Reviews tagging 'Murder'

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, George Woodcock

27 reviews

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

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Content Warnings

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

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

crocoduck's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative mysterious slow-paced

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

3.5

This book is a classic for a reason. It's undeniably brilliant in its storytelling, atmosphere, and prose. However, I found it quite hard to get through at times due to the pace and writing style. It's amazing once you finish, but it can be boring and even frustrating at times throughout. I actually fell asleep mulitple times while reading/listening.  It's good, but I don't feel the need to ever read it again.

I found the "love triangle" to be very boring. I understand its function in the text, but whenever it made an appearance I rolled my eyes. Lucie is such a nothing character. Charles irritates me. Really, the only characters that interested me were Ms. Defarge and Sydney Carton. They were the best things about this book, and both of them died, of course (not a criticism, but still).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism

Moderate: Murder and War

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.

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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

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Content Warnings

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

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

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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.

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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

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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

beth_m_house's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad slow-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

It was one of the more difficult books I've read in terms of the vast disregard for human life and some of the references were from an age that I am not familiar so I had to use cliff notes, especially in the beginning. The book was slow paced for me up until I got quite involved with the love story of the main couple.  It really picked up in Book 3.  I love the show down in Chapter 14 of Book three -- well worth the 460 pages leading up to it. Overall I liked it though it a difficult read.  It was my first Dickens novel and I'm glad I read it. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Genocide, and Murder

hrubelle's review against another edition

2.5

The ending to this book was insane, and I think the story is good (after reading a summary). However, This book was SO hard to get through. The way it was written made the book very tough to follow along with. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship and Murder

ayphyx's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

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