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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
I really didn't like this book. First off, the main girl is so weak its sick, and the fact that she has three men pining after her is a little ridiculous. But I actually found that Sydney was my favorite character because of his sacrifice at the ending, and also he was the mysterious type. There was so much drama in this book, but I guess that is Dicken's signature move. Well, it was okay...
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A masterpiece. For me, up there with Bleak House and Great Expectations. The last few pages are some of the most beautiful I have ever read- passages that will stay with me.
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Finally, I got around to listening to this famous book. The beginning is fabulous and Dickens is so great at creating interesting characterizations, but as a whole, a bit melodramatic.
A Tale of Two Cities more like a Tale of Two Books. I really want to recommend this book wholeheartedly for the payoff in the end and it is a huge payoff but in order to get to that point you are required to trudge through the first half of the book which can really be a tough slog. But the second half more than makes up for it so by all means give this a read if you don't mind doing a little mental heavy lifting at the beginning.
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
First of all, I'd like to give this book 4.5 stars. (Why is it so hard to be confined by the one-star increments?) It is a great book, I just can't give it my very highest rating. I wonder if it is suffering somewhat in comparison to The Count of Monte Cristo, which I read right before A Tale of Two Cities, and I loved that one SO much.
In any case, I'm just thrilled that I finally read this book! I have been suffering for some time now as the result of not having read it. I have felt like a pseudo-reader because I didn't like Dickens, couldn't get through him. I tried to read A Tale of Two Cities in 2002 when we were living in Paris, because it just seemed appropriate. I couldn't get into it, and gave up not far into it.
Recently I decided I had to give it another shot. There has to be a good reason it's such a classic, right? Right. This time, I had no trouble at all getting sucked right into the story. I have no idea what my problem was before. It turns out, I like Dickens, and I'm thrilled about it.
I really found it interesting the way Dickens portrayed the French Revolution. He went back and forth between condemning the revolutionaries for their violent, bloodthirsty acts, and showing the despicable actions and excess of the aristocracy. He makes his readers confront their feelings and prejudices and question their own actions, hypothetical or real.
If I have any complaint at all about A Tale of Two Cities, it's that many of the characters seem a bit one-dimensional. So many of them are completely evil or completely good. That's what makes Carton such an interesting character. He is complex, he is at times detestable, and at others compelling, sympathetic, or even admirable.
I loved Lucie as well. Yes, she seems perhaps unbelievably good. But she is so admirable, she makes me want to be a better person.
This is a book with the best first and last lines ever, and a very satisfying ending. Highly recommended.
In any case, I'm just thrilled that I finally read this book! I have been suffering for some time now as the result of not having read it. I have felt like a pseudo-reader because I didn't like Dickens, couldn't get through him. I tried to read A Tale of Two Cities in 2002 when we were living in Paris, because it just seemed appropriate. I couldn't get into it, and gave up not far into it.
Recently I decided I had to give it another shot. There has to be a good reason it's such a classic, right? Right. This time, I had no trouble at all getting sucked right into the story. I have no idea what my problem was before. It turns out, I like Dickens, and I'm thrilled about it.
I really found it interesting the way Dickens portrayed the French Revolution. He went back and forth between condemning the revolutionaries for their violent, bloodthirsty acts, and showing the despicable actions and excess of the aristocracy. He makes his readers confront their feelings and prejudices and question their own actions, hypothetical or real.
If I have any complaint at all about A Tale of Two Cities, it's that many of the characters seem a bit one-dimensional. So many of them are completely evil or completely good. That's what makes Carton such an interesting character. He is complex, he is at times detestable, and at others compelling, sympathetic, or even admirable.
I loved Lucie as well. Yes, she seems perhaps unbelievably good. But she is so admirable, she makes me want to be a better person.
This is a book with the best first and last lines ever, and a very satisfying ending. Highly recommended.
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
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:
No