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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
The story is pretty cool, but the way it's told is so frustrating to read. I don't like this book. Sydney Carton is pretty cool though.
descriptive, immersive, and vast, transports you alongside commoners before and during the french revolution lool u can just feel the angst in your blood, and they rly give you all the povs. my only complaint is that the main character romance felt dragged out
This novel - full of wooden characters and stilted theatrical dialog - is almost totally lacking in everything I've come to love about Dickens. There's no warmth in this book, no pulse of life anywhere. This is the kind of book that bilious spinster teachers forced down the throats of 5th graders in 1936; exactly the kind of dull, dry, dead book that makes people hate literature.
This book was assigned to my sophomore honors class, but as the teacher felt it was antiquated she made it optional. As a teen I was inclined to agree with in as I felt it was tedious and so never finished it.
Presently, I discovered that I was interested in a synopsis I read and decided nothing would be lost if I failed to enjoy the book and that I could always set it aside for something more modern.
I was shocked to find, in rereading the beginning chapters, I found the writing beautiful instead of tedious and soon I was tangled in the plot!
This book is beautifully written. Sympathies for the characters are easily obtained despite the fact that the author does not intricately describe their thoughts beyond immediate action and conversation. This book exemplifies devotion in all aspects of interpersonal relations.
I think when my son is older I will try to interest my husband in reading it with me to my son. Perhaps we can engage him in the literature and the history.
Presently, I discovered that I was interested in a synopsis I read and decided nothing would be lost if I failed to enjoy the book and that I could always set it aside for something more modern.
I was shocked to find, in rereading the beginning chapters, I found the writing beautiful instead of tedious and soon I was tangled in the plot!
This book is beautifully written. Sympathies for the characters are easily obtained despite the fact that the author does not intricately describe their thoughts beyond immediate action and conversation. This book exemplifies devotion in all aspects of interpersonal relations.
I think when my son is older I will try to interest my husband in reading it with me to my son. Perhaps we can engage him in the literature and the history.
A Tale of Two Cities is one of those novels that makes it on those lists of classic literature regularly. I can see why. Even now, over 150 years later it remains a compelling story of love, death, spycraft, adventure, etc. The opening and closing chapters have to be considered among the best ever written.
I wish I could give half stars. If so, this would be 4.5. My one complaint is important: despite the fact that Dickens initially wrote this as a serial and was reputed to have been paid by the word, I thought the characters of Charles and Lucy needed to be fleshed out a little more. It felt to me that the supporting characters were more developed than the primary protagonists.
But by the end, I can overlook that complaint because of how well Dickens weaves together a most complex plot into a spellbinding narrative.
I wish I could give half stars. If so, this would be 4.5. My one complaint is important: despite the fact that Dickens initially wrote this as a serial and was reputed to have been paid by the word, I thought the characters of Charles and Lucy needed to be fleshed out a little more. It felt to me that the supporting characters were more developed than the primary protagonists.
But by the end, I can overlook that complaint because of how well Dickens weaves together a most complex plot into a spellbinding narrative.
I'm so torn on this one, everything I love about Dickens is there - the gentle sarcastic humour, the deeply picturesque atmosphere, even a few unexpected plot twists - but for some reason I just couldn't bring myself to care for any of the protagonists. What saves it from three stars is Madame Defarge, definitely one of the author's best creations.
Not sure what I was expecting.... it was captivating enough once I got around page 90. I also realize I have a hard time deciphering that olde Victorian English vernacular at times. But its a classic that should be read.
adventurous
challenging
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I understand that this story is perhaps the least beloved of Dickens's novels. I vehemently disagree.
I don't think I've ever read a novel so interconnected with itself and history. This novel stopped a revolution. Ever heard of the English Revolution? Probably not because this book is what prevented it.
On the characters, I believe that we should all strive to be like Syndey Carton. I have rarely seen such high character in anyone. I have realized how important pity and compassion is in our lives. The absence of it, as in Madame Defarge, and the abundance of it, as in Miss Prose, shows the very best and the very worst of our nature.
You reap what you sow
Excelsior
I don't think I've ever read a novel so interconnected with itself and history. This novel stopped a revolution. Ever heard of the English Revolution? Probably not because this book is what prevented it.
On the characters, I believe that we should all strive to be like Syndey Carton. I have rarely seen such high character in anyone. I have realized how important pity and compassion is in our lives. The absence of it, as in Madame Defarge, and the abundance of it, as in Miss Prose, shows the very best and the very worst of our nature.
You reap what you sow
Excelsior
- I don't even know what to say...I'm stunned
- I'll write a review in a year when the effects of this book have worn off a little and I can finally manage words to describe what it is I'm feeling
- I'll write a review in a year when the effects of this book have worn off a little and I can finally manage words to describe what it is I'm feeling