When Abby issued her
Charles Dickens Reading Challenge at the beginning of this year
A Tale of Two Cities was quickly put at the top of my list. This is the first of the three Dickens novels I'm reading this year.
Plot: In the time of the French Revolution, Charles Darnay has been arrested in England and charged with espionage after being found in possession of secret documents. Darnay is the nephew of a French aristocrat, the Marquis St. Evermonde, but eschews any pretense of aristocracy. His barristers, Mr. Stryver and Sidney Carton, put on an admirable defense and Darnay is acquitted to the great joy of Lucie Manette who has developed affections for him. Lucie herself is French having recently located her father who was found to be alive after spending 18 years in the French Bastille. Lucie has her own admirers, including Sydney Carton who is very much in love with her but she marries Charles Darnay. At the height of the French Revolution honorable Charles Darnay goes back to France to help a family servant which places his life in danger, it will take the help of family and the promise of a true friend to set him free.
Favorite Quotes:
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way..." - opening lines
"When they took a young man [employee]
into Tellson's London house, they hid him somewhere till he was old. They kept him in a dark place, like a cheese, until he had the full Tellson flavour and blue-mould upon him." (About Tellson's Bank in England)
"And what do you suppose, you conceited female," said Mr. Cruncher, with unconscious inconsistency, "that the worth of your
prayers may be? Name the price that you put your
prayers at!"
"They only come from the heart, Jerry. They are worth no more than that." - Mr. & Mrs. Jerry Crucher
"Oh, botheration!" returned Sydney, with a lighter and more good-humoured laugh, "don't you be moral!" - Sydney Carton to Mr. Styver
"It's a gloomy thing, however, to talk about one's own past, with the day breaking." - Sydney Carton
"Sadly, sadly, the sun rose; it rose upon no sadder sight than the man of good abilities and good emotions, incapable of their direct exercise, incapable of his own help and his own happiness, sensible of the blight on him, and resigning himself to let it eat him away." (about Sydney Carton)
"Dear Doctor Manette, I love your daughter fondly, dearly, disinterestedly, devotedly. If ever there were love in the world, I love her." - Charles Darnay
"I am not going to guess, at five o'clock in the morning, with my brains frying and sputtering in my head. If you want me to guess, you must ask me to dinner." - Sydney Carton (I often feel like this, I am so not a morning person! haha)
"As to me - will you never understand that I am incorrigible?" ... "You have no business to be incorrigible," was his friend's answer, delivered in no very soothing tone.
"I have no business to be, at all, that I know of," said Sydney Carton. - Sydney Carton & Mr. Stryver
"O you will let me hold your brave hand, stranger?" - Seamstress (this phrase made me cry more than the ending!)
"I little thought," said Miss Pross, "that I should ever want to understand your nonsensical language..."
"It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known." - Sydney Carton
Favorite Characters:
Lucie Manette - As the heroine of
Tale Lucie is incredibly sweet, caring, earnest and pure like most of Charles Dickens' heroines. I've heard some people complain that her character is rather flat but I found her to be not only sweet but thoughtful, brave, constant and hopeful. My favorite scene for her was when her husband is imprisoned and she goes every day to the jail to stand where he might catch a glimpse of her; she goes rain or shine, not seeing him, not knowing if he's seeing her and she never looses faith. She's an excellent daughter, wife and mother and one of my favorite characters.
Charles Darnay - He may have denounced the nobleman's lifestyle but he does not denounce noble virtues such as gallantry, respect, kindness, honesty and bravery. He's quite heroic, a perfect match for Lucie and very considerate of her father. His proposal is a great model of what all men should consider when they decide to marry. Sometimes I wish he had been a bit of a coward! He's one of my favorite characters and I still consider him the real hero of the story though I'm sure many will disagree with me. I admire his character a great deal as being stronger and purer than Sydney Carton's character.
Sydney Carton - I have a love-hate relationship with Mr. Carton. He's an interesting character with a great sense of humor, he is a good lawyer, a faithful friend and made the ultimate sacrifice because of love. But, when you really evaluate Sydney Carton in light of what a hero should be he falls sadly short of true heroism. His selfish, drunken ways at the beginning of the book aren't so easy to excuse by his heroic deeds at the end of the book. I respect him but can't truly call him hero or my favorite.
Miss Pross - She is Lucie's housekeeper, chaperon and dear friend. As Charles Dickens says "beneath the surface of her eccentricity" she is "one of those unselfish creatures", a true-hearted friend, kind, caring, protective, sensible, brave and fierce to those who try to harm those she loves. Miss Pross might just be my favorite character of the book! Her role towards the end of the book was one of my favorite scenes in the book that made me laugh and cry by turns.
Mr. Lorry - A man of business and a kind friend to Lucie and Dr. Manette. He is considerate, generous, fair and gentlemanly. His character was one of my favorites all through the book because he was always kind and helpful. Towards the end of the book it is confirmed that he is one of the best gentlemen that ever lived!
My Thoughts: This was my first "real" Charles Dickens novel, since I'd only read
A Christmas Carol, so there was such a sense of accomplishment in finishing
A Tale of Two Cities! It took me a bit and there were a few spots that I got a bit lost in the finer details of the French Revolution but overall I really enjoyed the story. Charles Dickens's descriptions of life during that time period paints a clear picture of the poverty of the people, the greed of the aristocracy and great mess the Revolution caused. Friendship and redemption are great themes in the book and the message of Salvation is given in the words repeated several times by Sydney Carton:
"I am the Resurrection and the Life, saith the Lord: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and he that liveth and believeth in me shall never die."
t was lovely getting to know more about Mr. Dickens through reading this book, I'm very glad I read it and would definitely read it again. I also think it really really needs a new film adaptation, something that is accurate and really brings the characters and history to life!
Thank you Abby for issuing the Charles Dickens Reading Challenge! It's been a great encouragement to keep reading and learning more about Mr. Dickens. Thanks also for allowing me to guest post and share about what I've been reading.
Very Truly Yours,
Miss Laurie :)
Miss Laurie is the author of Old-Fashioned Charm where she blogs about Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, classic literature, period dramas, historical figures and "Everything Old-Fashioned Under The Sun!"
