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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
Inimitably poetic, extremely complex, gorgeously and painfully bittersweet. Hours after finishing the book, I'm still being haunted by its ending. Dickens' grim description of the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror often left me with physical goosebumps.
adventurous
emotional
Corny as hell. 19th century sentimental story where the characters are all one-dimensionally good or evil. Physical descriptions were good, but I didn’t feel anything for these characters.
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
So long-winded! Just didn’t have the energy to plough through.
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
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:
Yes
Overall, I liked the storyline and how the events of the 2 cities tie together. I also like the character arc of Carton, from being an annoying and rude character to demonstrating selflessness. I found the first half of the book somewhat boring, but the events of the second half were a lot more interesting and fast-paced.
challenging
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
“it was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”
wait because this actually cooked i've been putting this off for four years no joke and it's actually so good. oliver twist really made me think i wouldn't really enjoy dicken's other books so ur slow pacing is a choice you make huh?
i picked this up because i'm in a play about the french revolution and i figured it made sense to read something topical between rehearsals. this book has been sitting on my shelf for years and i was a bit reluctant to pick it up, but when i realized it was down to this or les misérables, my choice was basically made for me lmao
anyway. i actually shed a tear to the ending of this which is quite insane because if you know me, you know i don't really cry to books or movies (i get choked up, but that's basically it) except for that one scene in cast away when tom hanks is screaming for his volleyball—for some reason, i erupt into sobs whenever i see that (but i digress).
his characters, despite the book having been written nearly 200 years ago, feel so fresh and real to me that it just really brings the story to life (and the time placement during the french revolution really helps with that!). unlike other reviewers, i actually found the plot to be decently fast paced (although again, that might be because i'm comparing it to oliver twist) and i didn't really get bored, except for hte odd chapter where my eyes kind of glazed over because i didn't know what exactly was going on. the twists as well were amazing, and even though i kind of knew how it would end because the blurb spoiled it for me, i still had my jaw hanging open at bits which is always a bonus.
wait because this actually cooked i've been putting this off for four years no joke and it's actually so good. oliver twist really made me think i wouldn't really enjoy dicken's other books so ur slow pacing is a choice you make huh?
i picked this up because i'm in a play about the french revolution and i figured it made sense to read something topical between rehearsals. this book has been sitting on my shelf for years and i was a bit reluctant to pick it up, but when i realized it was down to this or les misérables, my choice was basically made for me lmao
anyway. i actually shed a tear to the ending of this which is quite insane because if you know me, you know i don't really cry to books or movies (i get choked up, but that's basically it) except for that one scene in cast away when tom hanks is screaming for his volleyball—for some reason, i erupt into sobs whenever i see that (but i digress).
his characters, despite the book having been written nearly 200 years ago, feel so fresh and real to me that it just really brings the story to life (and the time placement during the french revolution really helps with that!). unlike other reviewers, i actually found the plot to be decently fast paced (although again, that might be because i'm comparing it to oliver twist) and i didn't really get bored, except for hte odd chapter where my eyes kind of glazed over because i didn't know what exactly was going on. the twists as well were amazing, and even though i kind of knew how it would end because the blurb spoiled it for me, i still had my jaw hanging open at bits which is always a bonus.
“i wish you to know that you have been the last dream of my soul.”
basically—i'm glad i read this. sydney carton, beloved!!
>> 4 stars