A Tale of two Cities
A Tale of Two Cities is an 1859 historical novel by Charles Dickens, set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. The novel tells the story of the French Doctor Manette, his 18-year-long imprisonment in the Bastille in Paris, and his release to live in London with his daughter Lucie Manette whom he had never met. The story is set against the conditions that led up to the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror. In the Introduction to the Encyclopedia of Adventure Fiction, critic Don D'Ammassa argues that it is an adventure novel because the protagonists are in constant danger of being imprisoned or killed.
Some have argued that in A Tale of Two Cities Dickens reflects on his recently begun affair with eighteen-year-old actress Ellen Ternan, which was possibly platonic but certainly romantic. Lucie Manette has been noted as resembling Ternan physically.
The Telegraph and The Guardian claim that A Tale of Two Cities is one of the best-selling novels of all time. WorldCat listed 1,529 editions of the work, including 1,305 print editions. In 2003, the novel was ranked 63rd on the BBC's The Big Read poll. The novel has been adapted for film, television, radio, and the stage, and has continued to influence popular culture.
Excerpted from A Tale of Two Cities on Wikipedia.
A Tale of Two Cities
| Author | Charles Dickens |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Genre | Historical fiction, War, Adventure, Literary Fiction |
| Copyright | Public domain worldwide. |
| Book cover | "Sydney Carton" Image: Frederick Barnard|wikipedia |
| Ebooks | Project Gutenberg. |
| Scans | Google-digitized. |
| Audio | Librivox | Internet Archive |
| Read online | A TALE OF TWO CITIES --Read by Paul Adams-- Book the First: Recalled to Life Book the Second: The Golden Thread Book the Third: The Track of a Storm |
