel to cleanse some personal creative desires. His 12th novel (and 20th important work), Two Cities doesn't seem to follow logically from the works that precede it. Unlike most of Dickens' novels, the characters here are particularly wooden (Lucie Manette just seems to faint a lot, really, and Dr. Manette and Charles exist primarily for things to happen to them) and the plot rather straightforward. I've seen it likened to Barnaby Rudge but I somewhat disagree; that book still had a lot of typical Dickensian aspects to it, even if it was ultimately a "historical novel" like this one. Still, it's a quick and entertaining read, with plenty of alternating sentimentalism and anger. The two most redeeming characters - Madame Defarge and Miss Pross - make it all worthwhile. How can anyone not adore a woman so English she refuses to cross the Channel? And Sydney Carton's final internal monologue is every bit the equal of that powerful first paragraph. Sydney is not as developed a character as those who came before, but this seems in part because he is seen through other people's eyes so often. Nevertheless, the desire to start him off so unlikable and gradually create his portrait is admirable.

      The relatively few bits of humour in the novel are less successful, because Cruncher lacks the human elements of previous grotesques but also lacks the purely "fantastic" elements that allow us to separate our sense of morals from our respect for their self-preservation. Miss Pross is good for a few laughs, admittedly! Still, for the kind of work it is, A Tale of Two Cities is a dashing good read nonetheless. Now on to the final black spot in my knowledge of his books: Our Mutual Friend!
    • 4/5
      I read this one on a plane on the way to England and actually enjoyed it. It isn't my favorite of all the Dickens I've read but it was valuable in and of itself. Everything really leads up to the last moments, which are insanely devastating in so many ways but touching. It didn't bring tears to my eyes - it didn't touch me on a deeply emotional level - but it was good. Definitely recommend.
    • 5/5
      It was the best of times, it was the worse of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness… Thus starts one of my favorite books. This could have been written today, for it is so appropriate to our times! And who doesn’t know the first words of Dicken’s “Tale of Two Cities”? Well, actually I had never read it—English not being my mother tongue—and am very glad I do now. What a marvelous book. (I actually read about it in Mrs. Kantor’s excellent “Politically Incorrect Guide to English and American Literature.”) This is the story of love’s redeeming qualities: it purifies the soul, it saves the lost—the best of times; it is also the story of the horrors of the French Revolution and its many excesses and crimes—the worse of times… A tale of love and hate, of the duality of human soul, but also the endurance of good. The movies I watched based upon this book could not perfectly recreate the beauty of its very touching end: one must read it to understand its meaning in the author's own words. Dickens was certainly a Christian man and everywhere we find mentions of God; but I am inclined to believe this will not be an impediment to the agnostic or the atheist readers. Definitely a must read for its literary quality, its lessons and the unmistakable Dickensonian style.
    • 4/5
      I started this book for two main reasons. First, I read Great Expectations last year for the second time and love it. Second, I teach A.P. European History and we study the French Revolution in detail each year. Since this book is the classic novel of the time period, it only makes sense that I read it. Now that I am finished, I am truly glad that I chose to read the book. Dickens does a fantastic job of bringing out the emotions and chaos of Paris during the Reign of Terror. From the blind hatred and violence of the Defarges and their fellow "citizens", to the love and heartache of the Manette and Darnay families, I felt immersed and connected with all the characters involved. It is easy to read the history books and learn all about the Revolution, but living the story through the mind of Dickens has given me a real appreciation of what it was like.
    • 2/5
      Documentair zeker waardevol, maar als roman echt mislukt.Geen doorlopende verhaallijn: de stukjes lijken nergens naar toe te voeren.Stilistisch: soms opflakkerend, maar over het algemeen flauw; overdreven toepassing van de spiegelingstechniek (Londen-Parijs, Darnay-Carton)nogal doorzichtig-sociaal gedreven
    • 2/5
      All I can say about this book is "I got through it"! Without the spark notes, I would not have understood a single thing here, but I have officially read a classic because I wanted to, not because I was forced to.
