A Tale of Two Cities

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Leafmachine3
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A Tale of Two Cities

Post by Leafmachine3 »

I remember reading this in my sophmore English class. It was excellent. I loved it. People back in that time period really knew how to write well. I miss reading that masterpiece. It was a lot of fun. I recall that at the end of that school year when I had to give back the book, I was so nostalgic and depressed, seriously. Stories like that are what writing is all about. I would love, absolutely love, to write something that good someday, something that really captures people's hearts and makes them so enthralled that they forget that everything is okay because its just a story, its not real. But you really have to sit down and remind yourself of that fact, or you find yourself losing sleep over it.
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Nathrad Sheare
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Post by Nathrad Sheare »

I want to read this story SO badly. I've been watching a lot of miniseries on BBC based on the works of Charles Dickens and have a renewed interest in the legendary author's work. I'm reading Great Expectations now. I want to read A Tale of Two Cities because, well, it's just SO heartbreaking! Was this your first Dickens novel? Which ones have you read since?
Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things that escape those who only dream at night.

-Edgar Allan Poe
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[Kaytlen]
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Post by [Kaytlen] »

My first Charles Dickens novel was A Christmas Carol. This book made me explore more works by Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities was good, but sometimes I think he used too many words when just one would do. I know he was paid per word and that his works were published in newspapers as series, for the most part, but it can still get tedious. I will never forget the opening line though, "It was the best of time, it was the worst of times..." The scene it lays in just those words is unbelievable.
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Post by shockernot_mc »

My first impression of this book was how lllloooooonnnnnnggggg the opening sentence was. But by the end I was struck at how the first and last sentence (arguably two of the most famous literary lines ever) but served to remind the reader of his/her mortality.
uab_blazer
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Post by uab_blazer »

One of my all time favorites. Even if you hate Dickens' writing style, the plot of this book is just amazing. This is actually the only Dickens novel I've ever read.
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flyingwillow
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Post by flyingwillow »

At first I wasn't that into it, but as the story progressed and I saw what a masterpiece it was I got into it a lot more. I loved the ending so so so much. Great book!
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Post by soccerstar95 »

This is definitely a really good book, although it does drag at some places. However, by the end, it's a really gripping story. My favorite character was Sydney Carton because he was so self-sacrificing. The rest of the characters were pretty static and he was the only one that truly changed and showed that he could be a better person.
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troy_green
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Post by troy_green »

Such a great read! loved A Tale of Two Cities. It was a little slow but after finishing it it was one of my favorite books
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Post by prarich »

A little difficult to read in the initial part, but gets fine later on.
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PashaRu
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Post by PashaRu »

This was my first Dickens novel (many years ago! Since then I've read them all multiple times), and still one of my favorites. Writing against the backdrop of the French Revolution, this is a very compelling story with Hitchcock-like suspense at the end. By the time Dickens wrote this novel, his powers as a writer and storyteller had been well honed, and the intricacy of the story with all its interwoven parts is all here. In his earlier novels, such as Pickwick Papers and The Old Curiosity Shop, Dickens seemed to lack some direction. But everything we have come to expect of Dickens is in ATOTC.

There are really no movie versions that do this novel justice. The story is just too big, sweeping, and complex to translate well to film. And half the enjoyment of Dickens novels is the writing itself, as he was such a master of the English language. Skip the movie and read the book!
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Post by shinjiblue »

This was not my first Dickens but it is my favorite of his books. The language does take some getting used to, particularly if you don't read a lot from that time period, but the story is well worth it. There's so much that happens and the evolution of the characters is captivating.
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articlesofjoy
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Post by articlesofjoy »

I initially read this because it is often mentioned in the Anne Rice vampire series as one of Lestat's favorite books, no lie! So I had to check it out at that time I was a teenager and slightly obsessed with Anne Rice novels. I really liked this book it wasn't one that had me up all night enthralled but I was still able to get through it as a classic the language is something I had to adapt to. And then I went on to read David Copperfield (also mentioned in the Anne Rice series) which I loved.
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Post by David Dawson »

I love Dickens and A Tale of Two Cities isn't amongst my favourites, and I mostly find it a little silly and cynical, but then found myself, at the key moment of self-sacrifice, with tears streaming down my face.
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Alle Wells
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Post by Alle Wells »

Years ago, I became an avid Dickens fan after reading A Tale of Two Cities. It is still my favorite of Dickens' work! The complexity of the mysterious underground network woven (or should I say, knitted?) into the fabric of the French Revolution stands as one of the greatest of spy adventures. Just thinking about it makes me want to read it again!
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CuriousJorgi
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Post by CuriousJorgi »

I had to read this my freshman English class. I loved it, I asked my parents to buy it for me that Christmas. My grandmother (who was British) gave me her "old hardcover" to keep and my grandfather gave paperback for reading over and over to keep the hardcover in good condition.
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