Cedricsmom’s Comments (group member since Jan 02, 2020)

Cedricsmom’s comments from the #ClassicsCommunity 2021 Reading Challenge group.

Hi! Sure I can contribute to the To2C discussion. I’ve read the comments and I recall feeling a bit lost in the first chapters and seeking out the Cliff Notes because of that. Having read 3-4 Dickens novels now, I can say that you have to have faith in reading because more gets revealed later. It gets better in the second part.

Asma wrote: "Hello everyone!
Would anyone like to read A Tale of Two Cities with me?
Or maybe Great Expectations.?"

I already read both of these! I thought I was reading it with the group in March 2020 but no one else joined in so I read it by myself. Great Expectations is definitely the better book IMO.

I finished my challenge in June. I followed Lucy’s advice and kept the number low (25) so I would be free to read without pressure. At this rate I may read 40 books this year, but I’m feeling like it’s more about depth and quality than quantity. I’m growing as a reader!☺️

I read the Great Gatsby.

Oh! I read the Great Gatsby a month ago. I was underwhelmed but the prose was lovely.

I’ve been led astray by nonfiction this month and it hasn’t been particularly fulfilling 😓 I’m currently reading a 20th century classic titled Justine by Lawrence Durrell. I will be glad when it’s over.

I know the challenge has ended but I wanted to share that today I discovered reading ToTC was quite profitable for me. There's a great show on PBS right now called Lafayette: the Lost Hero about a french aristocrat who lived in the time the novel was set and who turned out to be quite a great guy. Because I read ToTC, I was able to understand at least half of what they were talking about and why Lafayette was a special kind of a guy. That was pretty good for me, considering I know next to nothing about history. I recommend the PBS show to anyone who's read ToTC, whether you liked the book or not. There were some important similarities between Lafayette and Carton, though things turned out quite a bit better for Lafayette.

@Darina: I might give the Scarlet Pimpernel a read.

I finally read A Tale of Two Cities. My review is posted on the Buddy Read site for the book if anyone is interested.

Let's just say AToTC is not Dickens' finest hour.

Gia wrote: "Cedricsmom wrote: "I finally broke down and got the Cliff Notes! I've spent all this time with this book and dadgummit, I want to understand it as much as I can. So I got help. I have less than 100..."

Thanks, Gia. You're my cheerleader. :-D

Jenna wrote: "Please share if there are any particularly helpful insights!"

Will do.

I finally broke down and got the Cliff Notes! I've spent all this time with this book and dadgummit, I want to understand it as much as I can. So I got help. I have less than 100 pages to finish it, so I feel pretty good about getting the CNs.

@jenna I’m reading something 100% fun next, most likely a murder mystery. I have to cleanse ToTC from my palette.

Darina wrote: "And I just saw I’ve written Defrange, instead of Defarge... sorry for my silliness 😁 Btw I don’t even know how to pronounce this name."

All I can say is thank God for Google! I look these things up and so far there's always been an answer. Perhaps I will have to use the internet to find out why this book is considered a classic and why so many high school students are made to read it. I really don't think this is Dickens's finest hour.

Darina wrote: "Hey guys, I’m so sorry you didn’t like the story much, but it happens... The Vengeance is Madame Defrange’s friend and also the leader of women who took part in the events. ..."

Thanks. You are correct!

Gia wrote: "Cedricsmom wrote: "Can someone tell me who/what is The Vengeance? Capitalized and used like a proper character name but I cannot figure out who or what this is."

Hi Cedricsmom! I'm not sure exactl..."

I googled it. It's the nickname of Madame DeFarge's friend. She's the grocer's wife and after the storming of the Bastille, she took on the nickname. Kind of like The Edge in U2. :-D

Can someone tell me who/what is The Vengeance? Capitalized and used like a proper character name but I cannot figure out who or what this is.

@jenna I’m watching a movie version on Prime that follows the book closely. I am looking forward to being done with this one. It’s not Dickens ‘s finest moment.

Darina wrote: "@Cedricsmom, I liked the book and gave it 4 stars. It is definitely not as good as GE, but as I wrote earlier, I cared about Charles Darnay and the story was interesting to me. The ending is neithe..."

I'm glad you found it a fulfilling read. I love the commentary and notes versions; these bits of information ground the story in reality and context and that makes the book of greater interest to me. I think I prefer Dickens's ghosts much more than his historical writing. Happy reading!

Darina wrote: "@Cedricsmom, how is your reading going? I’m finishing the book tonight."

Well, it looks like I'm in this one by myself :-( I'm still early in Book 3. I know what happens and I will probably finish the book on audio just to get it done. This is probably my least favorite Dickens. I never bonded with any of the characters. How do you feel about the book overall?

Jenna wrote: "Speaking of what would be your introduction recommendations to reading Mark Twain?"

Hi Jenna. I haven't read Twain since junior high school, but A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court was a lot of fun. That's all I've read.