A Tale of Two Cities

by
Charles Dickens

published	1980 by Amereon Limited
first published	1859
binding	Hardcover
isbn	0848800761 (isbn13: 9780848800765)
pages	351
description	Tor Classics are affordably-priced editions designed to attract the young reader. Original dynamic cover art enthusiastically represents the excitemen...more [close] Tor Classics are affordably-priced editions designed to attract the young reader. Original dynamic cover art enthusiastically represents the excitement of each story. Appropriate "reader friendly" type sizes have been chosen for each title-offering clear, accurate, and readable text. All editions are complete and unabridged, and feature Introductions and Afterwords.This edition of A Tale of Two Cities includes a Foreword, Biographical Note, and Afterword by R.L. Fisher.They fled to London, seeking safety, and found each other--Dr. Manette, falsely imprisoned for decades; his daughter, Lucie, whose stunning beauty was matched by her loyalty and grace; and Charles Darnay, who abandoned a royal title he hated to risk being called a traitor in France, a spy in England. Together, their love touched the hearts of even stodgy banker Mr. Lorry and cynical, jaded lawyer Sydney Carton....But in Paris, the fires of revolution exploded in uncontrollable fury. The noble goals of freedom fighters became the crazed bloodbath called the Reign of Terror. And when three exiles returned home on an errand of mercy, they were trapped in a nightmare of mock trials and made rage. Once in Paris, nothing could save Darnay, Lucie, or Manette....Except a miracle. [close]
date added	03-31-08 edit book

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Tammy rated it:

(review of isbn 0141439602)

03/27/08

Read in March, 2008

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

I dont' know how to summarize my feelings about this book. It's title suggests the tale between England and France, a tale between london and Paris - and perhaps that's how Dicken's intended it. But as I got further and further into the story, to me, it begins to symbolize the tale between two sides - between mercy and vengeance, love and hate, aristocrat and peasant, freedom and oppression, and generations of poverty and tyrany. France goes from Monarchy to Anarchy to Empire in a span of 20 yea...more I dont' know how to summarize my feelings about this book. It's title suggests the tale between England and France, a tale between london and Paris - and perhaps that's how Dicken's intended it. But as I got further and further into the story, to me, it begins to symbolize the tale between two sides - between mercy and vengeance, love and hate, aristocrat and peasant, freedom and oppression, and generations of poverty and tyrany. France goes from Monarchy to Anarchy to Empire in a span of 20 years, and the turmoil, bloodlust, and hysteria of the French Revolution serve as the backdrop to some of the most engrossing chacracters I have ever encountered in Literature. The main characters, Lucie and Darney, are simple and under-developed. But Doctor Manette (incidently, I could not help but draw parallels between Manette and Hugo's Jean ValJean), Sydney Carton, Madame Defarge, and Miss Pross grow from tragic backgrounds into the strength of the novel. They rise from ashes to bring about intense and remarkable ends.
I struggled through the first part of the book, and then somehow got to a point where I couldn't put it down, and it all came down to the last chapter, for me. It was an ending I did not see coming, and found myself actually tearing up (which I have rarely done with a book) as Carton stood in line, holding the hand of a young girl, stoic and brave to face the guillotine. And his last line - "It is a far, far better thing that I do..." is one of the most beautiful and moving last lines of a book I have ever read.
I also cheered when Miss Pross stood before Madame, fiercly giving her line "I am your match". I could see it in my mind, two women - one aggresive and unrelenting in her power and leadership, dangerous and horrifying in her manical desire for revenge, and the other - defiant and protective, and unmoving because of love for her Lucie, and her will to protect her at all costs.
I have loved reading a novel where weak ones become strong in character, and where women are so portrayed in strength.
I don't think I will ever forget two moments in this book - when Monseignor's carriage kills a child, and he stands harassing the people for their carelessness, and all around look down, cowered and not meeting this gaze, except for Madame Defarge, who stands, steadily meeting his eye with a look of stone resolve. One begins to understand how the people of France emotionally came to a place where they could rise up in frenzied revenge, without mercy or pity. (Interesting, also, that Dicken's portrays two kinds of aristocrats here - Monsiegnor, who you feel deserves the anger and uprising from the people, and his fate, and Darnay, who is innocent, and even sympathizes with their plight, and who does not deserve to be targeted - two types of high society, and from both sides, thousands sent to the guillotine).
The second is when Carton has arranged his plans, and has set in motion his path to save Darney, and thus, the heart and life of Lucie, and the night before he sacrifices himself in one last great act of selflessness and love, he stands in the darkness before her window, closes his eyes, and whispers a blessing, resolved and redeemed.
This is the kind of love you hope to be able to experience - where your love and care and all that you do and feel is so strong and motivating for another, that you can set aside all you hold dear, even your own life, for the preservation of their happiness and all that THEY hold dear.
This is truly love - a pure, peaceful, life-changing love that, to me, upholds every one of Christ's teachings and ring's true the RS motto - Charity never faileth.
...less

