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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the 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, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way.
This Charles Dickens masterpiece is not my first, and gladly nor will it be my last. A Tale Of Two Cities, the opening lines of the only book that gives me chills. It is a tale of love, resurrection and sacrifice. Set in 1775 following the events that lead to the French Revolution, and its aftermath. Based in two cities London and Paris, Dickens shows the stark contrast between the states of these two cities. The former, quite ordinary and usual while the later, filled with unrest, suspicion, frustration, poverty and oppression. The French Revolution was long in making, “The time was to come, when that wine too would be spilled on the street-stones, and when the stain of it would be red upon many there.” Dickens shows us the darkest outcomes of the revolution. “the "sharp female newly-born, and called La Guillotine," was hardly known to him, or to the generality of people, by name. The frightful deeds that were to be soon done, were probably unimagined at that time in the brains of the doers. How could they have a place in the shadowy conceptions of a gentle mind?” Dickens shows us the horrors people went through after the revolution and during the reign of terror, “Every day, through the stony streets, the tumbrils now jolted heavily, filled with Condemned. Lovely girls; bright women, brown-haired, black-haired, and gray; youths; stalwart men and old; gentle born and peasant born; all red wine for La Guillotine, all daily brought into light from the dark cellars of the loathsome prisons, and carried to her through the streets to slake her devouring thirst. Liberty, equality, fraternity, or death;—the last, much the easiest to bestow, O Guillotine!”
In this historical fiction, a wretched doctor rises from the dead, not literally. His tender daughter, marries a french nobleman. A hopeless lover, Carton, who dies to save her, her child and her husband without saying a word. Madame Defarge the villainess who was determined to exterminate her whole family, she was a woman with absolutely no pity.
All the characters in the book that I do not mention here have equally important roles to play. By the third part of the book what is left of the story is the suffering and the sacrifice. Trial, condemnation and guillotine. Though I believe the ending could have been a little more about life than death but who am I to complain. I loved the closing lines a little too much, that is what I want when I read a book, to be torn into pieces and tormented.
“It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known.”
This Charles Dickens masterpiece is not my first, and gladly nor will it be my last. A Tale Of Two Cities, the opening lines of the only book that gives me chills. It is a tale of love, resurrection and sacrifice. Set in 1775 following the events that lead to the French Revolution, and its aftermath. Based in two cities London and Paris, Dickens shows the stark contrast between the states of these two cities. The former, quite ordinary and usual while the later, filled with unrest, suspicion, frustration, poverty and oppression. The French Revolution was long in making, “The time was to come, when that wine too would be spilled on the street-stones, and when the stain of it would be red upon many there.” Dickens shows us the darkest outcomes of the revolution. “the "sharp female newly-born, and called La Guillotine," was hardly known to him, or to the generality of people, by name. The frightful deeds that were to be soon done, were probably unimagined at that time in the brains of the doers. How could they have a place in the shadowy conceptions of a gentle mind?” Dickens shows us the horrors people went through after the revolution and during the reign of terror, “Every day, through the stony streets, the tumbrils now jolted heavily, filled with Condemned. Lovely girls; bright women, brown-haired, black-haired, and gray; youths; stalwart men and old; gentle born and peasant born; all red wine for La Guillotine, all daily brought into light from the dark cellars of the loathsome prisons, and carried to her through the streets to slake her devouring thirst. Liberty, equality, fraternity, or death;—the last, much the easiest to bestow, O Guillotine!”
In this historical fiction, a wretched doctor rises from the dead, not literally. His tender daughter, marries a french nobleman. A hopeless lover, Carton, who dies to save her, her child and her husband without saying a word. Madame Defarge the villainess who was determined to exterminate her whole family, she was a woman with absolutely no pity.
All the characters in the book that I do not mention here have equally important roles to play. By the third part of the book what is left of the story is the suffering and the sacrifice. Trial, condemnation and guillotine. Though I believe the ending could have been a little more about life than death but who am I to complain. I loved the closing lines a little too much, that is what I want when I read a book, to be torn into pieces and tormented.
“It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known.”
dark
slow-paced
challenging
emotional
informative
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:
No
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Felt in love for every line of it.
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I read this for my Language Arts class in high school, and figured I'd muddle through it or sparknote it. Instead, the intense symbolism and rich characters, the danger, secrets and sacrifices drew me into a tangled web of love and deceit. The knitting, the blood running in the streets, the parallel and contradicting lives fascinated me. Just about everything in this book was wonderful writing. Not to mention the added benefit of getting context for some of the most famous lines in literary history.
ok so um yeah......
i feel like i wouldve given this book five stars if i didnt have to annotate it all and fill out like twenty questions a night for it....... and all the tests my teacher made us do... no just no
but this book lowkey had me entranced like the storyline was good and all and I loved the lessons dickens is trying to convey..... but again ANNOTATIONS
i feel like i wouldve given this book five stars if i didnt have to annotate it all and fill out like twenty questions a night for it....... and all the tests my teacher made us do... no just no
but this book lowkey had me entranced like the storyline was good and all and I loved the lessons dickens is trying to convey..... but again ANNOTATIONS
Maybe I missed something because I was listening to it while at work, but I thought the book was just ok and I can't figure out why it's a "classic."
bro did not need to say all that
good… but long
and surprisingly good for a level history
good… but long
and surprisingly good for a level history