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A Tale of Two Cities

3.6(88)
Language
English
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About the book

Explore Dickens’ classic tale of order and disorder, death and resurrection with A Tale of Two Cities.

Taking place in London and Paris in the eighteenth century, in the years leading up to and during the French Revolution, Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities is one of injustice, revenge, rebirth, love, and sacrifice.

Originally published in thirty-one weekly installments in 1859, this novel is uncharacteristic for Dickens as it lacks comic relief, as well as a protagonist, though London and Paris are considered to be the true protagonists of the story. The turbulence found in this epic tale is also believed to reflect the turmoil in Dickens’ personal life at the time.

Complete and unabridged, A Tale of Two Cities is an essential collectible that features an introduction by English literature scholar Brian Bartell and a timeline of the life and times of Charles Dickens.

Essential volumes for the shelves of every classic literature lover, the Chartwell Classics series includes beautifully presented works and collections from some of the most important authors in literary history. Chartwell Classics are the editions of choice for the most discerning literature buffs.
 
Other titles in the Chartwell Classics Series include: Complete Fiction of H.P. Lovecraft; Complete Grimm’s Fairy Tales; Complete Novels of Jane Austen; Complete Sherlock Holme; Complete Tales & Poems of Edgar Allen Poe; Complete Works of William Shakespeare; Divine Comedy; Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Other Tales;The Essential Tales of H.P. Lovecraft; The Federalist Papers; The Inferno; The Call of the Wild and White Fang; Moby Dick; The Odyssey; Pride and Prejudice; The Essential Grimm’s Fairy Tales; Emma; The Great Gatsby; The Secret Garden; Anne of Green Gables; The Essential Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe; The Phantom of the Opera; The Communist Manifesto and Das Kapital; Republic; Frankenstein; Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea; The Picture of Dorian Gray; Meditations; Wuthering Heights; Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass; Beowulf; The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Stories; Adventures of Huckleberry Finn; Little Women
 

Editions (30)

ISBN9780785839835
PublisherQuarto Publishing Plc IWUK
Publication Date12/07/21
Pages424

Reviews & Ratings

88 ratings

9 reviews

3.6

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  • lulia197
    lulia197

    86 Followers

    4.0

    Definitiv ein Klassiker! Ohne die Wikipedia-Inhaltsangabe hätte ich den Inhalt aber auch einfach nicht gerafft 😅 Ich musste nach jedem Kapitel nachlesen, ob ich das denn alles auch richtig verstanden habe. Inhaltlich genau mein Geschmack: Intrigen, menschliche Verwirrungen und Verirrungen, Tragik und ein dramatisches Ende. Ich bereue es auf keinen Fall!

    Feb 5, 2026

  • resisdreams
    resisdreams

    79 Followers

    5.0

    Für mich die düsterste Geschichte, die ich von Charles Dickens gelesen habe.

    Bis zur Hälfte des Buches war ich verwirrt. Es kamen viele Personen vor, und der Wechsel der Orte war für mich nicht immer ersichtlich. Doch dann ergab alles Sinn. Der Schluss war für mich ausschlaggebend für die Bewertung. Insgesamt finde ich, dass es ihm auch gut gelungen ist, die Stimmung der Zeit einzufangen.

    Für mich die düsterste Geschichte, die ich von Charles Dickens gelesen habe.

    Oct 30, 2025

  • sarinareads
    sarinareads

    6 Followers

    4.5

    This impressed me above all through its language. The plot itself is not particularly fast-paced; events do not unfold one after another in rapid succession, and even the most dramatic turning points are rarely presented as abrupt ruptures. Instead, it becomes a genuine page-turner because of the voice of its narrator. Through poetic and philosophically existential reflections, Dickens creates an overwhelmingly tense and unsettling atmosphere that sustains the suspense. These passages never feel excessive or pretentious; they are simply beautifully written. I also deeply admire how Dickens handles the central motif of fate. It is embodied in Madame Defarge’s knitting, through which she records the revolution and the people involved in it. Her knitting is at once a diegetic element and a metaphorical thread of fate, blurring the boundaries between narrative reality and symbolism because she obviously records individual people’s fate in her knitting. Equally impressive is Dickens’ treatment of duality. As the title itself promises, the novel constantly reflects on oppositions without ever reducing them to simplistic binaries. This is perhaps best exemplified by Charles Darnay and Sydney Carton. They are counterparts and two sides of the same coin, yet not in terms of good and evil. Carton is shaped by disappointment, melancholy, and a sense of wasted potential, whereas Darnay’s life appears marked by fortune and fulfilment. A lesser novel might have turned Carton into a resentful rival seeking redemption only after committing wrongs. Instead, both men remain fundamentally good people. Their contrasting life paths reinforce the novel’s exploration of fate, inheritance, self-reinvention, and metaphorical rebirth. Dickens weaves all of these themes and more together with remarkable subtlety and depth. A stunning novel!

    Jun 16, 2026

3 of 9 reviews

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