A Tale of Two Cities in Should have read classics

Nov 11, 2008 Holly rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: classics

I'm so grateful that I was granted the opportunity to read this wonderful classic. I loved the story; the ending was fantastic. To anyone who has not read this yet; it's highly recommended that you do so! ...more

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Feb 11, 2009 SusannaW rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Firstly, if you are considering reading this, do try and get an edition with a weighty set of footnotes/endnotes. There are lots of historical references and places in London and Paris that need quick reference to prevent the text from feeling even more dense than it is. I found the OWC edition the most helpful, but even then I felt even more references would have helped.

I found the text itself to be incredibly stodgy. I can't say that I enjoyed reading it to be honest. In places the language is

Firstly, if you are considering reading this, do try and get an edition with a weighty set of footnotes/endnotes. There are lots of historical references and places in London and Paris that need quick reference to prevent the text from feeling even more dense than it is. I found the OWC edition the most helpful, but even then I felt even more references would have helped.

I found the text itself to be incredibly stodgy. I can't say that I enjoyed reading it to be honest. In places the language is very beautiful, but at times Dickens use of metaphor is so turgid and complex it requires several re-reads of sentences to fathom what he is talking about. Its not a convoluted syntax issue, as might be the case with Henry James, it's something in the use of imagery.

I don't say that lightly as I have a PhD in 19th century literature and often blame Dickens' Great Expectations which I read as a child for falling in love with the novel! I have somehow managed to put off reading Dickens as an adult until guilt forced my hand, and I think I regret starting with this one, as I now have little inclination to tackle another when there seems so much world literature to discover.

I agree with some of the previous reviewers that at times the number of coincidences used to tie up the plot feels heavy handed. I had a certain hesitation over the brief section where Darnay decides to return to revolutionary France, as the whole of the second half hangs on that decision. It felt a little light weight, brief and contrived, given the momentous decision it clearly was. That said, the ending is a masterclass in tying up the various narrative strands.

The one intrigue I have is the use of Darnay and Carton as doppelgangers. The ending seems to imply that they were related, as his imagined words talk of the Manette's child as "the child that bore my name" and they are meant to be so alike they are mistaken for one another. But this is just thrown in at the end and leaves a curious point of suspension when all the many different plot threads have been resolved. I've looked on the web, and most people don't think they are related, but the text seems to hint that they are.
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Mar 30, 2009 Laura rated it really liked it

Shelves: victorians, classics, british-literature, fiction-19th-century, e-books, 1001-books-you-must-read-before-you

A Tale of Two Cities (1859) is a historical novel by Charles Dickens, set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. The novel tells the story of the French Doctor Manette, his 18-year-long imprisonment in the Bastille in Paris and his release to live in London with his daughter Lucie, whom he had never met. The story is set against the conditions that led up to the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror.

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Jan 13, 2010 Lisa rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, should-have-read-bookclub

I really enjoyed this book. It took me quite a few pages to understand some people and relationships, plus the book was quite slow to get started. It surprised me in the end and I did not see that coming, maybe because I didn't understand all of the first part of the book. I am very glad that I stuck with it and can fully appreciate why this book has stood the test of time. ...more

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