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I'm reading A Tale of Two Cities for English. It was really hard for me to understand at first, and I'm procrastinating so hard on that like I am with my writing, I have to finish to page 140 or so by Friday, but I'm only on page 30 haha.

Are the main characters Lucie, Charles, and Manette? And Mr. Lorry serves as a link between London and Paris, right? And what exactly is Jerry Cruncher's whole purpose—he appears to be amusing my group mates because, you know, they actually did the reading they were supposed to.

If anyone knows anything about this book (or Charles Dickens), please tell me~

AToTC is great. I'm seriously in love with the opening line and it's probably one of Dickens' darker and more serious books. (If only because it's impossible to write about that time period without getting a little dark, if nothing else...)

Dickens books usually follow a lot of characters but that's the main group, yes. Mr. Lorry is the banker, right? IIRC he's just a friend of the family but he's the one that has business traveling to France in the first place so he just kind of helps move the plot along. Jerry Cruncher works for him and is kind of comic relief/kind of a character in need of redemption seeing how he's abusive to his wife and his side job is literal grave robbing. His actual main plot purpose I guess is providing a piece of evidence related to that that's important later on.

He is he banker. :O Interesting. Hmm. Grave robbery - didn't realize that was a thing in the book haha. Honestly, that makes things a little clearer haha. This book x.x

It was an actual problem back then, doctors and medical students wanted cadavers to practice on and there weren't really many accepted ways of getting them.

Though in fact one of the actual difficulties in following along with an older book is that unless you're already pretty familiar with other stuff from the time period, a lot of things can go right over your head. The authors were writing for what to them was a contempory audience and assume certain things are common knowledge and that everyone is reading from the same context they wrote it in.

Even reading a book from the 60s or 70s might be confusing for younger kids now, technology and culture has changed so much.

Yeah, after you said that he was a grave robber, I suspected it was for that reason.

Yeah; many things do go over my head. I reread a paragraph if I feel like I didn't get what it said. Helps a little. Wish I could, like, actually know the context and all that.

Am I a "younger kid"? XD Hopefully not. It's not too hard to read; I'm getting the hang of it.

Although if you were literally asked what 'their connection to Paris' was, you're aware of what Charles' history was there and that he got a letter that prompted him to return etc? (I can't really remember what happens before the part where you're supposed to be but sounds like you've barely started anyesy...)

If you ever want to read Dickens on your own you might find Great Expectations, David Copperfield, or Nicholas Nickelby easier ones to start with. (Or a Christmas Carol I guess since most people know the basic plot already and it's the right time of year...)

Yeah; I'm only on page 60 at this point of 300-some. Dumb question: is there romance? Because if there was, I'm not sure if I'd be disappointed or pleased that this particular book would have any.

I've heard of those, especially Great Expectations. I think I know someone reading that actually. :O

Crescent. Crescent now really.



Do you want this man writing romance for you? :D

Any romance you find in a Dickens novel is going to be of the variety considered acceptable by mid-19th century audiences so you might find that area a little lacking. His strengths were more in creating all these eccentric and likeable characters and in putting a ton of social commentary and criticism in palatable form. ( (the side characters were usually far more memorable than Mandatory Noble Young Hero and Heroine and he obviously had the most fun with them and could also get away with more.) His writing style in general is just fun, lots of abstract imagery and etc. although if you're not used to books from back then at all it may still be a little difficult to get into at first.

Like I said, A Tale of Two Cities has a much different tone, darker and a lot more restrained than most of his other stuff so it may not actually be the best place to get into Dickens specifically even if it is considered a classic just as historical fiction.

I haven't done much reading at all in the past year sadly but the Dickens novel I most recently read is Bleak House. I'm really surprised it hasn't gotten as much attention as his others, I'd barely heard of it until I specifically went looking for the less famous of his books. I'm not aware of any others he's done with a female POV character, and it's one of my favorites now even if Esther herself falls into the trap of being yet another saintly heroine.

ROFL.

Honestly, I wouldn't mind. xP As long as it didn't end in some Ophelia-like tragedy or something.

"... for you? :D" Lol

Ah. So I suppose it'll be a disappointment to read of romance from Dickens then. But romance isn't necessary and interesting characters is awesome. ^-^ I do like his descriptions—they create a slowly moving film in my head with minor splashes of color with the heavy feeling I'm getting from reading this. Yeshh that imagery.

What do you mean by "more restrained"? Less variety in the whole mood thing?

Ohhh. A female protagonist from Dickens—any writer "back then". Now that's something I'll have to note. >:3

Started the book several years ago, but my middle school mind simply wasn't quite strong enough to get through it. I plan on reading it at some point in the future though. Coincidentally, I'm in the middle of Great Expectations and I've enjoyed quite a bit thus far, so maybe once I'm done there I'll hit this one up

Nice. :D I wouldn't have been able to understand it at all in middle school! XD E: I'd pick up the book and read the first page and get bored. At least you tried. 

If you cannot comprehend what Dickens wrote, just read an online summary up to that page. 

Not going to rely on summaries.

D; Did they run over a baby? ;-; And then pay the guy with money and be done with it? ;-;

Isn't that like twenty pages in? Read faster!

Poor Carton and sweet Lucie. :<

>_> SHHH. I just finished two weeks ago's reading assignment.

I'm halfway through this book, and I still have little idea what's happening.

Just keep reading is my best advice to you.  I started reading 1800's type stuff when I was fairly young.  I grew up on Anne of Green Gables and the Little House in the Big Woods books.  Any words you're not sure of, whether because they're completely unfamiliar or because they're a word you know used in an unfamiliar way, just jot down and look up later.

Thanks. I need this moral support. T_T

Just remember, the more you read, the better you will be able to write. :)

Favorite scenes so far: Scene with that spy in the Defarges', scene with Mr. Lorry asking Doctor Manette about a "friend" with conditions very similar to Manettes', and scene where Lucie asks Charles to treat Sydney better.