Rating: 
Summary: Unforgettable
Review: If you first read A TALE OF TWO CITIES for school when you're a freshman in high school, as I did, you might be a little blown away by the heavy structure, and long, drawn-out sentences in the first couple of chapters. Do not be fooled into thinking this is over your head! You may be a little baffled at first, but keep reading. You'll get used to Dickens's elevated language and style, and you're likely to even come to appreciate these things as I did.
This is as brilliant a classic as ever you will find. The characters are simply unforgettable. At the top of the list: the lawyer Sidney Carton, an alcoholic buried in his hatred of himself and in an incurable masochism. But he has a kinder heart than he knows to admit, and the story of his self-redemption is the most heart-breaking but touching aspect of the book. I'll admit it, I disliked him at first; he wasn't "manly" enough for me when he started crying out all his sorrows to Lucie Mannette. But he is much more than this, and by the time he gave his parting words, "It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done . . ." he had become one of my all-time favorite literary characters.
Besides Carton, there are Darnay, his look-alike, and the "golden-haired doll," Lucie Mannette. Both these characters may seem too utterly good for our modern comprehension, but Lucie particularly was meant to enchant Dickens's audience in the Victorian era, and she surely was a success in that. But for the modern reading of this book, she and Charles Darnay -- and she in particular -- should be viewed as icons, symbols of absolute good that are necessary for the story.
And then there are the comic figures of the story: Jerry Cruncher and Miss Pross, who steal our hearts with their laughable personalities. There is Doctor Manette, a man whose haunting past imprisonment will be the mystery of the novel. And Madame Defarge is a woman to remember, she being the absolute evil to contrast with Lucie Mannette's goodness. She is ruthless, cold-hearted woman, who will stop at nothing to have her vengeance and to see the destruction of Darnay.
This is a story of the French Revolution, brilliantly told, as Dickens carves out a thrilling plot with skill and experience. Dickens masters the literary devices of irony, symbolism, and foreshadowing, among others, as splendidly as any other examples I have read. His work is among the best. For me, his superb description of that terrible time led to a fascination with the French Revolution.
This is a story of the horrible political realties of the late eighteenth century, both in England and in France. People on trial do not seem to have the presumed innocence we know today. And the truly innocent Darnay, who is tried for treasonous offences in both England and in France, seems on three separate occasions to be doomed. We first see the horrible blood-thirsty courtroom in which Darnay is tried in England. Later, we find the revolutionary France screaming for the blood of any aristocrat -- guilty or not.
A TALE OF TWO CITIES has a little bit of everying: history, mystery, politics, heroism, and romance even. And with all these aspects, represented in other books before it and after it, A TALE OF TWO CITIES adds a brilliant twist. The true hero will indeed be he who is perhaps the least promising character.
Rating:
Summary: Dickens at his best
Review: This is a completely different style of writing from Charles Dickens. The sentences are a bit long and complex and may require rereading, but it is all worth it. The symbolism used is simply marvelous! The discriptions in the story are very, very dramatic and full of color. Not only that, but the characters are also great and very detailed. The pieces all fit together in the end and everything is put in its place. Another good thing about this book is the ending and the beginning. A couple of places actually made me cry because they were so touching. Lucie can annoyingly good, but the other characters make up for it. Miss Pross is one of my favorites, especially at the end. Darnay seems to be a shady character at first, but then everyone ends up falling in love with him. A great book!
Rating:
Summary: My favorite classic
Review: This novel is the standard by which I measure all English literature classics by. It was absolutely captivating. I admit it was long and the furst few chapters seemed slow, but as the story got going the book was hard to put down. Dickens' characters really come to life. He has exceptional powers of description; whether the scene is London or Paris, the city comes to life. I felt like I was right there in the thick of things. I know from my history classes that Dickens didn't quite get the historical details all totallly right, but there's something to be said for dramatic license. He's more interested in the complex relationships, the themes of love, sacrifice, and morality. It's interesting how neither the aristocracy or the revolutionaries are necessarily shown as clear cut "good guys" - the characters have a greyness, an ambiguity, that makes the book fascinating.
Rating:
Summary: dickens is a master writer
Review: this book is the most remarkable infusion of brilliant prose and wonderful story telling. It is rare for a writer to be so skilled at being poetic with his style and intrinsic with his story development. Dickens does it better than anyone else and i am looking forward to reading more from him.
