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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
So apparently I claimed to have read this novel before, and the audio WAS in my library, but I have no memory of it. Since I was between credits and had just done a great booktalk with a student over Great Expectations, I thought I'd revel in some Dickensian story telling. . . . but I have to say this was not, to my mind, one of his best. Still, it kept me listening while I sewed my latest pj pant project. So: pros and cons.
Pros: the man is such a story teller. He can paint a picture in one sentence, so when he goes on for pages, he really crafts a world.
He's hugely funny--I find his humorous and/or understated stuff much better than his sentimental / emotional stuff. More on the latter in "cons". The scene between Miss Pross and Mme. Defarge is worth the price of admission.
He's also an astute observer of human nature: since I didn't really remember (or know?) the plot, I was curious from the get-go about whose side he'd be on, and the answer is. . . both. He has a great section at the end where he reflects on the impact of cruelty and deprivation on people, and certainly after Jan. 6, 2021, we've seen that reality in our lifetime, too. He doesn't glorify the excesses of the revolution even as he admits its root causes.
CONS:
Holy crap it is schmaltzorama here. Lucy--who the heck IS she beyond a pale and fainting beloved daughter/mother/faithful wife? And her daughter, ditto. And who the HECK would bring her daughter AND come herself to Revolutionary Paris, regardless of what is going on with one's husband?
Charles Darnay is also NO CHARACTER AT ALL--I wondered if I had accidentally gotten a condensed version of the novel because he's just suddenly there. Sidney Carton isn't much better; Striver is actually a little better developed (at least mid novel) than either of them.
Coincidences: Mme Defarge is the daughter of the woman despoiled by the bad guys? What? I might easily have missed that in the storm of crossing/double crossing that all came at once, but I think that was the gist. AND that friggin' long letter. . . . chiseled out with blood sweat and tears, but not missing a single nuanced adjective. . . .
So, overall: glad I listened, but ready for something more modern and zippy. Whew!
***ETA: WOW! I just skimmed some reviews and PEOPLE LOVE THIS NOVEL! Knowing that, I honestly think they must be blown 100% away by Great Expectations and Nicholas Nickelby, which are actual STORIES with characters and more humor and less schmaltz. One teacher said she has her students read this novel so they know Dickens is a lively writer. . . My eyebrows are way up my forehead on that one! I love Dickens, but this one is not my favorite--even below Hard Times, which I love mostly for the educational stuff. Innnnnnnteresting. ***
Pros: the man is such a story teller. He can paint a picture in one sentence, so when he goes on for pages, he really crafts a world.
He's hugely funny--I find his humorous and/or understated stuff much better than his sentimental / emotional stuff. More on the latter in "cons". The scene between Miss Pross and Mme. Defarge is worth the price of admission.
He's also an astute observer of human nature: since I didn't really remember (or know?) the plot, I was curious from the get-go about whose side he'd be on, and the answer is. . . both. He has a great section at the end where he reflects on the impact of cruelty and deprivation on people, and certainly after Jan. 6, 2021, we've seen that reality in our lifetime, too. He doesn't glorify the excesses of the revolution even as he admits its root causes.
CONS:
Holy crap it is schmaltzorama here. Lucy--who the heck IS she beyond a pale and fainting beloved daughter/mother/faithful wife? And her daughter, ditto. And who the HECK would bring her daughter AND come herself to Revolutionary Paris, regardless of what is going on with one's husband?
Charles Darnay is also NO CHARACTER AT ALL--I wondered if I had accidentally gotten a condensed version of the novel because he's just suddenly there. Sidney Carton isn't much better; Striver is actually a little better developed (at least mid novel) than either of them.
Coincidences: Mme Defarge is the daughter of the woman despoiled by the bad guys? What? I might easily have missed that in the storm of crossing/double crossing that all came at once, but I think that was the gist. AND that friggin' long letter. . . . chiseled out with blood sweat and tears, but not missing a single nuanced adjective. . . .
So, overall: glad I listened, but ready for something more modern and zippy. Whew!
***ETA: WOW! I just skimmed some reviews and PEOPLE LOVE THIS NOVEL! Knowing that, I honestly think they must be blown 100% away by Great Expectations and Nicholas Nickelby, which are actual STORIES with characters and more humor and less schmaltz. One teacher said she has her students read this novel so they know Dickens is a lively writer. . . My eyebrows are way up my forehead on that one! I love Dickens, but this one is not my favorite--even below Hard Times, which I love mostly for the educational stuff. Innnnnnnteresting. ***
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This is just a really great story. Highly suggested for anyone who hasn't read it.
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
3.5 tbh a really good book. it also reminded me a lot of will and tessa so ☹️
Oh my, what a book. I only gave it four stars because it does slow at times. But I was in tears on the plane at the end. That's a sign of a good book.