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Melissa rated it:

(review of isbn 0141439602)

06/13/08

Read in June, 2008

My primary goal when I'm teaching A Tale of Two Cities to my sophomores is to make them realize that Charles Dickens didn't write creaky, dusty long novels that teachers embraced as a twisted rite of passage for teenagers. Instead, I want them them to understand why Dickens was ~~one of~~ the most popular writers in England and America during his time. I want them to see the book as the suspenseful, comedic, and sentimental piece of entertainment that it is. Because, while ...more My primary goal when I'm teaching A Tale of Two Cities to my sophomores is to make them realize that Charles Dickens didn't write creaky, dusty long novels that teachers embraced as a twisted rite of passage for teenagers. Instead, I want them them to understand why Dickens was ~~one of~~ the most popular writers in England and America during his time. I want them to see the book as the suspenseful, comedic, and sentimental piece of entertainment that it is. Because, while A Tale of Two Cities is masterfully written with sly humor, densely meaningful descriptions, a cast of quirky characters only Dickens could create, an endless series of telling binaries and foils, and relevant social commentary about the French Revolution as well as Dickens' time, it is also simply a damn good story. By a damn good storyteller.

I have a difficult time writing reviews about books that I adore because, when I'm not reading them, I hug them too closely to be very critical. (BTW - I frequently hug A Tale of Two Cities in front of my students... and write Charles Dickens' name with hearts around it... They think I'm crazy, but it intrigues some of them just enough to make them doubt the derisive comments of upperclassmen.) I reluctantly admit that Dickens does oversimplify the causes of the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror; however, in doing so, he successfully captures the spirit of a tumultuous period and helps readers sympathize with characters on every side of the developing conflict. I also think that the characters of Roger Cly and John Barsad get a bit messy and may have worked better as a single character. Perhaps the confusion is a result of serialization restructuring. But, really, I read A Tale of Two Cities like a costumed Lord of the Rings fan at a movie premier. I cheer when my favorite characters enter scenes and I knowingly laugh when Dickens cleverly foreshadows future events.

Though I don't think that A Tale of Two Cities is Dickens' best novel--that title I would reserve for either Bleak House or David Copperfield--I do agree with Dickens, who claims that it was his best story. It is artfully written. Dickens introduces a cast of characters, sprawled across two nations and spanning varied social classes and political affiliations, and then effortlessly weaves their stories and secrets together in a masterful way. The Modernist movement painstakingly forced literature to reflect the ambiguities and uncertainties of the real world and that's great, but sometimes it is a real joy to read a story that ends with such magnificent closure. All mysteries are solved and everything makes sense. It is beautiful.

(I have to admit that I was overjoyed when a group of my fifth period girls persistently voiced their disdain for Dickens' angel in the house Lucie and backed Madame Defarge. I think they may have created a Madame Defarge myspace, actually. Oh how the times have changed.)

"Ms. R--, you got me." "What?" "At the beginning of this book, you said you would get some of us. And that we would love it. You got me." I didn't get you G--. Charles Dickens did. I just introduced you.

Quote:

"A wonderful fact to reflect upon, that every human creature is constituted to be that profound secret and mystery to every other."...less

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Banzai rated it:

(review of isbn 0141439602)

12/02/07

Read in November, 2007

This was the only book I remember enjoying from my high school English classes. Re-reading it twelve years later I can see why I liked it so much--and still do.

Dickens lays it on pretty thick in parts and is perhaps trying too hard to evoke the passions and bloodlust of the French Revolution. And as lovely as dear Lucie Mannette is, she's pretty unbearable by modern women's standards. But don't worry, Dickens isn't a misogynist. He more than makes up for Lucie in the characters of Madame Def...more This was the only book I remember enjoying from my high school English classes. Re-reading it twelve years later I can see why I liked it so much--and still do.

