A Tale of Two Cities (Barnes & Noble Classics Series)

By Charles Dickens and Gillen D'Arcy Wood

A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens, is part of the Barnes & Noble Classics series, which offers quality editions at affordable prices to the student and the general reader, including new scholarship, thoughtful design, and pages of carefully crafted extras. Here are some of the remarkable features of Barnes & Noble Classics:

• New introductions commissioned from today's top writers and scholars
• Biographies of the authors
• Chronologies of contemporary historical, biographical, and cultural events
• Footnotes and endnotes
• Selective discussions of imitations, parodies, poems, books, plays, paintings, operas, statuary, and films inspired by the work
• Comments by other famous authors
• Study questions to challenge the reader's viewpoints and expectations
• Bibliographies for further reading
• Indices & Glossaries, when appropriate

All editions are beautifully designed and are printed to superior specifications; some include illustrations of historical interest. Barnes & Noble Classics pulls together a constellation of influences—biographical, historical, and literary—to enrich each reader's understanding of these enduring works.   “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times . . .” With these famous words, Charles Dickens plunges the reader into one of history’s most explosive eras—the French Revolution. From the storming of the Bastille to the relentless drop of the guillotine, Dickens vividly captures the terror and upheaval of that tumultuous period. At the center is the novel’s hero, Sydney Carton, a lazy, alcoholic attorney who, inspired by a woman, makes the supreme sacrifice on the bloodstained streets of Paris.

One of Dickens’s most exciting novels, A Tale of Two Cities is a stirring classic of love, revenge, and resurrection.

Gillen D’Arcy Wood received his Ph.D in English from Columbia University in 2000 and is currently an assistant professor at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He is the author of The Shock of the Real: Romanticism and Visual Culture, 1760–1860.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Barnes & Noble Classics
• Release date: Jun 1, 2009
• ISBN: 9781411433236

Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens (1812-1870) was an English author and social reformer. He is widely considered the greatest Victorian novelist, having written such classics as Great Expectations, A Tale of Two Cities, A Christmas Carol, and Oliver Twist. Aside from his novels, he also wrote short stories, nonfiction, poetry, plays, and countless letters.

Reviews for A Tale of Two Cities (Barnes & Noble Classics Series)

[eraderneely · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Suuuuuper glad I read this as an adult. I'm sure I appreciated it a lot more than I would have at 15. Not sure if it was reading via audiobook (Dickens' writing is incredibly lyrical), but I really enjoyed this book.

[paperpuss · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

over rated

[comfypants · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The French Revolution takes an interest in a family of expatriates.2/4 (Indifferent).There are some good characters (and also some terrible ones who exist purely to be noble or evil). About half the book is spent dwelling on Big Important Historical Tragedy in a way that guarantees the book is regarded as a Big Important Historical Work. A Tale of Two Cities is to Charles Dickens what Schindler's List is to Steven Spielberg.

[asukak_8 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is very exciting story!This story is written about the French Revolution.I was really enjoy and I can understand so well because I studied French history.

[vans1_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This story is not a true story,but is grounded on the French Revolution.I like western history,so it was very interesting.The last is quite unexpected result.I recommend you to try this book!And one problem,there are many characters.At first,it was difficult to remember their names and the relationships:)

[mika6s · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I like history, so I was interested in this book. Though this story is fiction, the last part of this book was really barbarous. They could live in such a time because there was a true love. I was moved by the beauty of people's mind.

[tomohiro9n · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The very last scene was moving. Inearly cried.

[sawdy1976 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book inspired me to read the classics, after finding that I couldn't answer a question on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire; namely, what are the two cities in this book. Go read it and find out, its an absolute gem

[hermione2_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved this classic, and am sorry I didn't read it well during high school. His characters are lovingly created and poignant. The picture of the French revolution is bleak and expresses the horror of mass uprisings and the base human desire for power.

