A review by patsmith139
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

5.0

I struggled through the first few chapters. I love Dickens and thought I had finally found a dud. But as things progressed I was sucked in and the final few chapters are some of the most breathtaking and suspenseful I can remember reading. As ever with Dickens, there are some truly memorable characters; Sydney Carton & Madame Defarge stand out, but I also loved Mr Lorry, Jerry Cruncher and Miss Prosse. In many of his novels Dickens gives us a suffering, angelic female and we have one of the most long suffering and angelic of all in A Tale of Two Cities but these ladies are not his forte. Madame Defarge, by contrast, is a masterpiece. Made twisted and bitter by past wrongs she is terrifying in her quest for vengeance. And I think I fell in love with Sydney at the end; I will admit my eyes were slightly damp. I think I will need to read this book again in a few years....