A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens

 

This book has been on my shelf for years as I just haven't be able to motivate myself to read it. With my self assigned deadline for publishing my review, I decided that now would be as a good a time as any to force myself to read it. I have to confess that I found it really hard to read. I have read a couple of Dickens' before and always find that his descriptive is to intense for me. I like my books to be fast paced and interesting. Unfortunately, I get bored easily with any Dickens' books as he does like to describe everything in minute detail. People may like that sort of detail but I do not and I feel as if the plot gets lost. Now you may be thinking: "Why read it in the first place?" Well....... I like to branch out every now and again and stretch myself.  

One thing I always find with Dickens is that he develops his characters completely and I felt like I knew them as he had described them so well. The plot has all the intricate details you would expect and the comparison between London and Paris is immense. His story is one that has been seen through many different sources, a love story entangled with revolution and political issues. But the level of description within the book gives this particular story an edge. In addition, the book can be seen as a historical tool as it provides information on the French monarchy and the French Revolution.  It also ties in well with Dumas' Three Musketeers and even Victor Hugo's Les Misérables.

All in all, the plot was very good and the characters sublime. The only issue I had was the general issue with Dickens' writing style and descriptive. I would still recommend this book to anyone who wishes to try it as it is an easier Dickens' read than some of his other works and a great way to be introduced to the classics.  

What are your thoughts?

Thank you for reading my review

Next book review: "Fantasy Lover - Sherrilyn Kenyon"