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Group Reads - Fiction
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A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens (Group Classic Read Aug/Sep 2017)
I don't know if I'll have time to reread it or not, but it is one of my favourite Dickens novels!
First time I will read this too! I have bought the book a few months ago, but I lacked the incentive to tackle it. It will be part of my upcoming beach reads for sure!
One of my all time favourite books and the best and possibly the longest opening sentence ever. lol If I wasn't about to start Les mis I'd re read this with you all. Hope you enjoy.:)
Mod
Gave started this early, 30 pages in and already intrigued by the story!
Mod
I'll see if I find a nice audio veriso of it on librivox ...
Definitly this is one of the best incipit of western literature, don't you think?
Karin wrote: "I don't know if I'll have time to reread it or not, but it is one of my favourite Dickens novels!"Same here! Maybe I will listen to the audiobook...
I haven't read this one either! Will try pick up a copy as I've really gone off reading on my kindle recently so I think I need a paperback!
I am almost ashamed to admit that I HAVEN'T read this one yet! It is on my list for the month, for sure. I will be popping back here to discuss!--Jen from Quebec :0)
I haven't read this either and am chockablock with big reads in August...but I might look for an audiobook version as well.
It's great some more of you can join in, remember we have till the end of September, or even after, for discussion, so there is more time than you think...
Shirley wrote: "It's great some more of you can join in, remember we have till the end of September, or even after, for discussion, so there is more time than you think..."Plus, despite its length (my paperback edition is 376 pages), this book is a fast read.
I started the Simon Vance-narrated audiobook today...
I've just started as well. I tried librivox but hated all four versions, then remembered that I'd picked this up for free on audible, maybe when it was a whispersync deal, so I already had it! Apart from the famous opening lines, I'm actually clueless what this is even about. Looking forward to it now.
I'm commuting for the next 2 weeks so I'm also looking for an audiobook version.
The audible book by Martin Jarvis is currently reduced on the UK website to £2.49. It seems to be a highly recommended version and I've listened to David Copperfield which was read by him and was very good
Heather, that's the one I'm listening to and I'm enjoying it just fine.
Leslie wrote: "Shirley wrote: "It's great some more of you can join in, remember we have till the end of September, or even after, for discussion, so there is more time than you think..."Plus, despite its lengt..."
Yes, I agree, it's very readable, and I am enjoying it more than the others I have read, so far!
The started it in the car today. I also realised that other than the first line I know very little about the book.
I'm mid way through the second book and thought I'd post how I'm getting on. I keep finding my mind wandering while I'm listening, so have to make a real effort to pay attention now. I'm not particularly enjoying it, as there seems to have been little character development so far and they all feel a bit flat, but I do have a way to go yet and I'm intrigued to find out what will happen.
This is a great book, I hope you all enjoy it.It permanently changed the way I look at knitters ;)
Haha, do you think of knitters in a more sinister way now? She seems characteristically evil, in between her knitting skills!
Pink wrote: "as there seems to have been little character development so far and they all feel a bit flat,"I felt the same way for the first three-quarters of the novel. The last quarter and the ending did redeem it for me though.
I'm about at the 3/4 point and things have picked up somewhat. I think this book is probably too short for Dickens, so while we've had plenty of plot, we haven't had enough time for character development. Lots of things seemed to happen instantaneously, with little background, or explanation, especially involving Lucie. A few times I've had to skip back to see if I'd missed something.
I'm still only on 16%, as I haven't had much time to read over the last week. Looking forward to getting a chunk of time to read some more!
Mod
Interesting as usual his style, but I'm still on chapter one!
I love Chapter 1 with it's description of the coach lumbering up Shooter's Hill and everyone's fear as they hear the rider approach culminating in the mysterious message. In the original film with Dirk Bogarde as Carton, the director places Carton in the coach in this opening scene.
I just rewatched this film recently and it remains an excellent retelling of the story, very faithful to the book and with great supporting actors.
Leslie wrote: "Plus, despite its length (my paperback edition is 376 pages), this book is a fast read..."Well you know me, I prefer to take Dickens slow, to get the most out of him :) My most recent read of A Tale of Two Cities was four months at the end of last year.
But that's nothing compared with his original readers, who had to spend over eight months reading the installments (April 1859 to November 1859, issued both weekly and monthly in parallel).
It's actually his shortest completed novel, except for Hard Times.
Pink wrote: "I'm about at the 3/4 point and things have picked up somewhat. I think this book is probably too short for Dickens, so while we've had plenty of plot, we haven't had enough time for character devel..."I think that the fast pace is one of the reasons I like this so much! Character development is much less important to me than it is to many of the readers here so, while it doesn't bother me, that lack will probably be a problem for others as well as you, Pink.
Jean wrote: "Leslie wrote: "Plus, despite its length (my paperback edition is 376 pages), this book is a fast read..."Well you know me, I prefer to take Dickens slow, to get the most out of him :) My most rec..."
LOL! I would have been driven batty if I had to read it in installments! But I can imagine that it would have been fun to meet with your friends and discuss each one and try to guess what was going to happen next.
