Charles Dickens – A Tale of Two Cities

It is hard to write a review of a timeless classic without the fear of falling sadly short in that effort. Charles Dickens is a general favourite among book readers. We have read an abridged version of one of his books at some point, at the very least. My generation has. I don’t know what the children get in their English syllabus these days.

I read A Tale of Two Cities when I was a fifteen year old and it has remained my favourite Dickens. In my recent audiobook listening spree, I listened to this book narrated by Frank Muller. As I listened to the familiar story, I realised it was less maudlin than other books of Dickens. In fact, there were remarkably fewer characters than were usually found in a Dickens. Most of the characters are very relevant to the story. As ever, all his characters are unique and have a distinct voice of their own. Hearing the name of a character invokes the personality of the bearer immediately in your mind. Whether it is the fiercely loyal Miss Pross or the fiercely diabolical Madame Defarge.

The events depicted in the novel lead up to the French Revolution which happened nearly 60 years before the time of the writing of the novel. Dickens gives a faithful account of the degenerate aristocracy that brought calamity upon its head. The common people driven to extreme poverty and degradation react with extreme cruelty which is the mirror image of the treatment they received at the hands of their one time masters.

The story sets up a cast of characters who travel between the two cities of London and Paris and find themselves embroiled in the current situation. Dr. Manette, a French citizen, is a victim of a cruel aristocrat, Evermonde. Charles Darney is the nephew and heir of Evermonde. He renounced his legacy and sought to make amends with his uncle’s serfs. He moves to London and marries Lucie, daughter of Dr. Manette. Madame Defarge represents the oppressed peasantry and becomes the face of all that is wrong with the French Revolution. Seeking to help a friend, Darney travels to Paris in the thick of the revolution and is immediately arrested and declared the enemy of the nation. It takes the sacrifice of Sydney Carton, a friend and well wisher of the family to deliver Darney safely back to the bosom of his loving family.

Detractors of Dickens have jeered at a passage narrated by Sydney Carton going heroically to his death. ‘Tis a far far better thing I do…’ he ruminates. Sydney was once a shining scholar, all set to become a brilliant advocate. He is shown to be a skilful lawyer. He is of immense help to Mr. Stryver, his associate, who gets all the credit while Sydney is berated for his heavy drinking. In my opinion, the only fault Sydney shows is his intemperate drinking. We don’t really learn why failed his promise and what led him to drink. I wish we knew.

Lucie Manette is a typical sweet heroine who draws everyone to her. Even the hard nosed Stryver, who later marries a rich widow, desires Lucie. Sydney is tempted to reform himself and make himself worthy of her. She arouses deep loyalty in Miss Pross who is ready to die for her. She heals her father when he is deeply depressed following his long internment. It seems natural that an upright and a capable man like Darney gets to marry her. Sydney sacrifices himself to restore Darney to Lucie and foresees himself held in high regard by his angel forever.

As I listened to the last few chapters of this book, I realised it read like a fast paced thriller. Especially the part where Sydney rescues Darney from the prison. Sydney impresses upon Mr. Lorry to leave Paris immediately or they would all be in danger. Mme. Defarge is upon her way to apprehend Lucie and see that she is denounced too. Miss Pross knows she has to stop this woman at all cost to help her darling Lucie escape. The action is fast between these three scenes, the effect on the reader (listener in this case) is quite similar to being on the edge of the seat. It is only when we are sure that our leads are safe and home that we are allowed to lapse into sentimentality and let Sydney Carton have his long and well deserved soliloquy which closes the novel.

Most stories like to bring up the triumph of good over evil. Here nothing is black and white. For a while we can cheer when the evil Monsignor is brought down. Soon, the revolution turns bloodthirsty and we cannot sympathise any more with the once oppressed peasantry. They turn as evil as their masters. We realise their hate has turned them into destructive persons. On his own, M. Defarge would have been a more moderate revolutionary, but with his wife’s hate pushing him, things go to the other extreme.

Love is needed to temper the world and bring harmony and peace where it is needed,

Before I finish I want to add a word about the narrator, Frank Muller. The way an audiobook is narrated can make or mar the experience for the listener. If it is narrated too slow, the effect may be soporific, the listener may lose interest. If the narration is too fast the listener may lose pace with the story. Muller’s pace is just perfect. I know you can increase or decrease the speed of narration but it is not the same, believe me. His intonation was perfect and he even attempted a French accent for the French characters. It was a lovely experience.