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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
challenging
funny
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I feel bad, but I just couldn’t care. My goal is to go back and read the classics, and most of them I understand why they are classics, but this one just didn’t work for me.
adventurous
dark
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
slow-paced
I am not enjoying this book at all. So, I'm giving up on it.
I had to read it for school and hated it because of Lucie. All she could do was whine and faint every other minute. The only Dickens book I hate.
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
A classic portrait of the French Revolution filled with classic characters and quotes.
It’s rather difficult to give an accurate plot description without giving spoilers as the plot doesn’t really come together till the third section of the novel. From the start we see a man unjustly held in prison being released to England and is “recalled to life” by his loving daughter and loyal business associate. Meanwhile a wine shop owner and his wife scheme revolution in France. Several years later a gallant young man is tried for treason but is saved by a cynical lookalike. All of these threads combine to create a plot containing mystery, thrills, and romance. The characters are distinct and memorable and the lookalike Sydney Carton is a true scene stealer.
All these plot chords come together beautifully in the end, but for much of the novel there isn’t a present central conflict. The final portion of the novel is moving, suspenseful, and fast paced but the reader has to get through the first couple hundred pages to experience it. It’s not that nothing interesting happens before the final section, but the lack of stakes makes the early sections feel somewhat directionless while reading. This novel requires patience and it’s understandable why many do not finish.
It’s a dark novel that has much to say about the French Revolution and its causes. Dickens ably uses sharp wit, sarcasm, and keen observation to unflinchingly paint the era. The main takeaway for me is that the violence and cruelty of the upper class inevitably begat the violence and cruelty of the revolution despite its good intentions. Taken purely as a historical novel covering this event, it is a success.
Dickens prose is somewhat difficult to follow because of its wordiness, but he is a great wordsmith and his writing contains much truth. I will definitely be reading more.
It’s rather difficult to give an accurate plot description without giving spoilers as the plot doesn’t really come together till the third section of the novel. From the start we see a man unjustly held in prison being released to England and is “recalled to life” by his loving daughter and loyal business associate. Meanwhile a wine shop owner and his wife scheme revolution in France. Several years later a gallant young man is tried for treason but is saved by a cynical lookalike. All of these threads combine to create a plot containing mystery, thrills, and romance. The characters are distinct and memorable and the lookalike Sydney Carton is a true scene stealer.
All these plot chords come together beautifully in the end, but for much of the novel there isn’t a present central conflict. The final portion of the novel is moving, suspenseful, and fast paced but the reader has to get through the first couple hundred pages to experience it. It’s not that nothing interesting happens before the final section, but the lack of stakes makes the early sections feel somewhat directionless while reading. This novel requires patience and it’s understandable why many do not finish.
It’s a dark novel that has much to say about the French Revolution and its causes. Dickens ably uses sharp wit, sarcasm, and keen observation to unflinchingly paint the era. The main takeaway for me is that the violence and cruelty of the upper class inevitably begat the violence and cruelty of the revolution despite its good intentions. Taken purely as a historical novel covering this event, it is a success.
Dickens prose is somewhat difficult to follow because of its wordiness, but he is a great wordsmith and his writing contains much truth. I will definitely be reading more.