Jean wrote: "Leslie wrote: "It's actually his shortest completed novel, except for Hard Times. ..."I'm surprised that Hard Times is a short book. I obviously haven't read it but thought that Dickens' books are all long, with the exception of this one and A Christmas Carol.
I loved this book and the movie. Tweedledum, I don't know if I watched the version you mention. It was ages ago.
Mod
I've always thought the same!!!
And I don't think this is such a fast read either, maybe a bit "faster" than the ussula Dickens; still ...
Mod
I'm surprised that Hard Times is a short book. I obviously haven't read it but thought that Dick..."
Great book also that one; a bit "strange" for his standards ...
Leslie wrote: "I would have been driven batty if I had to read it in installments! But I can imagine that it would have been fun to meet with your friends and discuss each one and try to guess what was going to happen next..."I think so yes - I think of it as the equivalent to today's blockbuster TV series which go on for months! It increases the intrigue :) It's quite a feat to keep characters in the public's minds from installment to installment too - especially when like Dickens you tend to create a myriad of cameo characters.
Petra wrote: "I'm surprised that Hard Times is a short book..."Hard Times is 104,821 words, and A Tale of Two Cities is still only 137,000. Most of the other whoppers are over 300K with David Copperfield at the top with 357,489 words.
I agree with Tracey that A Tale of Two Cities has a fabulous first line -and first paragraph - and so does Hard Times :)
"Now, what I want is Facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts. Facts alone are wanted in life. Plant nothing else, and root out everything else. You can only form the mind of reasoning animals upon Facts: nothing else will ever be of any service to them."
One thing that keeps distracting me, is that I keep comparing it to The Count of Monte Cristo and Les Mis. Probably because I've recently read these two books and they have vaguely similar storylines, or at least the background of events. I also listened to the Count on audiobook, which I think is making me compare these even more so, except this book is paling in comparison for me. Strangely, I quite liked Hard Times, even though it's even shorter and you could argue there's even less character development. I think that's because I enjoy the social commentary about England during that period.
I know this book was serialised, wasn't it one of his only weekly serialisations, rather than his usual monthly instalments? Perhaps that drove Dickens to pack so much plot into each issue, to keep the readers intrigued to find out what happened the following week.
Jean, I wonder how you rank this book and Hard Times compared to his other novels? Are these typical of his style, as I've heard they're not the most representative of his writing.
Pink "wasn't it one of his only weekly serialisations, rather than his usual monthly instalments?"Yes, as I said it was actually published both ways, in parallel. Initally published weekly, in 31 installments in Dickens's new literary periodical "All the Year Round" from 30th April 1859. Then from the next month, April 1859 until November 1859, Dickens also republished the chapters as eight monthly sections in green covers. This was unusual, as most of Dickens's previous novels had appeared only as monthly installments.
"I wonder how you rank this book and Hard Times compared to his other novels? Are these typical of his style...
No, neither are typical. This is his only historical novel apart from Barnaby Rudge, for a start.
Tweedledum wrote: "I love Chapter 1 with it's description of the coach lumbering up Shooter's Hill and everyone's fear as they hear the rider approach culminating in the mysterious message..."I love the opening too, with its series of paradoxes:
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness ..."
The rest of this chapter is very droll and tongue in cheek, and the story proper starts with chapter 2, which is the part you reference, plunging us into events on a dark and stormy night, as the Dover Mail races through the countryside. The weather creates a great atmosphere of gloom and foreboding, and the passengers are so jittery and suspicious of one another. It reminds me very much of Barnaby Rudge at this point, which is actually set around here! We don't have any highwaymen any more, but that's what is in everyone's mind in both novels whenever they travel. We don't learn any names, which is trademark Dickens, cranking up the tension and mystery. Great stuff :)
We really begin the story proper with ch 3 - Dickens has set up the atmosphere nicely, and we discover Mr Lorry is mulling over various memoires. It ends tantalisingly:
Eighteen years!"said the passenger, looking at the sun." Gracious Creator of Day! To be buried alive for eighteen years"
And by now, what with all the darkness of both people and setting - the cold and the mud - the mistrust, gloom, suspicion and danger, Dickens has once and for all hooked his audience :)
Joan wrote: "This is a great book, I hope you all enjoy it.It permanently changed the way I look at knitters ;)"
The theme of knitting, weaving strands together to make a plot, whether metaphorical or literal, ensnaring in cobwebs, and golden threads run throughout the novel. "The Golden Thread" is actually the name of the second book, and makes the reader wonder to what it refers. And the knitting is a constant. "Knitted brows" too, often come up - it's fun to track them :)
We also have "Recalled to Life", the name of the first book, as a constant repeated theme. It's there as a sort of coded message in the bit I quoted for chapter 3, for instance.
I just noticed how many more reviews this book has on goodreads compared to his other novels, far, far more than what I'd consider to be his most popular books. Is this one of his most popular tales? Or do you think more people pick this one as it's shorter? Anyway, I'm just starting book the third and looking forward to the conclusion. I still don't know if I'm a Dickens fan, or if I'm picking the wrong books to give an accurate assessment of whether he's right for me. Or perhaps as I'm listening to them on audiobook, instead of reading a physical copy, it's hampering my enjoyment.
