Dark, autumnal months mean I am appreciating fiction with dark notes.
A classic book I really enjoyed this month is A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens.
I fell in love with Charles Dickens ever since reading Nicholas Nickleby in my twenties, but it was so long ago that I barely remember Dickens’ writing style.
My appreciation for Dickens was compounded with festive favourite A Christmas Carol starring Alastair Sim. (Only the 1951 film version works, nothing else will do.)
A Tale of Two Cities follows the (mis)fortunes of French physician Alexandre Manette and those in his immediate orbit.
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
The story of inequality, imprisonment and fortitude of the human spirit will stay with you long after you have closed the book, but a word of warning.
This novel is not for the faint hearted. I love Dickens but even I encountered some parts where I thought ‘Gaah, I can’t go further!’.
I am glad I persevered, because what is arguably Dickens’ greatest historical novel, will leave you heartbroken at the end. (There’s nothing like a spot of unrequited love to tug at those heartstrings.)
Don’t judge me but I used Cliff Notes as a reading aid to help me make sense of long sentenced prose that seemed to go on for pages.
If you’re after a dramatic tale of love, resilience and hope, then you should enjoy this book.
For more information about A Tale of Two Cities click here.