A TALE OF TWO CITIES

A Tale of Two Cities (1859) is a novel by Charles Dickens, set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. With well over 200 million copies sold, it ranks among the most famous works in the history of fictional literature.

A Tale of Two Cities sets a riveting story of romantic and familial love against the violent drama of the French Revolution. The personal and the political are deeply connected, and complicated and additional historical background regarding the French monarchy, feudal system, and French Revolution will help young readers appreciate the novel. It's also worth noting that though this is one of Dickens' best-loved works. A Tale of Two Cities has fewer humorous, colorful characters than others of his most-read books and the plot is more grand and far-reaching. The last line of the novel is a classic ("It is a far, far better thing ..."), concluding, in astonishingly concise language (for Dickens), the peace and redemption of the story's most poignant romantic hero. But this novel delivers such a gratifying experience because there are, in fact, many characters that cover significant emotional ground in their journey to love one woman as best they can.