Pink - "far, far more" LOL! And if you're not sure of the allusion, you will be :) I think it's one of the most popular for both the reasons you say. It's also perhaps his tightest plotted and most dramatic novel. It was an instant success when it was first published, and has remained a steady seller ever since. It's one of the best selling novels - by anybody - of all time. But in my review I do suggest not starting with this one ...
You see, I think when people read just this one, they may get a misleading idea of his usual writing style. I've even heard good reviewers on Goodreads say they cannot see any humour in Dickens! Once you have your eye in though, you can see that in A Tale of Two Cities most of the humour is gruesome and very black indeed. Dickens had a penchant for ghouls and ghosts, as well as positively revelling in blood-curdling scenes. He inserts sardonic parts, and comic characters like Miss Pross and the Crunchers, especially Jerry Cruncher and his"rusty nails". Dickens could not resist his nature entirely, or keep a check on his impish and grotesque sense of humour, even though with this novel he was trying to imbue his new way of writing with more gravitas, and prepared for it by reading his friend, Thomas Carlyle’s The French Revolution: A History over and over again. (Dickens jokingly claimed to have read it 500 times!) After criticism of his earlier inaccuracies in Barnaby Rudge, he had resolved to make this account as historically accurate a portrayal as possible.
But whenever the blood, gore and horror become too much we are entertained with ghoulish episodes involving Jerry Crunchers’s hair-raising exploits, or stories of Jerry and his wife, who function as a sort of Punch and Judy sideshow. There are slapstick parts even in such a grim tale, though it is overall not very representative. There's less reliance on character development, as people have already commented. Its also less fanciful, less discursive, and has less absurdity and humour.
Thank you Jean! Yes I know the far, far better reference ;) It helps me to read what others like in novels that I struggle with, as it helps me to see things that I've missed, or to formulate my own thoughts on what works for me and what doesn't. There's some dark humour in this and the characters are interesting me to a point, but I keep finding that things are skipped over too much. For instance I was so enjoying Lucie's storyline at the beginning and her prospective love interests, but this all seemed tied up so quickly with a marriage that came out of nowhere for me. I was then expecting to hear more from her viewpoint, but the story skipped forward years and suddenly there were children mentioned. I never really felt that I got time to know her and I'm also finding the other characters only touched upon on the surface. This is kind of the opposite of what I was expecting, as I thought I'd find it too long winded, but instead I wish this book was longer! So while I'm enjoying the action, I don't care about any of the characters or feel like I've got a grasp of who they are beyond a simple caricature.
Oh and I did read about his use of Thomas Carlyle's work, though the passage of battle action that it compared was more or less lifted off the page! This was one of my favourite descriptions, but I don't think Dickens can take the credit for it!
Anyway, I've got a way to go yet, so I might be swayed yet. I wasn't overly invested in Hard Times until near the end, so this could be a slow burn for me as well. Like you say, this probably isn't a good one to start, or second, but I thought I'd jump in since it's a group read.
Jean, thanks for those insights - It's reassuring to know that others have noted themes I might have just imagined.R.E. Dicken's sense of humor - I vaguely remember that some of the characters' names in Bleak House were sly jokes. I haven't read many of his works, but I loved Bleak House, years ago.
"I thought I'd jump in since it's a group read." Definitely! Me too :) And from what you say, Pink, I think you'd really prefer his middle period, longer books, as there is far more character development there. Lucie Manette certainly would have benefited from this, I agree. He sacrificed quite a lot for this "tighter" style.
Joan - I agree, Bleak House is magnificent and very complex! All his names are a delight, in every book, and often have hidden meanings, such as his own initials reversed in David Copperfield (the book with which he identified most) ... or are just tongue twistingly amusing and appropriate :)This book also has a character with Dickens's own initials, and (view spoiler).
Just a suggestion ... I'll be interested to see what you choose next though! :)
Well I have Great Expectations on my shelf and on audiobook, so probably that one, but then who knows! I mostly hear excellent things about Bleak House, followed by David Copperfield, so maybe one of these. I'm open to suggestions though.
I think you'd enjoy any of those! I've just finished Great Expectations (again) and been astounded at how good it is :) But, objectively, it feels "gothic" and has a strong and clear story line, with satisfying mysteries and twists.
Bleak House is sometimes regarded as his "greatest" novel, but it is very complex, and impossible to tell which is the "main" story among all the interlocking ones.
David Copperfield is of course his own favourite, and semi-autobiographical. Easy and entertaining to read, with great characters and humour, it has all Dickens's typical elements in it. So although it's his longest one it's a great one to start with.
I won't suggest any alternatives, as any of these would be good :)
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I'm really excited this won as it will be the first time I have read this!
I know quite a few of you have already read this before, but I am hoping some of you will re-read if you can, or you are welcome to join in the discussion anyway.