Rating:
Summary: The Personal Side of the French Revolution
Review: I loved the romatic side of this classic. I would reccomend it to anyone. If you have a chance to read it, do just that!!! The characters come alive and the adventure and love balance is just right.
Rating: 
Summary: Tale of two cities review
Review: This story starts off with a paradox comparing the lives of the peasants and nobles. The main characters are: Mr. Lorry, a bank owner, Dr. Mannette, an ex-prison mate, Lucy Mannette, the daughter of Dr. Mannette, Charles Darnay, who looks like Sydney Carton and is in love with Lucy, Sydney who is a drunk and loves Lucy but isn't right for her, and the Monsigneur, a wealthy noble who hates peasants.Mr. Lorry tells Lucy that her father is in prison. When he is freed after eighteen years he find s that he has lost his memory, his name and his life. Lucy helps him get back on his feet and they help the cause of the French Revolution. The Monsigneur was one of the focal points of the revolution because the peasants wanted to kill him. He was the protector of the nobles, he was the nobles. The book tells about the conflict of the aristocrats and the peasants and the revolt that happened. I think the book starts out slow and then the action builds up when the people start to revolt. It is a very complex novel and in my preference is too complex for my liking. Other people who have read more books and have more experience probably love the book. You have to keep track of the characters to follow the plot.
Rating:
Summary: A Masterpiece
Review: This is among the best fiction Dickens ever created. The setting is vivid (some say too vivid and detailed, but I have to disagree) and the story is compelling. Yes, as is to be expected with C.D., the plot is excessively dramatic in places, but the reading experience is no worse off for it. A must read.
Rating: 
Summary: maybe...
Review: In general, this was not a horrible book like I found Great Expectations to be. I read it for English this year. I think that if I hadn't been reading this for the class with deadlines and analyzing it and all, I would have enjoyed it much more. I did like it. Certainly. At times, it was great, and I just kept on reading. The characters are pretty easy to relate to. You have the damsel in distress-- Lucie Manette, loving and kind to everybody. She really is the ideal Victorian Woman (Dickens was Victorian). Then you have her man-- Charles Darnay, rich, perfect guy, somewhat boring, gets himself into a couple of scrapes and needs help in getting bailed out. There is the worthless man who loves heroine but knows he can't have her and will risk anything for her-- Sydney Carton, looks just like Darnay, saves him a couple of times, drunkard, loves Lucie, knows is a failure and does not think he can change. Then we have the father-- Alexandre Manette, a little weary of Darnay at beginning, has reason to be so, Lucie is dedicated to him hand and foot. The revolutionary crazy woman-- Madame Defarge, quite the vengance, according to Dicken's vision, she is simply a dark haired Lucie. And the loveable father figure-- Lorry, sweet, rigid at first, but loosens up. well, the book is well written most of the time, but there are some parts where it is really obvious that dickens is getting paid by the word. he also skips some important stuff or summarizes in a chapter. There is one point where he is describing how time passes and talks about Lucie's children and all, and he kinda spends two pages discussing like 7 years or something, found that kinda confusing, and there were a few other parts like that. Still, the book is important for any well-read person to have read. If you can stand Dicken's style, the book is certainly worth it.
Rating: 
Summary: no comment
Review: I am currently in the middle of reading this book for my english class and it is very confusing which makes it very boring. I must depend on my teacher and chapter summaries to ge through it. Maybe I'll see that importance of it when I finish it. I wrote that review way back in April 2002 and even now (Jan2003) I still think the book is confusing and boring. I considered taking another stab at it since everyone else seems to be so passionate about it but I just couldn't put my self through such tortue.
Rating:
Summary: Isn't it Ironic
Review: " The Tale of Two Cities," was a book of many twist and turns. It clearly demostrated both suspense and Irony. This book was overwhelmed with action and emotion. It is easy for readers to be drawn in.
As a reader, I never expected Charles Darnay, of the Evremond House, to fall in love with and marry Doctor Manette's daughter. Especially, since the Evremond House played a key role in Doctor Manette's capture during the French Revolution and his loss of sanity (excessive shoemaking and forgetting who he was or the fact he even had a daughter). However, I feel the most suprising event throughout the story, was when Sydney Carton(alcholic lawyer) realized the only way he could be happy was to sacrifice his life to insure the Darnay's happiness. I find this ironic because it was obvious throughout the story that Carton was in love with Miss Manette and dispised her husband (Darnay). You would assume that he would have loved to seen Darnay killed in prision, so he could pursue his love for Miss Manette.
The entire book was ironic and the ending completely unpredictable.
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