Sunday 20 May 2018

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens (My Goodreads)

A Tale of Two Cities

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I had heard the words for the beginning of this book. ‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,’ etc. I had also heard the famous last words too. ‘It is a far better thing I do now…” etc. I did not know anything else about the story except it was written by Charles Dickens and the two cities were London and Paris. Also that it was against the backdrop of the French Revolution.

I downloaded this on Kindle because it was a freebie and I had often wondered about the story. I accept without question that Charles Dickens is the master of characterisation. The books of his that I have read have always been stories of wonderful and colourful characters. This story was no exception. It was dynamic and gripping. I knew the character that would say the famous last lines straight away. As soon as the person began to paint his profile for the reader I knew. Everything about this story was wonderful. People of all social persuasions come together. The rogues were splendid too. One could understand their dissatisfaction and how their ways had been tempered.

Everything built to a dynamic climax as the Reign of Terror is engulfing France. The guillotine is working overtime as the French Revolution is enforcing the genocide of the entire nation’s aristocracy. I can’t recommend the book highly enough. I have not read something that gave me an adrenalin rush like this for a long time. Brilliant!



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