Reviews

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

uncommongrace25's review against another edition

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5.0

Another reread but for school. Dickens is a master. Cried again. Noticed this time how much of his writing is cinematic in presentation. The chapter on the stone gargoyles as the uncle is murdered in his sleep and the lead up and fight between Miss Pross and Madame Defarge stand out in this way. So much to love.

trainisloud's review against another edition

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5.0

Absolutely loved this book. Getting started I wasn't sure, but by the end I was captured. Dickens has a way with the written word.

loritian's review against another edition

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5.0

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..." It has to be the LONGEST sentence in written English! For Dickens, this is an economical novel. I just reread it in one day. A modest length. Limited cast of characters and few subplots. A historical novel. That too is a departure in norm for Dickens. But beautifully written. Highly engaging story. Searches for the humanity amid the horrors.

silentamaya's review against another edition

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4.0

After two months of reading I finally finished 'A Tale of Two Cities.' Although it took me forever to read I did find the book to be enjoyable there were some parts that I found confusing but I managed to understand and get through the book.

shannarou's review against another edition

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5.0

Ahora es cuando recuerdo la importancia de tener una buena traducción. Qué sufrimiento. Heme aquí por el poder de Cassandra Clare, que aunque ahora se halle lejos de mi biblioteca fue quien puso este libro en particular en mi lista de to be read. Si hay libros preciosos son los de la trilogía Los Orígenes, y si hay un amor digno de ser admirado tiene que ser el que comparten sus tres protagonistas.
"I would have chosen death for a chance to tell you the truth Tessa, if I could be assured that death would be my own, and that is why I envied Sydney Carton, for he was free."
Así que cuando se presentó ante mí la esperanza de que pudiese haber más de ese amor en este libro tuve que prometerme leerlo algún día. Mi sorpresa sólo podrán imaginarla cuando me encontré con muchas más diversas y serias cuestiones que el romance y aún así tratadas con tal ligereza que leerlo fue increíblemente fácil.
“Crush humanity out of shape once more, under similar hammers, and it will twist itself into the same tortured forms. Sow the same seeds of rapacious licence and oppression over again, and it will surely yield the same fruit according to its kind.”

Me gustó la historia, ¿los personajes?

SpoilerExtrañamente me cayó mal Darnay desde un principio y con la muerte de Carton terminó de fastidiarme por completo su existencia.
, y en general la escritura, obviamente, pero es sabido ya que Dickens es un genio. Amo cómo derriba todo lo que te dicen que no hay que hacer al escribir: Sus frases son larguísimas, divaga y encontrás mil adjetivos con sus comas en cada página, y eso es lo que a mí verdaderamente me encanta de leerlo. Te transmite todas las emociones pertinentes a la época en la que se sitúa la narración, y te deja el corazón en carne viva, if I'm being honest. Es extraño, porque la "acción" si así se puede llamarla llega tarde dentro de la trama pero la espera es emocionante de leer igualmente. Verdaderamente son historias de muchas personas y muchos lugares, en lugar de sólo una de dos ciudades. Todo está conectado, todo detalle es magistralmente encajado con otros y no hay lugar ni personaje que sea desaprovechado.

“The night wore out, and, as he stood upon the bridge listening to the water as it splashed the river-walls of the Island of Paris, where the picturesque confusion of houses and cathedral shone bright in the light of the moon, the day came coldly, looking like a dead face out of the sky. Then, the night, with the moon and the stars, turned pale and died, and for a little while it seemed as if Creation were delivered over to Death's dominion. But, the glorious sun, rising, seemed to strike those words, that burden of the night, straight and warm to his heart in its long bright rays. And looking along them, with reverently shaded eyes, a bridge of light appeared to span the air between him and the sun, while the river sparkled under it.”
Sobre el final,
Spoilermi lado romántico sí se quedó con las ganas de por lo menos poder leer la reacción de Lucie y los demás pero en especial de Lucie ante el sacrificio de Sydney. Aún así pienso que el final fue precioso, la verdad
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Bella bellísima lectura. Te transporta realmente al lugar y espacio que describe (aunque sí hemos de admitir la parcialidad de Dickens en cuanto a su Madre Patria se refiere) mientras disfrutás de que te cuenten un cuento, como tan magistralmente lo sabe hacer este gran autor.

jkpenny's review against another edition

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3.0

As much as I enjoy a good, sweeping epic novel, I really can't stand the way Dickens writes ladies. The whole angelic heroine with no personality who is basically a duplicate of every other heroine he's written just takes me out of it. I'd read a book all about Madame DeFarge though. In fact, I'd like to write a spinoff book, Madame DeFarge Knits. It would be full of patterns and fun little historical anecdotes about that time she watched so-and-so decapitated by the guillotine. A future best-seller!

sara_reads_things's review against another edition

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DNF 44% Not my cup of tea..

Sara | Book Confessions of an ExBallerina

danielkk's review against another edition

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3.0

I appreciate the story and the history it represents, but so much of the book was snooze inducing that my favorite part was when I finally got to the end. This is the first Dickens book I haven't enjoyed.

eleanorfranzen's review against another edition

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Ok. I changed my mind. It's a great book.

The opening section of A Tale of Two Cities is kind of weird. It starts with a character whose relevance to the plot isn’t at all clear; Dickens conjures atmosphere, in the meteorological sense, as well as ever (all that mist and mud and darkness on the Dover road! All that fear of being robbed by highwaymen! It’s terribly evocative) but, at least in this section, his prose reads more densely than I remembered it. It’s a little like late-period Shakespeare, where about once a paragraph you go “Hang on, what?” and have to trace the twisted syntax back to its start.

Read the rest of the review here: https://ellethinks.wordpress.com/2017/01/19/a-tale-of-two-cities-by-charles-dickens/

smoorin123's review against another edition

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1.0

Hate this fucking book