A Tale of Two Cities
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does it get better?
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Angela
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rated it 4 stars
Feb 10, 2012 07:52AM
Are you affiliated with your local library? Our has some great references online for readers (You may have to look under their reference tab for literature.) Twayne's author series has some wonderful articles on Dickens and Tale of Two Cities and why this one is so different than his others. Check with your librarians for other reader's guides. There is a reason why he approached this one differently and it is well worth sticking it out and reading to the end.
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Yes! I found it incredibly helpful to read the Cliffnotes and then start reading the book (unless you're not into spoilers). I would normally never do that but felt it necessary with the language and writing style. The book slows down in the middle and becomes almost painfully slow but then picks up towards the end. All in all it was a great story.
I read it along with my daughter last summer, she is 17. She had a hard time slugging through it. For me, it got much, much better as you read on and got to the interconnected characters and plots. Dickens was never one of my favorites, but after making it through this book I went out and bought a few more. Ah, the joys of retired life!
I just started this book a couple of days ago but haven't had time to read much of it yet. So far it seems interesteing. I am finding the comments helpful.
I'm currently rehearsing a stage adaptation for charity, and have been reading the book for research purposes (I have a few small parts throughout, including the Juryman). Last night I was caught in the weird situation of rehearsing a scene "No one must escape! We have not half enough as it is!" and then going back to read the exact page in the original novel. I'll play that scene differently from now on, that's for sure.And then the showdown between Miss Pross and Madame Defarge, which others have mentioned - I was actually reading the struggle scene as two of our actresses wrestled for an unconvincing pistol. In spite of its slow start, the novel that Dickens wrote is richer and more compelling than any adaptation, but for a moment I was surrounded by the desperation of the Terror on all sides.
Andrew wrote: "I'm currently rehearsing a stage adaptation for charity, and have been reading the book for research purposes (I have a few small parts throughout, including the Juryman). Last night I was caught i..."I think that is one of this book's strengths: the many points of view from which we see the Reign of Terror. It's one thing to read about it in the abstract, another thing to see it through someone's eyes.
It's also brilliant fun playing these small but exquisitely well-drawn parts. The girl playing The Vengance and myself are enjoying chewing the scenery with our vindictive evil.
I haven't read the book since high school and I had a hard time with it then, but I've found my tastes have changed a lot and I think I would appreciate it more now. I intend to reread it (after I get through the stack of new stuff that never seems to get any smaller). Do you have a hard time picking up some of the classics and just "getting through" them? For myself, I've found that I can either set a goal of a chapter a day (or for extremely long chapters, a set number of pages) or, as I've recently discovered, audiobooks can make it much more appealing, especially if it's a particularly good reader. The voices bring the characters more to life and as long as you keep listening, you're making steady progress. I love to listen while I'm cleaning up the house; it makes both activities more fun! Plus I feel like I'm learning something even while doing the most menial chores. Of course, it all depends on your personal preferences, just a suggestion. Hope it's going better for you and even getting enjoyable. :)
I don't know - I think if reading a book feels like a chore, then you probably shouldn't bother with that book, no matter how venerated it is. Personally I find Dickens very easy to read and great fun, even when he's slow burning on the plot as with Tale of Two Cities. George Eliot's glorious descriptive passages and bitchy authorial digressions are equally fantastic. But I'd rather watch a film adaptation of Jane Austen than read Pride & Prejudice again. With a finite amount of reading space in one lifetime, and an apparently infinite number of books, life's too short to turn literature into an endurance challenge.
True, although a lot of books I've had to push a little harder to get through I've very much appreciated having actually read them. I hated "Heart of Darkness," for example, but with so many contemporary references and the theme so important, I'm glad I DID read it, though I will never torture myself with it again. If you're totally hating it, then no, don't force yourself through. But if you're intrigued even in the slightest, I'd really try to push through and see the beauty of the overall story. I don't care for Dickens myself but TTC is worthwhile (and one of his shorter ones, incidentally).
I love this book- the ending made me cry the first time I read it. It takes a lot in a book to make me cry... I'd say it's definitely worth finishing. You don't necessarily have to read it or even touch it ever again, but by all means finish!
Dickens and Revolution, hmmmm.I think both "A Tale of Two Cities" and "Hard Times" are disappointing, because Dickens the novelist just couldn't do history or the North of England. I think the man was divine at covering the world he knew, but had feet of clay when it came to projecting his imaginative powers beyond The South of England in The Age of Steam.
