 | A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens Genres: Classic, Historical Fiction |
I have been procrastinating on writing this review. This is one of my all time favorite stories, and I have been trying to define why. Certainly not because of the senseless violence depicted. It is doubtful that it is the historical era that draws me. But I do think perhaps that history does play a role.
A Tale of Two Cities was the first classic that I had been introduced to. I remember my mother had bought me a boxed set of illustrated classics for children when I was just knee high to a grass hopper. Also included in the set, from what I can remember, was Great Expectations, War of the Worlds, and The Man in the Iron Mask. All of these books hold a special place in my heart, more from nostalgia of my childhood, now that I think of it, than the actual quality of the stories.
The primary setting is a small city in France, heavy with unrest and ripe for revolution. The secondary setting is London, England, where a French family has migrated to. Hence the two cities.
Madame Defarge had always been my favorite character. Being a crafty person myself, I had admired the fact that she was ALWAYS knitting, and the details she had included in her designs. They must have really watered down the children's version. As an adult, I fear and pity her.
This is definitely in my top three best books by Dickens, and my family knows they are on their own when I am reading it as it is the original PYOL. All I can say is, read it.
my personal PYOL rating!
As with most classics, this book is within the public domain and available for download as a free ebook on amazon and goodreads.
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