A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The first thing I thought was how did I ever get through this book as a teenager?? What I wouldn't give to have a teacher's guide with me. (Enter Wikipedia.) "What do you think the symbolism of Madame Defarge's knitting was?" This was one of the first books I read on my new Kindle and I LOVE the instant dictionary. It came in so handy when faced with the obscure or foreign words that Dickens used. Of course, they were modern words in his time.

I think the issues Dickens warned us about still exist today. With greater and greater division between the Haves and the Have Nots, the future is foretold. Dickens wrote Tale to warn England not to follow in the footsteps of France, but his warning was to the aristocrats to not be so dismissive of other people. We should heed his warnings today. Dickens also warns about the chaos of society when there are no rules or when the rules favor one class over the other. After the revolution, the people threw out all rules and their behavior regressed to that similar to animals on the hunt. Facts meant nothing compared to their need for revenge and blood. The first taste of blood fueled the need for more blood, even the blood of innocent people.

I loved the unrequited love of Sydney for Lucie and her daughter. Such a selfless love from someone who lived such a messed up life. His love for Lucie was the one bright shining light in his life, and he did not begrudge Charles for winning her love. His final sacrifice was the greatest gift he could give the one he loved. And he passed this love onto the young girl who shared his end. What a redemption for Sydney.

Postscript: After talking with my local librarians about study guides, they pointed me to the library website where I can access the Twaynes Authors Online. I found some wonderful analyses of Tale. I found it very interesting to read about the political times of Charles Dickens' life and what was happening when he decided to write Tale. There's also another website called enotes.com, but you have to pay $ in order to access the good stuff. Free accounts only provide limited access.

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