After eighteen years as a political prisoner in the Bastille the aging Dr Manette is finally released and reunited with his daughter in England. There two very different men, Charles Darnay, an exiled French aristocrat, and Sydney Carton, a disreputable but brilliant English lawyer, become enmeshed through their love for Lucie Manette. From the tranquil lanes of London, they are all drawn against their will to the vengeful, bloodstained streets of Paris at the height of the Reign of Terror and soon fall under the lethal shadow of La Guillotine.
A Tale of Two Cities
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"I've come to prefer Oxford's editions of my texts because of the usefulness of the explanatory notes and above all the inclusion of vital contextual information about publishing practices (serialization dates, etc.) and historical background that are essential to my nethod of instruction."--Prof. Martha Holmes, Univ. of Colorado
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With an exclusive introduction by Peter Ackroyd, these out of print editions are brought back to life with a fresh and timeless new look.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
66 of 68 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
The most unforgettable opening and closing sentences ever found in a book!
1 July 2007
By Misfit
TOP 1000 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
I will never, the rest of my life forget these two sentences. "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness...." and at closing "It is a far, far, better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to, than I have ever known."
Wow, this is not your usual Dickens. No quirky characters with strange names and laugh out loud moments, just a darn good story -- the story of two cities, London and Paris. It is difficult to put the plot into words, but when the book begins you are in London at the time of the American revolution and spies (or suspected spies) abound, and the story eventually switches to France prior to and during the French revolution.
Dickens does a marvelous job (as always) of building his story one step at a time and slowly peeling back the layers one at a time. This is not a put down and pick it up a week later kind of a book, it is very intense and complicated and you have to pay close attention. I was just floored at how he sucked me in with his descriptions of the mobs, terror and the madness of the revolution leading you to a nail biting finish. I admit to holding my breath during those last few pages!
Highly recommended, and well worth the time to discover (or rediscover) an old classic.
Wow, this is not your usual Dickens. No quirky characters with strange names and laugh out loud moments, just a darn good story -- the story of two cities, London and Paris. It is difficult to put the plot into words, but when the book begins you are in London at the time of the American revolution and spies (or suspected spies) abound, and the story eventually switches to France prior to and during the French revolution.
Dickens does a marvelous job (as always) of building his story one step at a time and slowly peeling back the layers one at a time. This is not a put down and pick it up a week later kind of a book, it is very intense and complicated and you have to pay close attention. I was just floored at how he sucked me in with his descriptions of the mobs, terror and the madness of the revolution leading you to a nail biting finish. I admit to holding my breath during those last few pages!
Highly recommended, and well worth the time to discover (or rediscover) an old classic.
71 of 74 people found the following review helpful
By Peter Reeve
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback
The period from 1775 - the outbreak of the American Revolution - to 1789 - the storming of the Bastille - is the turbulent setting of this uncharacteristic Dickens novel. It is his only novel that lacks comic relief, is one of only two that are not set in nineteenth-century England and is also unusual in lacking a primary central character. London and Paris are the real protagonists in this tale, much as the cathedral was the 'hero' of Hugo's Notre Dame de Paris. Dickens was writing at a time of great turmoil in his personal life, having just separated from his wife, and no doubt the revolutionary theme was in tune with his mental state.
The result is a complex, involving plot with some of the best narrative writing to be found anywhere, and the recreation of revolutionary Paris is very convincing. The device of having two characters that look identical may seem hackneyed to modern readers, but it is here employed with greater plausibility than in Twain's Pudd'nhead Wilson or Collins's The Woman in White.
Dickens was inspired to write this story by reading Carlyle's newly published history of the French Revolution. Those events and their aftermath stood in relation to their time much as World Wars I and II do to ours, that is, fading from living memory into history, yet their legacy still very much with us. In many nineteenth-century novels, especially Russian and British works, you get a sense of unease among the aristocracy that the revolution will spread to their own back yard. In the case of Russia, of course, it eventually did.
I have often recommended A Tale of Two Cities as a good introduction to Dickens for younger readers. This is based on my own experiences, because it was a set book in my English Literature class when I was 15 and I remember thoroughly enjoying it. Yes, it is challenging, with its somewhat archaic language and its slow development, but you cannot progress to an enjoyment of great literature without being challenged.
62 of 65 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
In most of his novels, Charles Dickens sticks to one central theme - love. "A Tale of Two Cities" faithfully adheers to this principle, yet, as with every Dickens book, retains a certain individuality and freshness.
The story is perhaps a little slow to start, but that matters little. Not only is it difficult to stop reading the novel after a while, given the many little mysteries Dickens hints at throughout, but it is next to impossible not to be absorbed into the lives of the central characters and feel a certain closeness to them. It also notable that the devoted love displayed by so many of the novels cast does not seem at all implausable or out of place, despite the cold and uncaring backdrop used - the French Revolution
"A Tale Of Two Cities" leaves you feeling both thourghly happy and extremely sad, such is the skill with which Charles Dickens - beyond any doubt a master of his craft - tells this moving tale.
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2.0 out of 5 stars
fuction
read as a child bought it to read again but not started it yet presume it will be a good read
Published 5 days ago by pauline
5.0 out of 5 stars
Kindle Book
Free on the classics section of the books from Amazon. Great selection on there and Charles Dickens is one of the best.
Published 5 days ago by Caroline Johnston
2.0 out of 5 stars
Free stuff
It was free and was recommended so I just downloaded it. At first i read it, found it a it too bold for my taste so i stopped reading. Read more
Published 6 days ago by hermihamdani
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Avon lady
Not always an easy read but very enjoyable and a fantastic story. Gives a real insight into the life of that time.
Published 9 days ago by Unknown
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good first ebook
First time I've read CD for many years. Have caught tail end on TV and twigged plot half way thru. Enjoyed read over a few evenings. Characterisations obviously excellent. Read more
Published 10 days ago by TPM
4.0 out of 5 stars
A great insight to those times in France.
This is the first time that I have read this book and found it a very good read. I would recommend it to anybody who hasn't read it before.
Published 10 days ago by Mr. R. S. Emery
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not the best one from Dickens but really good book.
difficult to read at the beginning but it then gets interesting and easier to understand. Interesting references fro the old England and France.
Published 10 days ago by D. O. Vilca Manrique
5.0 out of 5 stars
Just ordered it for someone, it was fine!
I didn't read the book, just ordered it for someone, but the item arrived around a week after. Because its not for myself, I wasn't feel eager to have it quickly!
Published 11 days ago by Mrs. Dawn C. Possee
3.0 out of 5 stars
Book
It's a classic tale what more is there to say about it except now in electronic form and paper form.
Published 12 days ago by John Fulton
5.0 out of 5 stars
Nothing new to say
It's the biggest selling novel of all time, by one of the most popular and well-respected authors of all time, so there isn't much else to add. This edition works OK, no problems.
Published 14 days ago by GT-13
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