[figre · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The older the book, the greater the challenge of working through the language in order to grasp the heart of the story. At some point, age causes English to become a foreign language that requires an interpreter (think Canterbury Tales.) So, why do we force ourselves through the mental gymnastics required to get to that heart? Because the good stories still resonate in a way that makes us recognize the characters (no matter how far they may exist from our current reality – in ways, making the required thought processes closer to that needed for science fiction [Jupiter is as alien as the French Revolution] than mainstream fiction) and makes us think about our current conditions in new ways.Such is the case with the classic, A Tale of Two Cities. Plot synopses and character descriptions you can find anywhere. Suffice to say that, once the reader gets used to the rhythms and writings of 18th Century English, the characters, the atmosphere, and the plot bring the French Revolution to life. (The Afterword of this edition makes the point that much of our understanding and belief of what occurred in the French Revolution comes from this book. In other words, the novel does even more than bring this historic event to life; it becomes the touch point for how we think about that historic event.)And all this supports why we go back to the classics. As I began reading, I found myself drawing parallels to the very worst potentials for the Religious Right – a focus on religion and politics that causes those in charge to lose focus on the needs of the people. I don’t think that parallel matches well; I don’t think there is necessarily a widespread corruption of religious leaders so rampant as to cause the destruction of our republic. However, I think it is important to consider the potential parallels, as remote as they may be. It is only by recognizing the potential for the worst to occur (the French Revolution) that we can prepare to defend against it. As I came to the end of the book, I found myself reminded much more strongly of the McCarthy hearings. And, once again, the book serves as a warning about how people, with the best of intentions, react in damaging ways. Whether you agree with my assessment is not important (your interpretations may differ), and I do not mean for this review to be a political discussion, but I do mean for it to be a prompting to go back to the classics and learn what they have to say. A Tale of Two Cities has a lot to say and everyone should listen.

[jonfaith · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It was my first Dickens, it was not my last. It was summer in Chicago and I was surrounded by lovely albeit unruly children. Oh dear, it was a struggle at times, watching three kids while my wife and their mother were in the city. Still I finished the novel over a long afternoon without drugging my charges.

It is a story of sacrifice, maybe of redemption. I felt for everyone, zealots and drunkards alike. The concluding scaffold scene engendered tears, it has to be admitted. Is there a better novel about the French Revolution, its aspirations and its contradictions?

[kendrarenee · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I genuinely liked this book. Fast read for a classic. Dickens had me so convinced that it was going to end badly, that I hated the entire first 3/4 of the book, and then laid it down for awhile because I was sick and thought that reading the conclusion would make me feel worse. Obviously I was anticipating a bad ending. But he came through with a spectacular hero's ending, making one of the least noteworthy characters into the saving grace of the whole story. Happy endings are good. Well done. ...Oh, and wait til you hear what happens to Madame Defarge. So gratifying. Good guys prevail!!!

[jayde1599_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Synopsis: A mix of characters live their lives in different ways in London and Paris in the years leading up to the French Revolution. The story focuses on the reign of terror and the mob mentality that accelerated it. The book follows a cast of characters including eagle eye Madame Defarge and her husband, a wine shop owner. The Defarges are leaders in the revolution in their town. Contrasting the darkness that follows the Defarges, is the story of golden, Lucie Manette, reunited with her father, Doctor Manette after 18 years of his imprisonment in the Bastille. Dr. Manette is driven mad, but in a moment of clarity helps Lucie's husband Charles Darnay years later. Miss Pross, Lucie's lifelong servant, Mr. Lorry, an elderly businessman, and Sydney Carton, a drunk attorney are three other memorable characters that also help to save Darnay from the bloody guillotine. Pros and Cons: Despite knowing the famous first sentence of this novel for years, this is the first time that I have read it. I thoroughly enjoyed it, even struggling through the first half. What I found hard to read are the sentences and phrases that Dickens repeats throughout the book. In the forward, I found out that the book was published in installments, so I guess this makes sense. Also, I had trouble keeping up with time frame and minor character names. These are minor complaints to the story as a whole. The dark mood is present right from the beginning and he describes the mob mentality pushing fear and terror into all citizens. No one was safe from the guillotine!

[cyderry · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Dickens style of comparing the opposites is the theme throughout this classic. His contrasts of the "best "and "worst "of times, "Light "and "Darkness, "and "hope "and "despair" mirror good and evil that will persist throughout the novel in characters and situations. Resurrection of the physical person of Dr. Manette and the spiritual of Sydney Carton by his personal sacrifice reflect this as well.The full story runs a little slow for me but as Classic go IMHO, it is better than most.

