Charles Dickens Four Complete Novels (Great Expectations, Hard Times, A…

collier's unabridged edition

For A Tale of Two Cities -
I remember now, the first time I read this I could see the ending a mile off. Carten was the answer to all. Dickens’ foreshadowed it by his saving Darnet in the trial for treason at the beginning. I always remember Wodehouse having one of his female characters refer to Bertie as a Sid someone and Jeeves having to come to the rescue with Sidney Carten’s name.

The hysterical bloodshed in this novel sounds so real. The revenge got out of hand and the peasants began to treat the aristocracy the exact same way they themselves were treated. Locking up people on little or now charge. Mass executions of the innocent as well as the guilty. In a way it’s too bad that the Marquis didn’t end up at the end of the “country’s razor” for a close shave. His attitude and behavior when he ran down that child in the street, made me want to strangle him myself. To think they could get away with that. Now if you so much as look at a child cross-eyed, you get into trouble. Then when I heard of his involvement in getting Mr. Manette imprisoned, I really wished he could have felt the dread and powerlessness before the people and the guillotine. The reference to the fact that the servant didn’t open the door quickly enough, and the Marquis and his brother both struck him like a dog, and the dogs were struck less actually. When he hit the child he asked about the horses! Unreal.

Therese deFarge was a character. Alternately I praised and despised her. Her and her knitting. That was an ominous device. You could see and hear the sharp needles flashing in the smoky candlelight. Brrr.

Dickens’ plot was so intricate and well sewn up, I loved it. Mme. DeFarge’s sister was the one who was so abused at the hand of the Marquis. It’s no wonder she felt such a blind rage for that family. Unbelievable that the story M. Manette wrote during his imprisonment should be the telling point against his son in law, so recently saved by himself. I loved seeing the working out of Carten’s plot, with Pross’ horrid brother being the prison “sheep”. Luckily Jerry was a “resurrection man” and could be sure there was no one in the grave. The “sheep” used to prove he couldn’t have another close contact in Paris. Cool. I wish all novels could tie up so well.

Carten. Such a figure he was at the guillotine. If he had existed, I’m sure Darnet descendents would be still telling the tale.