TIL that with over 200 million copies sold, A Tale of Two Cities from Charles Dickens is considered to be the best-selling single-volume book in history.
By Red_Field
I kind of want to date Sydney Carton, and I don’t know why but I’m into him.
Reader discussion: A Tale of Two Cities
Public reader discussion about A Tale of Two Cities in the WeRead Catalog by Charles Dickens.
A tale of two cities, by Charles Dickens with 16 illustrations, can i know if its rare or not?
By hope_cedar
Not really. This is originally from 1859, but it’s clearly a later reprint, and it looks like a ton of copies got put out by different publishers. Also, the binding seems pretty modest, but there are still some noteworthy problems with it.
ELI5 Charles Dickens' A Tale Of Two Cities
By couplet
Idk, but this feels like you’re doing homework.
a tale of two cities by charles dickens
By Mirror_Late
I read *A Tale of Two Cities* my sophomore year of high school and I basically got hooked right away. I was really drawn to how Dickens brings everything to life, especially all the messiness and complicated stuff going on. Sydney Carton really stands out to me—he feels super layered, like he’s ahead of his time or something. His story from start to finish just felt so well put together, and I couldn’t stop paying attention whenever he was in a scene, or even in the little talks he was involved in. I also had a great time discussing it in class. I remember the debates about “Sydney vs Charles” getting really heated, and honestly I still think back on those moments really fondly. I reread it recently and it hit even harder than I remembered. Has anyone else read it in school? What did you think? I know the writing style is pretty polarizing, so I’d love to hear what other people think about that too. I’m in a lit class right now and just want to talk about books I actually cared about.
Lesser-read Dickens
By DMole
Has anyone else tried getting through the essays/sketches all bundled together as *The Uncommercial Traveller* by Dickens? A few bits are okay if I really focus, but then other parts feel less like “hard to read” and more like I’m trying to follow a mindset that just isn’t mine. Like the way he thinks, and even what he pays attention to on the page, is kind of alien—at least to my modern brain. And it’s not only the super tangled sentence structure either; that’s just part of it. Later in the book, it starts to feel especially hard to get a grip on. So… has anyone managed to make sense of it, or even genuinely enjoy it? I do find certain passages I really love, and they totally feel like Dickens at his best, but a lot of it turns into this messy swamp for me.
[Scheduled] A Tale of Two Cities (Book the First)
By shelfEnzyme
Okay, jumping into the first discussion for *A Tale of Two Cities* feels kind of intimidating, not gonna lie. The sentences are kinda dense and the language is older, and I had to read the very first part like… more than once (it definitely went on for a while lol). If you’re also getting stuck on anything specific, Sparks Notes helped me a bit with some of the confusing stuff. The litcharts were useful too. And honestly, thanks to whoever posted the extra stuff in the Marginalia too—really appreciated the pointers. Also shoutout to the people who shared links/questions like the Cock-Lane Ghost thing from the first chapter. I wasn’t really aware of that. Here are my quick thoughts on the chapters so far: **Chapter One:** This chapter throws a lot of metaphor at you to set the mood. Paris and London both don’t exactly sound like a fun place to live in 1775. (Also I can’t believe it’s like 14 years before the French Revolution—time jumps feel wild.) **Chapter Two:** Late Friday night in November and everyone’s basically trudging up this muddy hill because the carriage is too heavy. The horses are struggling and everyone’s suspicious of each other, so there’s not much talking. Then a “stranger” shows up and everyone’s like highwayman?? until it turns out he’s a courier for Tellson’s bank and has a message for Jarvis Lorry. And the chapter ends with Jerry Cruncher saying something about being in trouble if people came back to life, which… yeah, that stuck with me. **Chapter Three:** Secrets everywhere. The narrator is kinda hinting that everyone’s got them, and that weirdly makes the messenger seem important or rich. Jarvis is traveling like he’s got a bigger secret than most, since he’s on his way to dig up a dead body. He keeps imagining/talking to the guy, who’s been buried for 18 years, which is honestly a lot. **Chapter Four:** Lorry arrives at Dover, checks into a hotel, and meets Lucie—who’s the Mam’selle from the message. He tells her the “secret mission” thing, called “Recalled to Life.” She thinks her parents are basically gone, and then she finds out her dad isn’t dead… but he’s in France and doesn’t remember anything after 18 years in prison. They have to get him and bring him out, but they can’t tell anyone. Stressful. **Chapter Five:** Then suddenly we’re on the street and a cask of wine bursts and people are just drinking it from the street like it’s nothing. It stains everything, which feels like a nasty foreshadowing that it might not be red wine causing the stains later. Lorry and Lucie go to the wine-shop where Mr. Manette is being held. He’s locked up and they only “show” him sometimes. Lucie is scared, and Lorry is trying to stay focused on it like it’s just business. They find him making shoes. **Chapter Six:** He’s super feeble now, and he gives his cell number (105 North Tower) when they ask his name, which really drives home how long he’s been trapped. Lucie sparks a memory in him from when she was younger, and he talks about it passionately. And then they decide they should leave for England right away. I also added some questions for discussion, but I’m mostly just curious how everyone’s feeling about the pacing—like, are the metaphors and all the secret stuff working for you, or is it a lot at once? And do you think Lorry’s “mission” is going to get messy fast?
