A Tale of Two Cities

Synopsis

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times . . . " With these famous words, Charles Dickens plunges the reader into one of history's most explosive eras- the French Revolution. From the storming of the Bastille to the relentless drop of the guillotine, Dickens vividly captures the terror and upheaval of that tumultuous period. 

At the center is the novel's hero, Sydney Carton, a lazy alcohol- but honorable- attorney who is in love with Lucie Manette, a beautiful woman broguth up in London. When Lucie marries a man condemned to death for his ties to the aristocratic Evrémonde family, Carton makes the supreme sacrifice on the blood-stained streets of Paris.

Loved

• Wow. This book blew me away. I feel weird even reviewing it because it's so perfect and such a masterpiece that it deserves to stand on its own without anyone criticizing it. But I will say my thoughts about it :)

• I loved Dickens' writing. The only other Dickens novels I've read are A Christmas Carol and Great Expectations. Great Expectations was sooo long and boring for me, although I read as a sophomore in high school. So I was bracing myself for A Tale of Two Cities to be tedious and slow. But I was in for such a surprise- I felt like it was very fast-paced and exciting compared to Great Expectations. It still had the Dickens and classic novel feel of containing many subtle details that require careful attention,  but overall it moved along quickly and was interesting throughout the story.

• The wittiness. I just love Dickens' dry humor. I snorted aloud a few times at his dry, witty descriptions of human nature. His wittiness is very subtle and you'll miss it if you're not paying attention, but it's so well done and clever.

• The characters. I was not expecting to fall in love with these characters, especially because I hated all the characters in Great Expectations (don't hate me!). But many these characters are selfless, smart, and just good people. I also liked the depth of all the characters, because even some of the "villains" in the story, like Madame Defarge, have complex and traumatic pasts that shape their actions and beliefs. What I didn't expect was how quirky and lovable many of the characters would be. So many of them have quirky personalities and beliefs that make them so real and vivid, especially Jarvis Lorry and Miss Pross.

• The history. I have always had such a fascination with the French Revolution, and I loved reading it from Dickens' point of view. Although he exaggerated some points slightly, the events and references to events and people are all real. I highly recommend reading a version that has footnotes so you get the background of all the references. I read the Barnes and Noble classics version, which has frequent footnotes explaining what certain references mean, as well as giving more history of what happened in certain events. I would've been a little lost without these footnotes in a lot of the references to people and terms of the time, so I highly recommend this version!

• The themes. Wow. Sacrifice and resurrection- what more powerful themes can you focus on than those? I love the theme of selflessness throughout the story, contrasted with the selfishness of the revolutionaries (which again, is black and white, because you understand somewhat where they are coming from due to what they've been through). The theme of resurrection was so powerful- especially because love is really what brought Doctor Manette "back to life." (Not a spoiler, it says it on the back cover :) And then obviously the theme of sacrifice at the end of the story. If you are Christian, this felt very much like a Christ reference and metaphor, but if you are not Christian, the sacrifice at the end will still be extremely meaningful and powerful. There's no way to explain its beauty and power until you read it yourself. I'm still processing it after a few weeks and the more I think about it, the more beautiful it becomes.

•  Sydney. You can't say enough about him. The most humble, unassuming, and even quirkiest of men initially, but who becomes one of the most selfless and noble characters in the history of literature. I just love his manner, his humility, and his quiet goodness- he will forever be one of the dearest characters I've ever met.

Didn't Love

• Again, who I am to criticize this masterpiece when it has stood for itself over and over throughout history? I know a lot of people dislike the story and find it tedious and confusing, but I think you have to go into it with the expectation of it being slow, subtle, detailed and, well, Dickens. If you go in expecting a modern historical fiction novel, you will hate it. 

Content

• Language: 
• Uses of "damns" and "hells" throughout.


• Sexual content:
• Doctor Manette recalls treating a woman who had been raped and gotten pregnant from an abusive aristocrat.


• Violence:
• Many mentions of aristocrats being beheaded by the Guillotine. The citizens talk excitedly about how many heads will fall that day.
• A man is hanged over a village and his body stays there as a reminder.
• A man is stabbed in his sleep.
• Upon storming the Bastille, a woman stabs one of the wardens. His head along with six others are put on pikes.
• A secondary character beats his wife and bashes her head against the wall.
• A child is run over and killed by an aristocrat's carriage- the aristocrat shows no sympathy and blames the child.
• Two women physically fight while one holds a gun. The gun discharges and one of them women is killed.
• The bloodiest scene is based off a real event of the citizens initiating a massacre on the prisons holding aristocrats. Men, women and children are stabbed, beaten, and shot. It is not described in detail, but what is described is quite bloody.
• Doctor Manette recalls helping a young boy who was stabbed while trying to avenge his sister who had been raped by an aristocrat.
• Other mature themes:
• A disturbing scene in which Doctor Manette treats a woman who has gone mad after being raped by an abusive aristocrat. 
• Doctor Manette has a "madness" after being imprisoned for years that causes him to compulsively make shoes and forget everything else in his life under times of stress. He turns to this "madness" a few times in the story and it is somewhat disturbing.

 Overall Thoughts

Wow. I don't even know how to put into words the power and beauty of this story. I have heard quite a few people say they couldn't get into this book because it's confusing and there are random scenes and characters that at times seem out of place and context. However, all these scenes end up being relevant and it all comes together. Like I said earlier, I went into this expecting it to be tedious and boring like Great Expectations. However, I found this to be vibrant, exciting and fast-paced (for a Dickens novel- don't go in expecting Hunger Games or any other YA action/intensity). I honestly loved everything about this book. I love how Dickens portrayed the brutality and injustice of the French Revolution through witty writing and quirky, but lovable characters. The contrast of a completely selfless sacrifice against a blood thirsty backdrop was so powerful and it definitely impacted me. I think this should be required reading for teenagers and adults, and I think anyone who reads this will be moved by the beautifully powerful themes and characters in this classic story.