Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities, Penguin Readers B2, 2300 words

By Sergio G. Sánchez, 2º Bachillerato EFL

The story is set in the background of the French Revolution. Charles Darnay is a spy who is declared innocent in an English court with the help of his lawyer Sydney Carton, an alcoholic British man. Both of them are in love with our main character, Lucia Manette, a pretty, pre-Victorian lady. Some time later, Charles and Lucia get married, but they will not have a relaxing time. At the same time in France, as a result of the French Revolution many people are killed every day in the guillotine. An exciting story starts, involving the two main men because one of them has been sent to the Bastille prison.

The British genius Charles Dickens wrote the story. So, this is a good argument to decide if it will be interesting or not. It is a classic story, and some of these could be boring. At the beginning I thought I wouldn’t be able to finish it, but I did! The author introduces you in the French revolution. A story with some love, history and action. The vocabulary can be a bit difficult to understand at times, so I used the translator quite often.

I recommend A Tale of Two Cities to everybody who enjoys classic, history and romantic novels.

This book has been recommended before. See March 2011.