Dickens lays it on pretty thick in parts and is perhaps trying too hard to evoke the passions and bloodlust of the French Revolution. And as lovely as dear Lucie Mannette is, she's pretty unbearable by modern women's standards. But don't worry, Dickens isn't a misogynist. He more than makes up for Lucie in the characters of Madame Defarge and Miss Pross. Their strength, resolve, and particularly Madame Defarge's intelligence and leadership leave no doubts that Dickens respects women.

The beginning of the novel is also a bit difficult and choppy. I don't think it's simply a matter of adjusting to his style of English; I think his prose smoothed out considerably after the first few chapters.

He also has this annoying tendency towards intentional obtuseness. The technique occasionally pays dividends, but mostly it's just frustrating as a reader to wait for him to explain what the hell he's talking about.

But all quibbles aside, A Tale of Two Cities is a remarkable novel.

His storytelling is incredibly cinematic--he himself used the term "picturesque" to describe his approach--with many scenes and setups that are perfect examples of the sorts of visual storytelling prescribed by screenwriting how-to books. I'm convinced that had Dickens lived today, he would have been an incredible screenwriter.

And though the novel is set within and inextricably linked to the French Revolution, it is not about the French Revolution. That setting is used as a spectacular backdrop within which Dickens weaves an intricate and tightly plotted tale. It never forgets that first and foremost it is telling the characters' story, not merely recounting history.

And the last chapter is just incredible. I was crying while reading it on the train this weekend. And the famous last line--"It's a far better thing..."--is well-worthy of its fame; it's the most profound, beautiful last line of a novel I have ever read.

I'll admit that it's not consistently gripping, that a great bulk of the middle of the novel is merely interesting but not engrossing. But as a means to an end--as a means to that ending--it's entirely acceptable.

Took me about 9.5 hours to read. Not a huge commitment. I strongly recommend giving it a try....less

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Sergey rated it:

(review of isbn 0451526562)

07/03/07

bookshelves: 2007, english, historical-fiction, novel

Read in February, 2007

I don’t call myself a Dickens fan, for I’ve not read all his works and of those that I had, I found myself wandering often than not to other matters away from the words in endless swarm upon the page. I enjoyed David Copperfield, true, for the portrayal of the title character’s abuse in his childhood; so vividly was the picture painted by the author that I suffered along with David at the hand of his cruel aunt. The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, on the other han...more I don’t call myself a Dickens fan, for I’ve not read all his works and of those that I had, I found myself wandering often than not to other matters away from the words in endless swarm upon the page. I enjoyed David Copperfield, true, for the portrayal of the title character’s abuse in his childhood; so vividly was the picture painted by the author that I suffered along with David at the hand of his cruel aunt. The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, on the other hand, I dropped not even a quarter through the book having found it quite the bore (at least for the time). Oh, but for the past several days I have bore the weight of Dickens in my womb, in my heart, in my mind, in my soul.

My eyes were bleeding Dickens.
My tongue was speaking Dickens.
My hand was writing Dickens.
Everything before me was Dickens.

From the moment I awoke to the resting hour of sleep at night I was one with Dickens. I was one with Dickens! Oh, but with pleasure I carried the heaviness upon my person, my mind and soul to contemplate every waking moment of my days, hours, minutes, seconds. How useless is that to explain the glory in mere small words that, with time, shall, too, lose their vigor and stature as I shall lose by person to the spirits: the hour of my wake is the hour of my death. I walked to La Guillotine. I faced the terror. I fought with the best of them.

I was in love.
I was in death.
I shed the tears.
I rejoiced in triumphs.
I recited the prayers.
I cursed the villains.

Oh, how my vision to all else was blurred in the smoke! Oh, how sharp was the pang to the heart at each betrayal! Oh, how hopeless all else! Yes, I was one with Dickens, again, again, and ever more. I was everything forever and endlessly so. And I was one without. For whatever satisfaction I gathered from this reading, I know that Dickens will remain a much too verbose friend to conquer again. And conquer him I wish not, at least not at the present. The adventure was grand; the moments superb; shadows unrelenting; and echoes frightening and lingering through Time and History undying. I am a far, far better man to have known it; I am a far, far better mind to have endured it....less

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Sarah Beth rated it:

(review of isbn 0141439602)

01/25/08

bookshelves: fiction

Read in January, 2008

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

I've never really gotten the hang of the classics - I don't know if it's that I don't make enough of an effort to really get into the language or if I haven't tried reading enough of them or if I just tend to prefer contemporary styles and topics.

