A Tale of Two Cities
SynopsisPlot
Unjustly imprisoned for 18 years in the Bastille, Dr. Alexandre Manette is reunited with his daughter, Lucie, and safely transported from France to England. It would seem that they could take up the threads of their lives in peace. As fate would have it though, the pair are summoned to the Old Bailey to testify against a young Frenchman — Charles Darnay — falsely accused of treason
Story
About this book
Published in 1859, A Tale of Two Cities is a historical novel by Charles Dickens set in London and Paris during the years surrounding the French Revolution. The story begins with Dr. Alexandre Manette, who has spent eighteen years as a prisoner in the Bastille. After his release, he is reunited with his daughter Lucie, whom he has never known, and the two settle in England. Their hope for a quiet life is disrupted when they are called to testify at the Old Bailey in the trial of Charles Darnay, a young Frenchman facing a false charge of treason.
The novel moves between the two capital cities as political unrest in France builds toward the Reign of Terror. Dickens places his characters in escalating personal danger against a backdrop of mass upheaval, mob violence, and institutional cruelty. Loyalty, sacrifice, and the arbitrary nature of justice under both aristocratic and revolutionary rule run through the plot. Critic Don D'Ammassa has classified the book as adventure fiction, noting that its protagonists face constant threats of imprisonment or death.
A Tale of Two Cities is frequently cited as one of the best-selling novels of all time. It ranked 63rd on the BBC's Big Read poll in 2003 and has been adapted numerous times for film, television, radio, and stage.
