February 20, 2014

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens (Review)

Title: A Tale of Two Cities
Author: Charles Dickens
First published: 1854
Add it: Goodreads, The Book Depository
Rating: ★★★★★

I must confess I haven't read enough Dickens in my life. I read Oliver Twist when I was a child and I remember it was gloomy and depressing and rather dull. In my teens I read an adapted version of Nicholas Nickleby for my English classes and all the while I was reading it I was wondering why write two books with the same plot. In my defense I can only point out that it was again all about a small boy against the world and that I wasn't paying much attention. In the university I pretended to read only highbrow stuff and gave The Pickwick Papers a try. I struggled through the first half of it and then gave up. It was funny in the beginning, but then it became repetitive and unbearably detailed. Or maybe I was just impatient due to my flourishing and complicated private life at that time :)

The first Dickens I actually liked was A Christmas Carol, which I read a year ago. I could finally appreciate the writing, and the story was not overly long. Then was an unhappy choice of The Old Curiosity Shop, which left me totally frustrated when I finally finished it after dragging through it for three months.

So overall my experience with Dickens was not very enjoyable. However, I am happy to announce that I've finally found a Dickens novel I LOVE, and this is of course A Tale of Two Cities. I was expecting a difficult read, and it was rather difficult in the beginning, but then I got used to the writing and I totally loved it! The descriptions are very vivid and metaphorical, the narrative flows in and out of places and people's heads, and oh the repetitions! How I loved the repetitions! There is something from music in them...

Apart from choosing a setting which cannot be dull per se - the French Revolution, Dickens has knitted (yeah, this word!) a wonderful and gripping plot for his book. Parts of it don't make sense in the beginning, but then everything falls into place. Some things are of course predictable, but that makes them long-expected rather than boring. And the ending is just... Well, you need to read it yourself, because my writing is unequal to giving it the credit it deserves.

I'd like to particularly note female characters in this novel. Usually Dickensian women are either saccharine and useless or mad and evil. Here, however, they have more depth. OK, Lucie IS stereotypically sweet, but she also has quite some courage and is surprisingly tough. But think about Therese Defarge! I don't think I've seen anybody quite like her in literature! "A great woman, <...> a strong woman, a grand woman, a frightfully grand woman!" And consider Miss Pross with her brave "you shall not get the better of me. I am an Englishwoman". Overall, according to Dickens, women made revolution. They suffer, but remember, persist, support their husbands and never give up. That's quite impressive! 

In my book:
An exceptionally well-written novel! My favourite Dickens so far! :)


22 comments:

  1. Oh good. I'm glad you liked this novel. I hated Oliver Twist. Forty of the fifty chapters were tedious and the last ten were not enough to redeem it.

    You've probably read Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. Strongly influenced by Dickens.

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    1. I'm glad you think me more well-read than I am :) No, I haven't read Les Mis, and although I keep telling myself that it must happen soon, I'm always putting it off because it's soooo big! One of the many advantages of A Tale of Two Cities is that it's less than 400 pages :)

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  2. I have a love/hate relationship with Dickens... A Tale of Two Cities was actually the first Dickens novel I read, but I read it quite a few years ago. I liked it, I think better than the ones I've read most recently. Maybe it's time to revisit it. (I've also heard that it's the least "Dickens-y" of all the Dickens novels--perhaps that's a good thing?)

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    1. A Tale of Two Cities merits revisiting! If I were to revisit it, I'd pay more attention to the first appearance of the secondary characters at Darnay's trial. I had no idea they will pay such important roles later...

      I agree it's quite unlike the other Dickens novels I've read, and I like its style so much better!

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  3. I have only read one Dickens novel, Great Expectations, so my experience is limited with his writing. I always thought I would like A Tale of Two Cities because of the history and the contrast between people and places. Reading your review makes me want to read the book soon!

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    1. Great Expectations is next on my Dickens list! I think you will not be disappointed with A Tale of Two Cities, so go for it! :)

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  4. The novel is exceptional. My favourite Dickens, I so agree with your review and your mention of Madame Defarge!!

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    1. I'm glad I'm not the only one in her fan-club :)) I really enjoy reading about such OUTSTANDING characters... She alone is enough to make any novel great :)

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  5. I have high hopes for enjoying this one when I finally get to reading it, and your review is encouraging! I didn't enjoy Oliver Twist when I read it as a kid, either, but I did like A Christmas Carol.

    I tell myself that some day I'll try Our Mutual Friend or Bleak House. Some day.

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    1. If we agree on both Oliver Twist and A Christmas Carol, then I think A Tale of Two Cities may be your thing! Bleak House is also on my to-read list, but I have no idea when I'll get to it :)

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  6. This seems to be one of Dickens' shorter works. I tried reading it last year, but had to put it aside - wasn't the book though, I wasn't ready for it at that point. It's glad to see you think it was well written, people generally seem to like this book even if they aren't that into Dickens.

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    1. It's true that you need to be in a certain brooding mood to really enjoy it. It's also better to read it in a quite place without any interruptions. I think I was lucky, because, unlike you,I picked it up at a perfect time.

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  7. This is my favorite Dickens, too, aside from Christmas Carol. My exact words also were, "Everything falls into place." It's amazing, and just perfect. If you like to watch film adaptations of books, the 1980 TV version with Chris Sarandon was pretty good. You can watch it on Youtube.

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    1. Thanks for your recommendation, Ruth! I was thinking about watching an adaptation, and now I'll definitely do it! :)

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  8. I'm glad you liked A Tale of Two Cities. I really enjoyed it as well and I can sympathize with your feelings about Dickens because I felt the same way. But lately I've read some of his novels that have reversed my initial "unimpressed" feelings. I especially liked Martin Chuzzlewit and David Copperfield. Bleak House is the next Dickens I'm going to read, and I think it will be a positive experience. Good luck with your next Dickens read!

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    1. I'm going to read David Copperfield some time soon, so it's good to know it's likable! I guess Dickens requires some getting used to to start really enjoying his works...

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  9. A Tale of Two Cities is a bit different than Dickens' other novels (from my experience, and I haven't read all his novels). After this, maybe you should try Great Expectations or David Copperfield. Both are my favorites too.

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    1. Both books are on my to-read-soon list, and I have great expectations about both of them :)

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  10. Many memorable scenes in this book and one of my favorite is the moment Lucie is reunited with her father in his cell. He was confused, wanted his cobbler's tools....and looks up and sees his daughter. This is my favorite Dickens book....so far!

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    1. Yes, this scene is definitely among the most memorable! Beautifully written!

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  11. I confess I have not read enough Dickens, either. Including this one!

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    1. This one is a god one to start your long-lasting relationship! ;)

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