Tuesday, January 24, 2012

"A Tale of Two Cities" - Classic Teens Project

     Okay, so I've finished reading "A Tale of Two Cities" by Charles Dickens, and I thought it was fantastic! I got my copy in Barnes and Noble (from their "Barnes and Noble Classics" collection) for around five bucks for a paperback. The collectible leather-bound copies would look fantastic on a bookshelf too, though. Its pretty short at a little under 400 pages, but it could take a while to read if you're not used to the language.
     "A Tale of Two Cities" is the story of Paris and London and its citizens during the French Revolution. The main conflict in the book is caused by the distrust between the people of these tow cities; no one is ever sure if their own neighbor is a spy or a patriot. The main focus is the Manette family and their common friend Sydney Carton, who incorporate the best qualities of both the English and the French. Their family grows ever stronger with union, marriage, kidnap, arrest and death.
     The brutality of the French Revolution and its supporters is highlighted in the book with its two villains: "La Guillotine" and Madame Defarge. Both are truly sinister. A lot of lives are taken at the hands of both together.
     Dickens is criticizing mob behavior in this work, and beautifully so. I've never visualized such an angry, rabid, crazed group of people. Like always, Dickens makes a strong political statement with his work.

      Review time! I absolutely adored this book. The prose is rich and poetic and fantastic, just like all of Dickens's other works. Although I'm not a particularly political person, I still loved the observations of basic human nature when cornered, our inhumane bloodlust, and our determination to fight tooth and nail for what we believe. The characters were real and vivid; I don't think there is anyone I could love more than Sydney Carton. Ever. And Madame Defarge is just so palpably evil. Oh, the knitting! Scary stuff. I loved the dynamic of the Manette family, they are almost the perfect family (almost). This book is so quotable. I have an entire page in my book journal dedicated to quotes, and in tiny writing!


Rating for an adult audience: 5/5

Any adult reader would love this book, especially if they've read other Dickens works. Its a relatively short read, and the insight into society is really interesting. The historical aspect of the book would be great for those who love history.

Rating for a teenage audience: 3.5/5

As much as it hurts me to say it, an average teenager would find this book boring at parts. It can be a bit slow in the middle, and the language might be an obstacle for some. If anyone read it to the end, though, I'm sure they would be pleased with all the action and excitement that closes the book.

Story: 4.5/5

The story for this book is awesome, as it incorporates a little bit of everything: there's action, mystery, politics, history, and even romance. The story is dynamic and complex, but moves a bit slowly at parts like I mentioned above.

Characters: 5/5

Only Dickens can create a cast of characters so satisfying and profound and familiar. There isn't a character I don't like in this book, and I'm a tough critic when it comes to characters. Sydney Carton steals the show. Although he doesn't really have that much screen time, you're always waiting for him to pop up when your reading and when he finally does he comes and goes with a bang.

Difficulty: 4/5

If you've never read a novel from the Victorian era before, this book is not the one to start with. This was my first Victorian novel, and it honestly took me quite a while to get used to the language and those pesky long sentences. After the first fifty pages, though, reading went a bit quicker. Even still, I had to make sure I was paying attention, or else I would have one of those " re-read the entire page again because you absorbed nothing of what you just read" moments.


"A Tale of Two Cities" is a fantastic classic novel, and definitely a good read for older teens. It will surely prepare you for those harder-to-read books, if anything!

Happy reading!

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