    • 5/5
      Still one of my favorites and maybe the best last line of any book ever.
    • 4/5
      My favorite Dickens book!
    • 4/5
      the classic story of mistaken identity in the french revolution
    • 5/5
      Profound & immensely satisfying how everything ties together. Gives you faith in humanity, despite the frenzied insanity, brutality & chaos of the French Revolution. My favorite Dickens novel and one of my all-time favorite stories--I get goosebumps just thinking about ending lines...
    • 2/5
      This book has aged very, very poorly indeed. Dickens' usual quality of descriptive writing combines with Dickens' whole _era's_ usual quality of plot for an admirable and versimilitudinous portrait of melodramatic escapades and unsuspected family relations that make _Return of the Jedi_ seem *credible*.
    • 4/5
      The period from 1775 - the outbreak of the American Revolution - to 1789 - the storming of the Bastille - is the turbulent setting of this uncharacteristic Dickens novel. It is his only novel that lacks comic relief, is one of only two that are not set in nineteenth-century England and is also unusual in lacking a primary central character. London and Paris are the real protagonists in this tale, much as the cathedral was the 'hero' of Hugo's Notre Dame de Paris. Dickens was writing at a time of great turmoil in his personal life, having just separated from his wife, and no doubt the revolutionary theme was in tune with his mental state.
    • 4/5
      I was rather suprised, I've read a few 'Classics' and many of them are difficult to push through. A Tale of two cities was fairly quick once I got used to the writing style. The story flowed well. I of course figured out what was happening when a certain charactor who had no reason to be in Paris showed up. A SAD happily ever after. I plan on reading more Dickens in the future.
    • 4/5
      Dickens is strange to me, you see. I read Great Expectations early in the year and was sort of charmed and swayed to believe that that was how Dickens was: droll, occasionally laugh-out-loud funny, working class (or at least sensitive to it), character-driven and, above all, entirely English.So that's where this book tripped me up. A Tale of Two Cities is neither funny nor London-centric. It wanders into France, disparages its angst, wanders a bit in London, too, having moments of something I do recognize as Dickens-esque, but more distantly; then flies into a historical frenzy that frames the whole kebab in a broader sense than any novel can normally capture.Not to mention that we end up with some characters that are precariously balanced between real and historical archetype. We've got the sweet-but-nothing-much-else Lucie Manette (then again, she's a girl, what is Dickens really going to do with her?) contrasted against the vitriol-and-darkness of Madame Legarge (but wait--she's a girl, too...maybe Dickens has more dimensions that I realize). The pure but dull Darnay vs. the dreamy and brilliant Sydney Carton (OK, I'll admit it, I sort of fell in love with Carton. Come on. Seriously. He's smarter than everyone else around him. And drunk). The pathetic but lovable Dr. Manette. It starts to sound like a cast of a kind of dumb and melodramatic movie that ends up as a flop.But as a classic of the English language, of course it works. We're spellbound as readers, even if we don't know it. I might eschew it as post-revolutionary (the French, that is) doggerel here but the reality is that, now that it's over (the book, that is), images stick in my head stubbornly: the corner where Lucie stood near the prison and the wood-sawyer--I can see everything about that, cobblestones and all--; the "echoing" corner where Dr. Manette made his home in Soho, London; the curled lip of a knitting Madame Defarge.Don't try to read this when too relaxed. Dickens' sentences, their very grammatical bases and construction, do not react favorably to the relaxed read or my typical stumbling scan. Nope. You have to read this with care and concentration, sober and attendant. It's not easy, nor is it a simple thing to unwind later. The plot crosses itself over and over, and the symbolism and themes are not easily pinned down. But if you do make it through, you'll feel like a victor.