So, I decided to read this on DailyLit (which is why it took me a full three months to read, a few sections at a time, first thing in the morning). And it took me a long time to get into - I didn't mind reading it, but I wasn't terribly moved by th...more I've never really gotten the hang of the classics - I don't know if it's that I don't make enough of an effort to really get into the language or if I haven't tried reading enough of them or if I just tend to prefer contemporary styles and topics.

So, I decided to read this on DailyLit (which is why it took me a full three months to read, a few sections at a time, first thing in the morning). And it took me a long time to get into - I didn't mind reading it, but I wasn't terribly moved by the people or stories... until, that is, about the last quarter or so of the book when it turns into a romantic's dream - and here's where the spoiler starts - ultimate sacrifices in the name of love (and not just romantic love), the irony of the oppressed becoming that which they hate, the excitement of a daring escape!

Charles returns to France, from which he long ago fled to escape the horrors of his aristocratic family. Even his wife doesn't know about his family's heritage, though, because he uses an assumed name, and his father-in-law asks him, as a wedding day favor, to keep it mum... we later learn why...

So Charles returns to save a former servant who has been condemned to die, as so many have as the oppressed peasants become to oppressors in the name of the Republic. He, of course, is imprisoned; when his wife and father-in-law learn of his fate (intimately involved with the guillotine), the rush to rescue him and do, for a moment, until the loving FIL's own, and ancient, words are used against them.

But a long-forgotten suitor-hopeful of Charles' wife returns and sacrifices himself in Charles' stead so that his love won't know life without her beloved husband - he even has to trick Charles into the swap!

I'll admit, I was all blubbery at the end... as much as I love DailyLit, I think it's true purpose - to encourage people to go out and buy the books - has worked on me - now I want to curl up with an actual copy and burn through it - maybe I'll see the compelling parts of the first chunk that way......less

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Susie rated it:

(review of isbn 0141439602)

05/16/07

Read in April, 2007

recommends it for: Yes

What really made the book for me was the characters. There was a strong "supporting" cast. I put those words in quote because although Lucie, Darnay and Doctor Manette were central to the plot, character wise I felt there were so-so. Doctor Manette was a stronger character than Lucie - Lucie tended to be a tad flowery for me - but that seemed to fit the times. She was fairly 2-D, but she didn't need to really be anything more, I suppose. And Darnay was sort of a victim of circumstance ...more

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Leslie rated it:

(review of isbn 0141439602)

02/10/08

Most satisfying ending in the English language.

Yes, the last line is a classic ("It is a far, far better thing ..."), concluding, in astonishingly concise language (for Dickens), the peace and redemption of the story's most poignant romantic hero. But this novel delivers such a gratifying experience because there are, in fact, many characters who cover significant emotional ground in their journey to love one woman as best they can.

Lucie's father battles his way back from ...more

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Bybees rated it:

(review of isbn 0141439602)

06/12/08

Read in May, 2008

Ryan: This book took me by surprise. The book cover offered no summary, so I approached it naively and blindly. I didn't expect a historical fiction of the French Revolution. But I loved it.

The story was rich in history and in the sentiment of the times, which was very anti-aristocrat or anti-individual. The Party came first, people greeted each other with a cordial "Good Day Citizen," and if you weren't careful about your actions you could be denounced and end up beheaded by that ...more

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Dale rated it:

(review of isbn 0141439602)

12/07/07

Read in November, 2007

This is the twenty-eighth book I read on my commute. A classic, a bonafide canonical capital-C Classic!

I was an English major in college, mostly because English was my favorite subject in high school (certainly not because I thought majoring in English was a fantastic idea, post-college employment-wise). But I have a few guilty secrets as an English major, certain books I've never read and certain prejudices I harbor. And until I read this book I could offer up the following matched pai...more

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Donna rated it:

(review of isbn 0141439602)

01/11/08

bookshelves: 1001-books, 18th-19th-century-novel, britlit, classic-books

Read in March, 2007

A magnificent piece of literature, and a brilliant historical novel, with intricacies of plot and symbolism that fired my imagination and kept me going from one chapter to the next. This classic book features recurrent themes of blood/wine, rebirth/resurrection, violence/cruelty, and imprisonment/sacrifice as we follow the characters from late 19th-century London to the madness (and the guillotine!) of revolutionary Paris. Dickens’ heavy narrative style bogged me down at times. On more than...more

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Brad rated it:

(review of isbn 0141439602)

06/27/07

bookshelves: novel

A great multi-sited novel centering on the French revolution.

