Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

25 reviews

beckyyreadss's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I decided to read this book because I bought a poster with 100 books to read in your life. This is book twenty-five on the poster. As with most classics, I kind of struggled with this, but I understood the storyline this time.  

After eighteen years as a political prisoner in the Bastille, the ageing Doctor Manette is finally released and reunited with his daughter in England. These are the lives of two very different men, Charles Darnay, an exiled French aristocrat, and Sydney Carton, a disreputable but brilliant English lawyer, becomes enmeshed through their love for Lucie Manette. From the tranquil roads of London, they are drawn against their will to the vengeful, bloodstained streets of Paris at the height of the Reign of Terror, and they soon fall under the lethal shadow of La Guillotine.  

I enjoyed how this book was split into three stories with one side being in France, one being in England and then book three being where all hell breaks loose. I enjoyed the humour and the side characters within this book. They were all so interesting and managed to keep me hooked. Even though it’s got a lot of dark themes, I was also intrigued into the mystery whether the characters were going to survive. The character development between the main characters was another strong point, I went from questioning if these two were even going to be able to get out of the town and by the end they were so badass. I have read two books from Charles Dickens, he seems to have this way of making a journey from start to finish, there was no questions for me to ask, everything was wrapped up in a bow.  

Even though this book was under 300 pages, it felt like it was 900 pages. I am going to assume it’s because of the language and the classic feel to it, but it felt like pulling teeth to get this book finished. Plus, with the obvious political tone and the representation of all female characters being in the kitchen or just staying at home, was driving me nuts but again it was the time when the book was written. 

Overall, I was surprised that I enjoyed this as much as I did due to how I do with classics, however I'm not going to have my hopes up because the next one on the list is Crime and Punishment.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Child death, Confinement, and Mental illness

Minor: Domestic abuse, Rape, and Death of parent

philosopher_kj's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Violence, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, War, and Classism

Moderate: Medical content

Minor: Rape

uselesspirateraven's review against another edition

challenging dark informative sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Gun violence, Violence, Murder, Alcohol, and Classism

Minor: Mental illness, Police brutality, and Death of parent

asourceoffiction's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book is a masterpiece. It was my favourite Dickens when I first read it in 2007, and I'm so glad I picked it up again. The characters are brilliant, the relationships messy, good and evil changing sides and coming from places you wouldn't expect. But despite being one of his heaviest novels emotionally, the classic humour is still there, and doesn't let up at even the bleakest moments. There's also a real sensitivity to mental health for a Victorian novel, in Manette and the way his friends and family support him.

La Guillotine is a spectre that hangs over the final part of the book - a character in herself, devoid of mercy and a constant ominous presence. I see her as an extension of Madame Defarge (who is so complicated, but who I can't help but love in her malevolent knitting righteousness).

The lines are blurred during the Revolution, and what starts as workers' revenge descends into barely justified murder, so you just can't tell whose side you even want to be on by the end. But it's a terrifying example of what brutal class divides can lead to.

This book has one of the greatest endings in literature, as well as some of the greatest opening and closing lines. But I still believe the end is far more complicated than it seems. The tension and emotion are brilliantly built up, and the whole thing lives rent free in my head.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, and Murder

Moderate: Child death and Mental illness

raybiescabies's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Blood, Murder, and Classism

benegesserwitch's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Dementia, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Alcoholism and Classism

Minor: Gore

soph_mills's review against another edition

adventurous emotional tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Confinement, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, and Classism

helenafaustina's review against another edition

challenging dark informative inspiring tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I really enjoyed this! I think it’s underrated, as I’ve always heard that it’s long, slow, and boring, but I found the plot to be really interesting and the characters really awesome. And I love Dickens’s writing, especially with the occasional clever quips and the way he illustrates someone’s character so well.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Gore, Mental illness, Violence, Grief, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Genocide, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Blood, Medical content, Death of parent, and Alcohol

Minor: Cursing, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

Nothing is inappropriate, but should be for a more mature audience, good for high school.

wickedgrumpy's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

At first, the regular repetition of phrases was a bit jarring, but then it grew on me.  There was also a lull in the middle where it dragged but the last third of the book was positively action packed with everything coming to fruition.

Cry count: 2

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, and Classism

millie_eevee's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Drug use, Gore, Mental illness, Violence, Alcohol, and War

Minor: Gun violence