    • 5/5
      I believe this book has stirred my soul almost more than any other I have read. The tale of how much a man will sacrifice for pure love is moving indeed. This book takes us through the turmoil of the French Revolution and looks at it from several viewpoints, both horrifying and inspiring. Lucy Manet, her grandfather and husband are caught up in something which they cannot control and cannot escape, but this is not just their story, it is the story of the peasants of France, of the others who were enmeshed in the turmoil of that time. Dickens paints each character with humanity and fleshes them out so that they are in the room with us. Ultimately, it is the story of selflessness and love triumphing in times of great darkness.
    • 4/5
      I re-read this recently and was pleased to find it was better than I remembered. Perhaps, having in the space of time since I first read this book in high school having visited some of the locales, or perhaps from having read histories of the period since then, I appreciated Dickens' novel more. Or perhaps I was just paying more attention this time - did you know Lucie Mannette had a son that died in infancy? Blink and you'd miss it.Ultimately, Dickens is not tackling the kind of subjects that make David Copperfield and Great Expectations so powerful, but is attacking a broader canvas, with frequent political themes rather than the more personal struggles of the other two works. One certainly could find meat for a discussion of the merits of loyalty and self-interest, but truthfully, why bother? The is best as just a "ripping yarn," with mistaken identites, daring escapes, and long imprisonment under the shadow of La Guillotine.
    • 5/5
      A Tale of Two Cities is another classic. I love the symbolism in this novel and Dickens play on pairs and opposites (it was the best of times, it was the worst of times, France and London). I love intricacy of the plot and am amazed an author could conjure up such a storyline. I also love that although things may appear ambiguous in the beginning, at the end everything comes together and is lucid. I love the last line of the book and the fact that Sydney Carton loves Lucie enough to accept he can never have her, but he can show he love for her by sacrifcing his own live for Charles Darnay (who he strongly resembles). This also proves he has a purpose in life and can do more than drink. I also like the theme presented about resurrection and the possibilty of such a thing. Dr. Manette is in a sense resurrected from prison, as is Charles Darnay, escaping death and punishment twice. I also love that Sydney Carton is honored by the Darnays in their hearts as well as their son, and his son, etc. who they all name Sydney.
    • 5/5
      I loved this book. I wasn't so sure about it as I started reading, but the way everything tied together at the end won me over.
    • 4/5
      I started listening to this on CD a month ago while I was sewing, and then I listened to it some more while I was painting my bedroom, and then I couldn't wait to get to the end, so I read the last half-dozen chapters from my copy of the book, in bed one night. I love Dickens, and this book is no exception; bonus points for teaching me more about the French Revolution than I learned in school, while managing to also maintain an individual human scope. Most of thecharacters are perhaps less "Dickensian" than usual, although there are notable exceptions (Mr. Cruncher as a messenger who "moonlights" as a grave robber and chides his wife for "flopping" is probably the most notable). Dickens doesn't have a 150-year-old reputation as the master of verbiage and characterization for nothing; what more can I say?
    • 4/5
      What can I say, it's a true classic of unrequited love. Tis a far far better thing. . .
    • 5/5
      It is nearly twenty years since I previously read this novel of the French Revolution and I had forgotten how wonderful it is. It is more accessible for the general reader than many other Dickens novels, with a dramatic narrative full of colour and incident, no significant sub-plots and a much less extensive cast of minor characters than probably any other full length Dickens novel. The author's voice rings out strongly against all forms of oppression and tyranny, whether of the ancien regime, whose representatives such as the Marquis St Evremonde treat the peasantry with less consideration than they do their dogs and horses; or of the revolutionary authorities and their local representatives such as Mme Therese Defarge, with their implacable thirst for vengeance and retribution against all members of aristocratic families, regardless of those members' individual guilt and innocence for acts of oppression. It is a warning against endless cycles of bloodfeuds and vengeance, and the tendency of many political and social movements in extremis to view and judge people en masse, and not as living, breathing individuals. As powerful today as it was when first published in 1859. Wonderful stuff.