Review: A Tale of Two Cities written by Charles Dickens and narrated by Simon Vance.
By HollowOrbit
I just finished listening to *A Tale of Two Cities* by Charles Dickens, narrated by Simon Vance. It’s set in London and Paris around the time leading up to the French Revolution and then into it. Dickens definitely feels like a writer from his era, but somehow it still reads like it could work today—only this one feels like it takes forever to get going. The dramatic part doesn’t really hit until way late, and I keep thinking no modern publisher would let an author stretch a build-up that long. It opens with a guy involved in business and a young woman finding a man who’s completely broken, basically mentally gone, coming out of Paris. That man is Dr. Manette, and the young woman is Lucie, his daughter. They head back toward London, and along the way they cross paths with Charles Darnay, a French émigré traveling under a false name. And of course, their lives start connecting in ways they really can’t guess at. Simon Vance was excellent. He gets to do so many different voices and characters, and it never felt like he was forcing it. The variety alone is wild, and he makes it all come across. Overall, I’d say it’s an amazing book with an even better narration. The buildup is slow enough that it might feel kind of random at first, but I don’t think it actually is—just takes time. If you stick with it, the payoff feels really satisfying.
A Tale of Two Cities Reading Schedule
By ClearKey7
Here’s the finalized reading schedule for *A Tale of Two Cities*. We’re starting with Book 1, Chapter 1 on Monday, April 15, and we’ll keep going with 5 chapters a week, Monday through Friday. So the last chapter should be on Friday, June 14, and we’ll do the final wrap-up post the next day. Feel free to bookmark the page so it’s easy to grab anytime—there should also be a link to the schedule around the subreddit sidebar. Schedule link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/13ZkN4ycekI26T65o9QlkmiR7cIU4Im5_oSSY1kjXv4o/htmlview#
A Tale of Two Cities: Book the Second Chapter Twenty Discussion -
By Orchid89
I don’t know, but what really stuck with me was how Charles was basically talking smack about Carton right away at dinner. That didn’t feel like “we’re good friends” vibes at all. Also I liked how Lucie stepped in for him here. That line about how their happiness makes them strong but his misery makes him weak—kinda intense, but I get what she’s doing. And honestly, the way it ends with “God bless her for her sweet compassion!” just makes me feel like the narrator really wants you to appreciate her compassion.
I heard Charles Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities" was first serialized in a local newspaper.
By orbit-eagle48
I keep getting the feeling it was the Bicester Times… or maybe the Worcester Times?
Opening paragraph of 'A tale of two cities' feels like it's talking about age of social media and internet.
By cosmicChair98
That first paragraph with all the “best/worst” and “wisdom/foolishness” stuff is kinda mind-blowing, but also slightly ridiculous. And it makes sense that with the internet and social media, everything gets blown up—one minute you run into something super insightful and you’re like “wow,” and the next minute you see something so dumb it honestly makes you question how high (or low) human stupidity goes.
I finished A Tale of Two Cities
By chapter-cricket10
This felt way more bleak and heavy than the other Dickens I’ve read, *Great Expectations*. I really like the whole backdrop and setting of the French Revolution, especially for the main characters—I’m pretty sure it’s Lucie Manette and Charles Darnay. And even though I saw it mentioned (in GK Chesterton’s afterword/intro) that Dickens hadn’t actually been to France, he still manages to get the revolutionary vibe across so well. There’s also a lot of gore going on, both before and after the revolt. It really seems like he ties the whole political situation of both countries together tightly. That said, I still like *Great Expectations* more, mostly because it’s basically Pip’s whole story. And I loved Estelle too—she fit that tsundere-type thing really perfectly.