Take "The Old Curiosity Shop" as an example of how far he could go. In that novel, he was able to follow his South of England characters into the grime and grimness of the Midlands. It works well. But when it came to creating a whole North of England town, I'm afraid caricature predominates and overwhelms the piece. What happens with "A Tale of Two Cities" is you get this idyllicised portrait of London which alternates with the chaos of Paris. For my tastes, it rings hollow; his Jasques do not sing of Paris like the Wellers do of London. Added to that is the slow pacing, the lack of the usual humour and an ironic tone that is too dry.
Having said all that, it doesn't detract from the greatness of the man who gave us Pickwick, Twist & Copperfield. Also, some respect for his audacity is due. At least he was prepared to have a go at the French and Industrial Revolutions, and managed to create iconic works in the process. For some, these are even his best books!
Good thread, this. I have enjoyed reading everyone's comments.
If this is the first Dickens you've read, then for God's sake, give him another chance. He was crazy unhappy and crazy in love when he wrote this book, and I think it affected his writing here. Bleak House: no parallel. Try that.
Shelley, Rain: A Dust Bowl Story
http://dustbowlpoetry.wordpress.com
Never been a huge Dickens fan, but I've always loved this one. (Coming around on others, but that's another topic.)The romance, the mystery, the sweep of history...
Orson Welles' Mercury Theatre did a nice radio adaptation, which can be found here (http://www.mercurytheatre.info/) among other places.
Cathy - I had the same experience. It's one of my all-time favorites now.
Its a Tale of Two Cities. Wait for the cities and characters to unfold though delayed until page 120 i guess. If you can't wait, I back Cathy's view... cast the book aside for a while, pick up a Stephen King or Steig Larsson or a Ray Bradbury meanwhile and come back to the Tale after completing a couple of the books by authors who start on a gripping note, wade through it and end it with fabulous scenes. Their subject is such; Dickens' subject is of the times, the context and the characters therein.
One of the best books ever and well worth the read.
I read this book the first time when I was a kid in high school, not because I had to but because I'd heard it was about the French Revolution and I was interested. I was not disappointed. In fact, I began reading for the historical aspect but fell in love with the book for the idealistic romanticism of it (I was a teen, remember). It is a classic and one of the best books I've ever read.
Julie wrote: "it does get better - but YOU have to decide if it is worth the wait"A classic is always worth the wait.
Huw wrote: "I have always loved this story - it appeals to the (literally) hopeless romantic in my soul. As a Christmas treat BBC Radio4 did a five part adaptation of the story with a superb cast. It is prob..."I would love to hear it on the BBC. Thanks Huw.
The story is just hauntingly beautiful. Lovely work by Dickens!
It really does get better. The first half is really, really slow, but it's only because it's setting up the incredibly complex plot of the second half. I urge you to wait it out.
Stick with it, it is well worth it. When you have finished, watch Dirk Bogart in the film version -n best of times...
For the Dickens fans here, I just started a good book, Magnificent Obsession. It's non-fiction, about the love of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.He had a pretty sad life.
Shelley, Rain: A Dust Bowl Story, http://dustbowlpoetry.wordpress.com
It took me a looong time to get through the first chapters of this book, but it was basically because I felt it skept from one thing to an entire diffrent one from chapter to chapter, but as you keep reading it things that you thought were senseless start giving shape to the story. It does get better. I especially loved the way Dickens portraits the french society during the revolution, how their bloodlust and need of vengeance makes them see traitors where there are friends. And my favorite characters were Sydney Carton and Lucy Mannet.
Angel wrote: "from the first 60 pgs i feel like this book is just not worth it. i have read Great Expectations and love it. i've read Hard Times and found it difficult initially but at least in Hard Times Dicken..."I totally agree - in fact it has taken me so long to slog through I feel like I need to start again. I loved great expectations too . .. disappointed so far
I read it twice. 2nd time was definitely better that first one, though i still haven't completely understood the book. Probably it needs a few more readings. That's how one can always identify great books. They are to be read,re-read,chewed and digested.
I love most of Dickens works but had to give up on this book - just couldn't get into it at all.
I read this book recently and had a hard time with it. It's not so easy to read a classic when you are used to the quicker pace of modern novels. I am glad that I stuck with it.
Esmeralda wrote: "I read this book recently and had a hard time with it. It's not so easy to read a classic when you are used to the quicker pace of modern novels. I am glad that I stuck with it."Maybe I'll try it again later on.
