A Tale of Two Cities: A Review

 RATING: ⭐⭐⭐

*SPOILERS*

Two cities, and two men caught up in the terrifying events of the French Revolution. In London, French aristocrat Charles Darnay and dissolute English barrister Sydney Carton fall in love with the same woman. Unwillingly drawn to Paris, Darnay faces the revolutionary anarchy of the Terror; Carton, too, his identity entwined with that of his rival, faces his ultimate test in the French capital.

 

Considered by Dickens to be ‘the best story I have written’, A Tale of Two Cities is a powerful portrait of tumult and change for individuals, as well as for the course of history. 

 

 

A Tale of Two Cities is an 1859 historical novel by Charles Dickens. It is set in London and Paris, before and during the French Revolution. The story follows French Doctor Manette, his 18-year-long imprisonment in the Bastille and his release to live in London with his daughter Lucie, who was born after his imprisonment. Previous to his move to London but after his imprisonment, the Doctor lived in the Defarges’ wine-shop and was suffering from his time in the Bastille. Following their move to London, Lucie attracts the attention of French aristocrat Charles Darnay and English barrister Sydney Carton, as well as Mr. Stryver, Carton’s colleague. Despite all of them making attempts to win her heart, Lucie favours Darnay and marries. Shortly afterward, Sydney Carton declares to Lucie that he loves her and will do anything for her or anyone whom she loves. 

No one knows that Charles Darnay is a French nobleman who has renounced his title apart from Doctor Manette. In France, his uncle has been murdered for crimes against the French people and Darnay is next in line to inherit the aristocratic title. Charles Darnay receives a letter from one of his uncle’s servants who has been imprisoned and he returns to Paris to free him. Upon his arrival in France, he is arrested as for being a nobleman and an emigrant, and subsequently thrown into jail. Doctor Manette, Lucie, and her child follow Darnay to Pairs. While there, the Doctor is able to use his power as a former Bastille prisoner among the revolutionaries to free Darnay. However, the Defarges ensure that Darnay is charged yet again with a crime and this time the Doctor is unable to use his power after an old letter of his is used to denounce Charles’ family. The letter recounts the time that Manette was imprisoned by Darnay’s family for having witness their sexual assault of a peasant girl and the murder of her brother. Charles Darnay is brought back to prison and sentenced to death for his family’s crimes. 

Sydney Carton has also travelled to Paris due to his undying love for Lucie and resolves to sacrifice himself to save her husband. Carton arranges for the Doctor and his family to leave for London after discovering that the Defarges are planning on killing Lucie and her daughter, as Madame Defarge is the sister of the peasant family ruined by Darnay’s family. Sydney Carton manages to get into Darnay’s prison cell where he exchanges places with him. The Doctor and his family return safely to London with the now-released Darnay, while Sydney Carton dies in Charles’ place at the guillotine, satisfied that his good deed has saved his love’s family.

 

The opening lines of A Tale of Two Cities are perhaps some of the most famous opening lines. I used them as my yearbook quote when I left high school and they can be used to describe various other points in history:

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”

The lines are instantly recognisable and perfectly encapsulate the plot of the novel. I found myself empathising with the characters at various points throughout the book and disagreeing with their actions too. The introduction of characters known only by nicknames adds to the suspense of the novel taking place during the French Revolution and the dangers of Darnay returning to Paris, and The Defarges as the antagonists in the book comes as a surprise and their hatred for the aristocrats at the time represents the feelings of the revolutionaries. Madame Defarge is the primary antagonist and is a cold-blooded woman throughout the book, with the story slowly revealing why she is so intent on bringing down Charles Darnay’s family. The story also discusses the various relationships between the characters, capturing the love between a father and daughter, newly-weds, unrequited love, parental figures, and many more. I did enjoy the book and the plot, but I did struggle with the language and writing style used. I think this is mainly due to the fact that it has been a while since I’ve read a classics book, and it’s not like when I was in high school and reading similar writing styles every day in English class. I always take longer to read classic books and this one was no different, with me taking just under a month to read it. I love to read the classics and plan to read more in the future, hopefully more by Charles Dickens and hopefully a bit quicker. 

 

Overall, I do recommend this book to others as it is a really good book, with it ranking 63^rd in 2003 on the BBC’s The Big Read poll. The ending was surprisingly sad but also heart-warming at the same time. The characters were interesting, and you could understand why everyone was doing what they were, even the villains of the story – their actions make sense based on their past and experiences. The book is iconic and has had such a massive influence on popular culture and continues to. It was a tough read, but I did really like it. And I did have a little cry at the end. 

Until next time, I’ll continue reading with wanderlust. 

📚🧳✈️🗺