Stephen King's "The Eyes of the Dragon".
By omnify18
“ The Eyes of the Dragon” by Stephen King is probably the most typical, straightforward fantasy story he’s written—maybe even the most conventional one overall. And yeah, in my opinion it’s genuinely one of the best, most fun stories I’ve read. I just finished it tonight, so it’s pretty fresh. The whole thing is basically about what happens to Delain after King Roland gets murdered. Then his son and the true heir, Peter, gets set up and ends up in prison. From there, you’ve got Flagg behind everything, using Prince Thomas as his helper, but the more you look at it the more you notice little gaps in the plots. Like Thomas has this awful secret that throws everything off. And then there’s Peter’s escape attempt too—pretty bold, considering how trapped he is. King definitely leans hard into classic fairy tale vibes, and you can tell. It’s got the whimsy and wonder you’d expect, but it also gave me some real thrills, with a touch of horror mixed in. And I keep seeing the same kinds of connections I’ve noticed in King’s work with Peter Straub—especially “The Talisman” and “Black House”—and also “The Stand” (which I still haven’t finished), all tying into the Dark Tower stuff. I really need to get into that series. And I need to finish “The Stand,” too.
Dickens isn't particularly long-winded
By SkyBadger
I keep seeing people complain that Dickens is super long-winded, and I’m honestly not sure I buy it. Quick note: I’m not a native English speaker, so I didn’t have to slog through him at school like some folks, and I get that that kind of experience can really ruin the vibe. I just finished *A Tale of Two Cities*, and after reading *A Christmas Carol* and *Great Expectations* before that, I genuinely don’t get where the “he drags everything out” criticism comes from. To me, he feels way more efficient than people give him credit for—and *Great Expectations* in particular hit me as an actual masterpiece. For one thing, his books aren’t even that huge compared to other “classic” names. Like, the big ones people point to are around 140k–180k words for *Tale of Two Cities*, *Great Expectations*, and *Oliver Twist*. Even the bigger stuff like *David Copperfield* and *Bleak House* is around 350k. And he’s also got plenty of shorter stories too. Also, it’s weird when people act like he’s the only one who “pads pages”—tons of other authors do longer doorstoppers, and modern fantasy basically builds plot length into the product. Second, the story focus feels tight to me. Like Sydney Carton is one of the most remembered characters in the book, but he doesn’t really get tons of “screen time.” Dickens doesn’t keep going on and on about his feelings for chapters—Carton is more like… present, moving through things, and you notice him when it matters. When he does show up, it counts. And yeah, he’s “flowery,” but that’s kind of the point. A lot of “just be simple and direct” writing can feel flatter to me, and sometimes the more complex prose is what actually makes the scene work. I’ve felt that Dickens can do in a few paragraphs what other writers take whole chapters to build—like in the “Echoing Footsteps” part, or that young woman at the end of *Tale of Two Cities*. That scaffold dialogue is a good example. The way he writes it, it’s not just “here’s what happens.” It somehow makes her feel real—her mindset, her reactions, all of it—without straight-up telling you everything, and somehow without messing with the POV either. Even the fact that she isn’t named doesn’t bother me; it almost makes it hit harder. I know this will probably be unpopular. I also admit my opinion might be coming from what I’ve been reading lately—lots of super long fantasy that’s dry and direct—but seeing Dickens treat the writing like a painting instead of a checklist really did feel refreshing.
A Tale of Two Cities is really boring. Damn
By AnhangaSun
I’ve been trying to read more classic stuff lately, and I’ve gotten through Dracula and The Count of Monte Cristo (and yeah, that one’s like 5,000 pages), and both of those were way more interesting than A Tale of Two Cities by Dickens. I can read long books just fine, but this one feels genuinely awful so far. Is every Dickens book this boring, or is it just this one? Please tell me, because I really don’t want to waste my time—I'm only on chapter 5.
I don't understand "A Tale of Two Cities" by Charles Dickens.
