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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
Normally I would give this four stars, but it made such an enormous impact on me as a young teen that I have to give it five; Sydney Carlton inflamed my pity and romantic imagination, and there were scenes I read repeatedly. I'm not sure the mature woman would be as deeply, emotionally moved as I was by this as a teen.
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
crying in the club about Sydney Carton (and by crying in the club I mean crying in front of my class tomorrow probably)
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It has been long enough since Dickens wrote that, between it being British English and that long ago, there were plenty of times where I completely lost the plot. Well, not literally, but figuratively. And then there were times where his prose was so beautiful and evocative that it was just awesome. The one thing that I have to say is that it's motivated me to learn more about the French Revolution. I was fascinated by the sympathy he expressed by the whole mess that it turned into. I also found myself thinking about an article that I read some time about about how, because his observations and descriptions are so keen, it's possible to medically diagnose his characters. What the article didn't mention is how acute his psychological portrayals are as well. It was touching to read a portrayal of what was, to my mind, clearly PTSD, and (though we certainly don't have it all figured out now) feel the helplessness of those around him. So, as I'm writing this review, I had to up my rating. Yeah, it wasn't an easy read, but it was very good.
In my mind, I think every novel I read will be compared to this. And I am afraid that most will be found lacking. Never a fan of Dickens ... And I will blame my teachers for making me read him instead of leading me to him ... I have completely changed my mind. Dickens was a genius and Sidney Cotton is now and may forever be my definition of a hero.
challenging
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Read for school. I did a French Revolution history research presentation on the book and found the assignment interesting.
This book was written by Charles Dickens, so of course, it's extremely well written and full of moments that will have you gasp and shouting "Noooo." Although I enjoyed reading A Tale of Two Cities, I found myself getting tired of it, obviously, I wouldn't read this book on my own time.