The first book I have ever read on the Kindle, and the first by Charles Dickens that I have ever read! My friend (who has read every single classic known to man, but nothing else apart from Harry Potter and a few vampire books) said that I wasn't a proper Lit student until I'd read him, so I thought I better get a move on...and I absolutely loved this book.
In case you haven't read this particular book (or like me, are new to Dickens...I know...I feel rather embarassed admitting it) it is a historical novel, set in the 1780's - 90's, in the lead up and height of the French Revolution. The narrative is split between England and France, and follows a series of characters whose lives have intermingled - and mingled with the rise of the Revolution - over generations.
In the first part of the novel, (which opens with a delicious description of the turbulent social and political situations on both sides of the channel during the late 18thC) the wrongfully imprisoned Dr Manette is 'recalled to life' after confinement in the Bastille for eighteen years. He is reunited with his daughter Lucie, and goes with her to England to recover, accompanied by her and by Mr. Lorry, a banker and loyal friend. As the book continues, we learn about their life in London - Dr Manette's recovery, and the happy family life they lead. However, the build-up to the Revolution casts a grim shadow, and eventually Lucie's husband Charles makes his way to France in secret, to try and save a faithful servant from the Guillotine...
I loved this book. It took me a while to really get into it, but from the start I was carried along by Dickens' absolutely wondrous descriptions of the turbulent times, and the perfectly-conjured characters. I think perhaps the strength of his descriptive writing was the detail, but also the scope of the writer's view: suitably elaborate scenes of the wealth of the royal court in France, for example, contrasted with emotional, pitiful but unflinching details about the life of the peasantry; the comfortable old 'man of business' Mr Lorry, and the gentle respectability of the Manettes is juxtaposed with the character of Jerry Cruncher, an odd-jobsman who treats his poor wife appallingly, continuously suspecting her of 'flopping'; the character of Sidney Carton encompasses both the pathetic and the heroic. Dickens' pity for the peasantry of countryside and underfed, underprivileged poor of the city is palpable (and obviously informed by the social conditions at the time of writing), and yet the bloodthirstiness of the Revolution itself is recounted sensitively but horrifically. The great strength of the book - along with the lovely language and turn of phrase - is the way that it encompasses absolute opposites, and shows them in a pitying but balanced light.
In terms of the turn of phrase, Dickens writes beautifully, and I loved the touches of humour throughout the book. He writes sharply, critically, observantly, and touchingly. I also really enjoyed reading this on the Kindle. Although the free version that I downloaded had a few typos in it (less than 10, I reckon - not too bad), it was really useful to be able to look up unknown words immediately, without interrupting my reading of the text. I now know what a blunderbuss is, without having to go online or dig out a big fat dictionary.
I loved 'A Tale of Two Cities' so much, I want to read it again straight away, but am forcing myself onto pastures new. I read the final chapter again, however, and it affected me even more the second time. There are several famous quotes from this book that most people will know ('it was the best of times, it was the worst of times...'; 'it is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done...') but reading them in context turned these oft-quoted lines into some of the most emotional I can remember ever having read.
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