By ApronFish38
I’ve never really read any Charles Dickens before, and a couple days ago I picked up *A Tale of Two Cities* from my school library and started it. I’m kind of frustrated, but it’s really not the book’s fault so much as mine. I’d heard good things about it and I really wanted to enjoy it. The issue is that the way everything gets described makes it really hard for me to follow what’s going on. I’m only up to page 38 so far, and honestly I’m not even sure if I should keep going.
A Tale of Two Cities: Book the Second Chapter Fourteen
By rhoding8
Ugh. Work totally ate my day and I’m now like three hours behind (still waiting on my own upload to catch up). I’ll do the prompts later—right now I just need to breathe. Anyway, can we talk about the chapter and how ridiculous everything was? I keep wondering—did a fourth suitor pop up? Did M. Manette somehow find out about Stryver and Carton? Also did we get a flashback or more details about the Marqui? Sorry, I’m behind—feel free to discuss without me for a bit.
A Tale of Two Cities is very relevant today.
By Stone_Brown1977
I’m reading A Tale of Two Cities, and it’s kind of hitting me that we’re going through the same kind of breakdown Dickens was talking about. Monseigneur stands out to me because he’s such a clear example of an institution getting so twisted it stops doing what it was meant to do. I kept thinking about our media and how ideological they’ve become, like they’ve drifted so far from reality. They seem to imagine themselves as Madame Defarge, but honestly they’re more like Monseigneur.
"A Tale Of Two Cities" by Charles Dickens is my new favourite book.
By AcarusBrisk
I don’t even know where to start, like—should I just go with the beginning? Sure, I guess that’s the “logical” thing. The whole opening is basically this huge “best of times / worst of times” thing, and it kind of matches the present too, because people kept insisting it was like that in a super exaggerated way. Honestly, I kind of brushed over it at first, but once I hit the next couple chapters I got what it was doing: it’s “best” for the rich and somehow “worst” for the poor at the same time. The story starts with Mr Lorry getting a letter from Jerry. He looks at who it’s from, and then immediately goes back and tells Jerry to pass the message along to his lord: “Recalled to life.” Then Jerry goes back, and Mr Lorry sets up a meeting with Lucie Manette. Lucie already thinks her dad died when she was really little, and she knows her mom died when she was like 2. Mr Lorry tells her her father was imprisoned for 17 (or 18—who knows XD) years, and that she’s needed to bring him back, basically. I never had to read *A Tale of Two Cities* as a kid, and I’m honestly really grateful, because everyone I know who did read it at school hated it as adults. Reading it for real though? It hits different. It’s genuinely one of those “this is art” books to me. My favorite character is Sydney Carton, the one who keeps thinking he’s useless and that he’ll just “sink lower.” He’s also the only one that makes me feel actual pity as I’m reading, and I think that’s why I ended up caring so much. His love declaration to Lucie is honestly one of the best and saddest things I’ve read: “No, Miss Manette; all through it, I have known myself to be quite undeserving…” and then it just keeps going from there, and it’s still brutal. And by the end, yeah—he’s the real hero of the whole thing. I also really loved Lucie and her relationship with her dad. I kept feeling awful for Dr Manette every time he relapsed, and it just feels like it doesn’t stop. If you already have some opinion about the book (or it scares you because school made you read it), I’d say try again. Dickens’ writing can be a bit repetitive and overly dramatic/purple sometimes (like, a lot), but it really does get better. After you get past the first chunk with all the setup—which takes maybe 2 to 3 chapters—it starts improving fast. Thanks for reading.
Struggling through “A tale of two cities.”
By Bright-Teacup
So ever since quarantine kicked off in March, I decided to start reading again. I honestly hadn’t read just for fun since like 7th or 8th grade. I was always that kid dragging a book into a restaurant. Since getting back into it, it’s been really great. I’ve read some topical religious stuff, I read Common Sense by Thomas Paine (and really liked it), and I’ve gone through a bunch of novels, old and new, from different authors. I’ve heard about ATOTC for a long time, and that first line has been quoted at me so many times. I also read A Christmas Story when I was younger and loved that. So when ATOTC got recommended over and over, I naturally bought it and started trying to read it. I’m only on page 123 of 390 in my copy and it’s taken me weeks to get this far. I really want to like this book, but it feels like I’m only getting maybe 15% of what’s going on. Lol. Has anybody else dealt with this? Do I keep going and push through, or should I put it down for a bit? Thanks for any advice!