[technodiabla · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I am not sure what I can add given the extensive literary critique available on A Tale of Two Cities, so I'll try a modern perspective. Of course this is one of the finest literary works ever, not to mention historically important, but how does it read today? I have to say I found it a bit melodramatic-- both the writing style and the plot. At times, almost laughably so. However, Dickens makes it work somehow and you read to the end to find out what happens even though it's fairly obvious what's going to happen. It was more accessible than his other novels and I think everyone should read this book, but it is showing it's age-- no writer today could get away with such an overblown style.

[isteven_4 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the first book I read by Dickens, and I am definitely glad that I did because after reading this book I want to read more Dickens. It was great to finally read the opening lines of the book, after listening to people quote it all my life. It was a little difficult for me to get into the book, but about half way through it started getting very interesting and exciting. I loved that Dickens had two stories going on in the book and how they connected and inertwined. Tale of Two Cities is definitely a book that I will read many times in the future.

[littlered22 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is an amazing book! It has lots of twists and turns, love and drama, leading up to the French Revolution. Like the first line says, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." I loved it because of all the surprises and it keeps you guessing at whats going to happen next!

[thefink_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a great story; artfully crafted, beautiful imagery, powerful emotions. It is a tragedy that Dickens never knew that he would touch so many, but such is the life of the unknown artist. I was drawn (as many are) to Sydney Carton, the embodiment of tragedy and beauty. I also listened to the audio book read by Frank Muller. I thought the story couldn't be more moving until it was performed by an extraordinary vocal actor.

[paiger1979 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of my favorite classics!

[lynnb_64 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What can I possibly add to all the reviews already posted here? This is one of my favourite books. It is truly memorable, a great story, amazing writing, unforgettable characters. What more could any reader want?

[psychomk1_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Melodrama with a healthy heaping of social satire.

[ilovethebooks · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is another one of my favorite classics.

[mkhongms_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The love story was a little flat for me.

[wktarin · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Great ending to an otherwise detached plot.

[pepys_3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I waited much too long—two months—to write this review, so that it's difficult for me to put things together. What subsists is only the flavour of the book. But finally, isn'it the most important?I found difficulties to enter the story, and I suspect I'm not the only one who noted the incredibly slow pace of, say, the first half of the book. One really needs to know that Dickens first published it in episodes in a newspaper to understand why he keeps to phrases like "in the year seventeen-hundred-and-eighty-nine"—just to make one more line, at least it seems to me.Then, everything precipitates, collapses, rushes in a tremendous pursuit up to the end. Being French, I thought I would appreciate the atmosphere of the French revolution in Paris at the time of the Terreur. Dickens is rather deceptive on this point. The revolutionary Paris he depicts is just fake, and one doesn't believe even a second in the bloody events his imagination reports. But anyway, the story is there, Dickensian and unbelievable as it should be. I owe that I read the last pages much quicker than the first. I've only read three of Dickens's novels up to now. I continue to put David Copperfield first, then A Tale of Two Cities, and Great Expectations in third position.

[kaz2_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is the novel that the author had written about the London and Paris before and after France revolution.It is mainlu written about the difference between the aristcrats and the civils.The vocabulary is not difficult,but the relationships of chractersare complex,at first,it is thought that you are hard to underdstand.

[darcy36 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Amazing book! It gets better every time I read it!

[krista.rutherford · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Charles Dickens created a vivid picture of the chaos and massive bloodshed of the French Revolution in this book. Most of the characters basically possess one main characteristic (a remarkable physical feature, odd habit, catchphrase, personality trait, etc.) with the exception of the lawyer Sydney Carton who had a personality several layers deep. The awesomely grim vision of La Guillotine just makes you hate the thing, which you might as well.

[writercity · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The best part of the book can be summed up with two words: Sydney Carton. Immediately he seemed like he'd be the most disappointing, useless character in the whole story but that soon changed by the ending. His lines were the best and beautiful. All the other characters, except maybe Lucy and her husband and child, seemed to fill space in the heinous way of the Revolution.

[kraysaulis · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Beautiful plotline. Beautiful descriptive paragraphs.

Way too long of a read for me. I like my books to flow quickly. Beautiful book for anyone with patience. I'm glad I can say I've read it, but I don't want to put myself through that again!