My generic comment about Charles Dickens:
First of all, although I am a partisan of Dickens' writing and have read and relished most his works, I concede to three flaws in his oeuvre that are not insignificant. First, while he seemed to develop an almost endless variety of male social types, his female characters are much less well developed. Second, although he portrayed the stark brutality of economic and class inequality with u...more

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Jessica rated it:

(review of isbn 0141439602)

03/31/08

Read in March, 2008

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

I think that it may just be by sheer luck that I was reading this book and 'Les Miserables' by Victor Hugo at the same time. I really didn't plan for the books to tie so nicely together. But they kind of do. Though I am not done with Hugo's book, I have read a 'Tale of Two Cities' before.

The first time I read it, I never got through it all. I was in 6th or 7th grade when I picked it up, and there was just way too much symbolism in it for me. Dickens was just way beyond my reading level at th...more

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Barbara rated it:

(review of isbn 0141439602)

04/06/08

bookshelves: fiction

Read in March, 2008

I feel a little weird writing any kind of review of Tale of Two Cities, since it falls into that category of Books Everyone Else But Me Has Read. So make of this what you will.

Heather and I became obsessed with the card game Guillotine one summer on a mission trip, and a friend told us he was rather disturbed by the game since he was currently reading Tale of Two Cities. Now I know what he meant. The afternoon after I finished reading this book found me sitting in Starbucks, pl...more

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Erin rated it:

(review of isbn 0141439602)

01/23/08

Read in October, 2007

recommended to Erin by: Jessann28

I have learned SO much about the French revolution through reading this. It has given me totally new perspective on government and the lack of it. I just never truly realized that the French revolution was so horrible. I always thought it needed to happen and that Marie Antoinette and the King and the aristocracy needed to go. I never knew how blood hungry these peasants were. Dickens doesn't have one good word to say about those involved in the Revolution; yet he doesn't truly blame them e...more

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Mister Jones rated it:

(review of isbn 0141439602)

07/02/08

bookshelves: summer-reading-program

Read in June, 2008

recommended to Mister Jones by: English People
recommends it for: 11th Grade Summer Reading

A tough, but rewarding read.

Chances are very great I would have never read this classic if I wasn't going to teach it. Furthermore, I would have never assigned it to high school students, and I feel guilty for doing so.

It's Dickens, and the language, tone, and approach is acutely Victorian. All the sentimentality of the Victorians are there with Dr. Mannette and his daughter, Luce, as well as with Sidney Carton's own morose, fatalisitc, and subservient behavior. If you combine the aforem...more

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Laura rated it:

(review of isbn 0141439602)

06/12/08

bookshelves: classic, perennial-favorite

Years of teaching this novel to teenagers never dimmed my thrill in reading it — if anything, I grew to love it more every time I watched kids gasp aloud at the revelations! Critics are divided on its place in the Dickens canon, but the ones who think it an inferior work are simply deranged. It has everything: dark deeds, revolution, madness, love, thwarted love, forgiveness, revenge, and a stunning act of self-sacrifice. And melodrama! Oh, how Dickens loved melodrama, but in A Tale of Two Cities...more

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Craig rated it:

(review of isbn 0141439602)

08/14/07

Read in August, 2007

recommends it for: anyone interested in revolutions, specifically the french.

Being a history major I have a strong background in the back story of the book. It is set against the French Revolution, and as the story reaches its climax, so does the revolution. There is the obvious comparison between the two cities (Paris/London), where England traditionally sidesteps violent revolution (see Glorious Revolution) and France, where chaos eventually rules the day. Thus, commentaries are made, and the English characters are horrified by what they encounter in France, while the ...more

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Kanchan rated it:

(review of isbn 0141439602)

08/22/07

Read in April, 1986

A Tale of Two Cities (1859) is a historical novel by Charles Dickens. The plot centres on the years leading up to the French Revolution and culminates in the Jacobin Reign of Terror. It starts with Dr Alexandre Manette's 1759 imprisonment and concludes 36 years later with the trial of Charles Darnay.

The book tells, first and foremost, the story of Darnay and Sydney Carton, who look similar but are very different in their personalities: Darnay is a romantic French aristocrat; Carton is a cyni...more

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