Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by radicalmaniacal7
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
5.0
I thought this was a very good book; amazingly written and it’s obvious why the opening paragraph has become so famous.
The “revolution commentary” that Dickens has written about, is important. Any revolution that wants to enact social change, should make sure to avoid becoming what they revolted against. Otherwise, suffering continues and the point of revolution is nullified.
I read the Wordsworth Classic edition, and other than poor citations where the page numbers don’t line up to the actual quotes (and how Peter Merchant is not the author of the book, even though Good Reads for some reason says he is: he wrote the introduction.) the introduction by Peter Merchant was insightful: I noticed the religious themes throughout the book, but didn’t think much of it. But when he talks about how Dickens felt that England was following a similar path to France, and that the one way to save England from the same fate is to not forget the cross/religion; that was strange to me. Especially since Charles Darwin had published The Origin of Species only two days before this was said to have been published. It’s unlikely it had any impact on what Dickens was writing, especially if it truly was published only two days before, but it is a coincidence.
From how I read the book, religion was an important aspect, but didn’t seem to be a driving force. It seemed more like a supportive outlook for characters who were suffering.
Definitely a good book, and I will definitely read it again. It’s the kind of book that almost demands another reading.
The “revolution commentary” that Dickens has written about, is important. Any revolution that wants to enact social change, should make sure to avoid becoming what they revolted against. Otherwise, suffering continues and the point of revolution is nullified.
I read the Wordsworth Classic edition, and other than poor citations where the page numbers don’t line up to the actual quotes (and how Peter Merchant is not the author of the book, even though Good Reads for some reason says he is: he wrote the introduction.) the introduction by Peter Merchant was insightful: I noticed the religious themes throughout the book, but didn’t think much of it. But when he talks about how Dickens felt that England was following a similar path to France, and that the one way to save England from the same fate is to not forget the cross/religion; that was strange to me. Especially since Charles Darwin had published The Origin of Species only two days before this was said to have been published. It’s unlikely it had any impact on what Dickens was writing, especially if it truly was published only two days before, but it is a coincidence.
From how I read the book, religion was an important aspect, but didn’t seem to be a driving force. It seemed more like a supportive outlook for characters who were suffering.
Definitely a good book, and I will definitely read it again. It’s the kind of book that almost demands another reading.