I found that reading the book out loud completely changed my opinion of it. One of Dickens' best traits is his poetic language, and poetry at it's best is spoken out loud and shared with others, so if I were you I would snag someone else who wants to read it and sit down for nightly reading sessions.
YES!! It's one of my most favourite books of all time! It is really fabulous!! Stick with it, and if you really want to enjoy it, pick up a cliff notes to study along side.I especially like his comparisons and similies. (Namely the flies as the aristocrats.). But the book is full of them and deeper meanings if you take time to think. Also, as mentioned before, his writing is wonderful.Truthfully, I find all dickens books a struggle to get through the first bits..
The end of this book is the best part. I liked it the same way I liked Lord of the Rings and Life of Pi in that the last few pages gave the book a whole new meaning. The beginning and middle wasn't bad, but it wasn't great. The ending is what made it great.
For me, there are a few scenes in "A Tale..." that capture my imagination more than any other book I have read. When I think of any type of mob-rules behavior, this book comes to mind. I don't think Dickens was concerned with developing whole characters. Rather, he builds caricatures that serve the story. You may get to know a main character or two, but the books are about a story. I'm actually probably going to read it again very soon.Yea, I echo others, stick with it!
it gets better at the third part of the book. i had to read it because of school. i was dragging through it until the thrid part where i found myself wanting to read more
I read this book at age 16. I loved it then and do now still.I was fascinated by the histories. The individual characters really don't matter much, and to this day, I don't remember much of them.
The main characters of the book are the Two Cities themselves:London and Paris. Read it for that, if it helps you. But, yes, you'll get out of what you will. You may not be ready to read it. I've had some books be like that, for me.
Then, I've come back, years later, and greatly enjoyed the book! (Only in one case was that not true. I left that book behind. :) )
I've enjoyed other books more and found other books easier to read. But in terms of the artistic value and poetry of a book this is as good as it gets. I was hooked after the first 60 pages, not turned off it.
It's admittedly slow to build up, but things get going just as soon as the Revolution begins and it doesn't slow down much from there. Stick with it, it does get better.
I think "The Mail" is a HUGE turn-off chapter. But it starts to pick up once they're in France for sure.
Julie wrote: "it does get better - but YOU have to decide if it is worth the wait"Exactly Julie!
Who ever forgets where the ax is buried: "Madame Thérèse Defarge is a fictional character in the book A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. She is a tricoteuse, a tireless worker for the French Revolution, and the wife of Ernest Defarge.She is arguably the main villain of the novel, and ruthlessly seeks revenge against the Evrèmondes, including Charles Darnay, his wife Lucie Manette and their child, for crimes a prior generation of the Evrèmonde family had committed. These crimes include the deaths of her sister, brother, and father. Eventually, her quest for vengeance becomes her own undoing and results in her downfall and death.
Defarge represents one aspect of the Fates. The Moirai (the Fates as represented in Greek mythology) used yarn to measure out the life of a man, and cut it to end it; Defarge knits, and her knitting secretly encodes the names of people to be killed."
Yes it does get better...give it a chance and you will see how it resonates through to you
i first fell asleep through the first half.. but i got to the end... and it was from then one my fave classic books. the one that always made me cry at the end.. the one that makes you and me think. the one that makes you fall in love with the guy who wasnt the handsome aristocrat but the one with a heart, the one who died, with the calmest face the bastille had seen.. i loved and i havent stopped thinking about the end.. not since i finished.. and i doubt if i ever will.... =)
It does get better - worth the wait. Here are my thoughts on this book. 1st third - Have I just discovered the worst book ever by Dickens (more so than "Oliver Twist")?
2nd third - Wait a minute, here's the Dickens I know and love.
Final third - Where has this book been all my life?
Yes, it does! Every time I read Dickens I love him just that little bit more - and I think this might be his most beautiful story of them all (although The Old Curiosity Shop is lovely too). BBC Radio 4 did a lovely radio adaption that reminded me just how wonderful a character Sydney Carton is
And Barnes Charity Players did a wonderful stage adaptation this year too - even if I did get a series of rubbish parts :)
Just wanted to mention that Maya Angelou mentions Dickens as one of the primary influences of her early years.Shelley, Rain: A Dust Bowl Story
http://dustbowlpoetry.wordpress.com
i'm surprised to read so many comments of people not liking the first part. i was hooked since page 1 of that book and it keep getting better from there on till the end! easily, one of the best books i've read!
Personally, I read this book in tenth grade and hated every second that I was reading it. Then I got to the last page and was overwhelmed by the poignant story. I even went back to read it again.
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