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25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Turbulent times in London and Paris, 27 April 2005
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.
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Incredible!, 14 Oct 2001
By A Customer
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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21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Most Amazing Gesture, 30 Sep 2003
By A Customer
You can read this novel on so many levels. Historically, it is a novel based upo the time before and during the French revolution, as Dr. Manette is released from 19 years of incarceration for basically reporting the wicked crimes of some rich folk. Romantically it is a love story between Dr. manette's daughter, Lucy, and the son of the person who put Dr. manette is prison, Charles Darnay. But the story is so much more than that. It is a beautifully woven story wioth perhaps the strongest of all secondary characters in a Dickens novel - the leader of the uprising, madame Defarge. But this remains my favorite fictional novel of all time (alongside the Godfather, bizarrely enough) because of the character of Sydney Carlton. Never has a more gruesome and unlikeable character been drawn. Never has a person seemed less likely to be the hero. What he does at the end is just somehting that makes you think that the world isn't such a bad place. He makes the ultimate human sacrifice, but does it anonymously - he never tells people what he will do. It is a story of redemption, salvation and the courage of the human spirit. I have read this book six times in the last ten years, and each time I just turn the last page, read the last two sentences (perhaps the greatest in English literature)and just think - wow. This book really is that good. In a selfish kind ogf way, i envy those who haven't read this book yet because they are in for one of the greatest treats in literature - remember the name of Sydney Carlton!!!!
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