mandiehman 's review for:

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

4.0

---

I put off reading this book for almost a year before I taught it as part of an English 1 class. The first chapters are hard to read, and there are so many different story threads that it didn't capture my attention the first three times I tried to read it. However, by Book the Second I was invested in both the characters and the story, and I can easily understand how this book has become a classic.

My students and I had a lively discussion over whether Charles Dickens overused the "coincidence" to bring his story together. While there are some convenient coincidences, I stand by my assertion that he does it masterfully, unraveling the final moments of the novel to show us how each character got to that point.

This is one I look forward to reading again!