One memorial service, one and one - half months, three mini vacations, and one VERY LONG Brit. lit classic later, "The B!+@h is Back" - Sir Elton John (I thought I'd stick with the British theme one second longer).The way this came about is mainly because I needed to soothe my conscience. "How?" You ask. Toward the end of my senior year of high school I was supposed to write a book report on this timeless classic. I had a perfect GPA (no, seriously), a bad case of "Senioritis," and no desire to ACTUALLY read this book. I know, it surprises me too. I did, however, write a report worthy of a B+ based on the CliffsNotes version of it. Sorry Mrs. Brown! A full decade passed before I decided that it was time to make amends.
It actually took FOREVER to read this book, partially because my brain hasn't had to digest Victorian English and it's extensive vocabulary for just under the ten year mark, and also because I've had an extremely full plate over the past month and a half. I discovered that it's difficult to read classics when there is anything else going on in your life (music, work, cats, car sickness, etc) which is probably why I've never read it until now.
When I first began the story it was like pulling teeth to read. I didn't understand a lot of the language (or much of the history of the French Revolution, for that matter). Lately I've mostly only consumed books that don't take much brain power to digest. I have to admit, once I got through the first 364 (of 468) pages, I began to see where it was going, and to actually WANTED to finish it. Sad, right? Anyway, as I began to get a picture of what it was like to be there in Late 1700's France and England, according to Chuck, it started to make a little more sense. I do own up to visiting http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/twocities/for some extra comprehension, and I actually made a 96% on their quiz too!
I must admit, that despite all the difficulties, I really enjoyed the way Dickens weaves together this twisted and somewhat dark tale of kharma, altruism, and a love triangle set with the bloody French Revolution as it's backdrop. I'm not saying that I am ready to jump into another classic right away, or that I like a book to take +/- 1-1/2 months to complete, but I am saying that I feel like I've made amends with my conscience and have the bragging rights to say that I've now read one of literature's greatest.
The characters in this book were written in such a way as to represent a people group ("Jaques" the mender of roads), or to act as a full personification of a character trait (Lucie displaying ultimate gentility and compassion; Madame Defarge is a prime example of one who will stop at nothing to extract revenge whether it be deserved or otherwise). Dickens even uses their names to help convey the depth or extent of their portrayal of a trait (Mr. Stryver strives for a better position in life).
The plot is very well written to where the different plot lines and plot points are so delicately weaved into the story that when the end comes, it catches you off guard. At least it did in my case. I do have to say that I'm glad I finally read it, and enjoyed it (at least the end). It was really hard to get through a lot of it because I had trouble seeing where it was leading me, however; in the end it was worth it.
I hope you enjoyed my brief and fairly inarticulate opinion of one of literature's greats. Please come back for my next episode right here at the same bat time on the same bat channel.
Until then, my friends Adieu...
Nice review! That's my favorite novel, so I'm always glad to find others who enjoyed it. :-)
ReplyDeleteI too am really glad that you finally read reviewed this one. I was only so lucky to experience this book because my sophomore year English teacher read it aloud to our class. I was one of the three students who actually got into after getting through the first few chapters...haha. Thanks, and glad you took a liking to it :)
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