When I think of classic literature one of the first books that comes to mind is A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. I read this book as a teenager and credit it as one of the books that piqued my interest in the French Revolution. Now many years later I returned to this book to read it again to see if it was still as good as I remembered it being.
Dickens begins the book with one of the most recognizable lines in literature “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” The story is set against the backdrop of the French Revolution, although it begins much earlier in 1775 when we are introduced to Mr. Jarvis Lorry an employee of Tellson’s Bank a self described “man of business.”
Mr. Lorry meets with Miss Manette to tell her that her father whom she has never met, because she was told he had died, is alive and has been released from a wrongful imprisonment in France. Mr. Lorry accompanies Miss Manette to France to reunite her with her father and bring them both back to England.
Dickens does a good job of weaving English and French characters throughout the novel. There is a good cast of characters that make the book enjoyable. He does a great job of illustrating the actions of those who are gripped by the depths of love and hate.
Overall Dickens writes a compelling story that had my attention until the end. I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars.
“And if a beachhead of cooperation may push back the jungle of suspicion, let both sides join in creating a new endeavor, not a new balance of power, but a new world of law, where the strong are just and the weak secure and the peace preserved.”
John F Kennedy
