Reviews with content warning for Death - A Tale of Two Cities

My first foray into literature about the revolution, and I think it will be hard to beat. It damns and sympathizes with the revolution all in one breath, and gives it the credit due as the most alive time in history (for most), while not saying away from its frenzied bloodlust.

The characters are excellently written - Sydney Carton is one of my new favorite characters in literature, as is Madame Defarge. Mr. Lorry is a fantastic foil to the passion of those two, with the English sensibility turned to 10. I do think that Dickens does what most writers of the 18th and 19th centuries do, which is to exalt some characters to pure virtue - it works sometimes better than others, and in this case Dr. Manette and Lucy are both infallible. It creates good tension with the forces outside of their control, but also makes them feel just like set pieces, although set pieces around which a fantastic story are told.

Carton's sacrifice at the end was so beautiful, especially against his arm length proclamation of love earlier in the book. His ride to the guillotine in the arms of, to the reader, an absolute stranger, was one of my favorite bits of fiction I've ever read. So impactful, cried real hard.

Only taking away quarter star, due to the Manette's (Lucy especially) feeling 1 dimensional. Contrasting with the other characters, she just felt like a character who was an object for love, who was interesting only in that she's sad and beautiful.

4.75 stars for me - a book that has lasted in memory for all this time for a reason.

Beware of furiously knitting women.

Content Warnings

bookstore_plantlover's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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quixie's review against another edition

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challenging dark informative slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

The opening and closing lines of this novel are just incredible, so is the plot. The prose was bit hard to get through, and I didn’t connect much with the characters. Also, I felt that the book could have been 1/3 shorter. There were several ghastly scenes that made me audibly gasp and I learned a lot about the French Revolution. Overall, incredible book, just a little difficult to read.

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not_nosferatu's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

Content Warnings

andrea1975's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-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? No

5.0

Content Warnings

applesodaperson's review against another edition

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emotional 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

3.25

Had to read for 9th grade English class.

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barefootbeauty99's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Content Warnings

jobaji's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-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

4.25

I never that I would cry at the end of a book I had to read for English class, but here we are! This book has firmly cemented itself as my favorite book by Dickens. Such an interesting story, with a beautiful group of people who love each other so dearly at the center of it.

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