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MonsoonFlood t1_j4tw11s wrote

A tale of two cities is a beautiful but very difficult read. You need to know some history surrounding the events of the French Revolution of 1789. Absent that, you need to read the footnotes and endnotes carefully. And you need to read the corresponding chapter summaries by Cliffnotes or Sparknotes as you go through the chapters for better understanding. It'll become easier after a while. And the book is absolutely worth sticking with until the end.

However, I would recommend starting with one of his early and more accessible works like Oliver Twist, then returning to ATOTC and adopting the approach described above. Best of luck!

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ZoraksGirlfriend t1_j5e4mkk wrote

I loved learning about the French Revolution and, once I got used to the writing style, really enjoyed A Christmas Carol. I really tried to enjoy A Tale of Two Cities, but I felt like the characters were really wooden and one-dimensional. The only exception was the >!look-alike who sacrificed his life!< since he was the only one who did any actual growing through the story.

I also enjoy reading footnotes and endnotes to get more context for stories that were written in other times, but I still thought the book didn’t have any real depth. I was disappointed because I was really looking forward to enjoying this book.

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MonsoonFlood t1_j5etb4d wrote

Thanks for sharing your perspective. You should probably remove the spoiler in your comment or use a spoiler warning.

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