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My Review of 'A Tale of Two Cities' by Charles Dickens

📚 “A Tale of Two Cities” by Charles Dickens

🌟 3/5

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In 'A Tale of Two Cities’ we follow the events leading up to the French revolution and how they affect the lives of the main characters of the story such as Lucie Manette, Charles Darnay, Sidney Carton, Alexandre Manette, the Defarges, etc. All of our main characters are somehow connected to both the cities of London and Paris (whether they were born in one or have lived in the other; now you can get some ideas about the title). I wish I could elaborate more on the synopsis but I’m afraid further explanation could lead to spoilers and nobody really wants that.

As far as politics go, this book was a masterpiece. Mr. Dickens wittingly mocks the dictators and french aristocrats and speaks feelingly of people’s hardships and how easily they were neglected back in the time. There were times when I was so struck by the sorrowful language and thought it beautiful but overall I did not like Charles Dickens’ writing style in this specific work. (I know, as far as unpopular opinions go this must be the worst but it is the truth).

The worst thing in my opinion was the large number of characters or maybe they weren’t that many but they definitely weren’t properly handled. I remember reading a whole chapter about a character that was just introduced and thinking that: I don’t care about him! Please, move on!

But I have to say that going through the pain of being weirdly introduced to different characters and learning details that I didn’t really care for did pay off in the last 60 pages. These were the parts and I really enjoyed and got to see the formation of a concrete chain of events, one that I was waiting for the whole book. I guess what I’m trying to get at is that the plot was marvelous but I didn’t enjoy how it was delivered until the last few pages.

My main incentive for picking up this book was that it was mentioned and extensively quoted in one of my all time favorite novels (The Infernal Devices Trilogy by Cassandra Clare) and since I had yet to read anything by Mr. Dickens, it seemed like a good idea to start with ’ A Tale of Two Cities’.

Even though I don’t recommend it, I certainly don’t regret reading it either because looking back, I know that I did have a good time with it and I got to extract a couple of heartfelt quotes too. I will surely give Charles Dickens another chance and maybe read 'Great Expectations’ next? I don’t know but I have a feeling that at least one work of his might still prove to become a favorite.

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My Review Of 'Jane Eyre' by Charlotte Brontë

"I am no bird; and no net ensnares me; I am a free human being with an independent will, which I now exert to leave you." -Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte

I must confess that as I made my way through this remarkable novel, a million other equally beautiful and thought provoking quotes arrested my attention but I chose the one mentioned above because I believe it manifests Jane's character much better than any explanation of mine possibly could. This book resembles some kind of an autobiography written by the main character herself. Jane Eyre begins her story by telling us about her childhood and how she had to endure the miserable life of an orphan living with her grudging aunt. The 9-year-old Jane is a distressed child with a hardly-controllable temper (Who could blame her? Her aunt, Mrs. Reed, is the epitome of the devil herself!). But we see her character grow into a graceful young woman with a sharp mind of her own and lose that childish flare of hers as she attends the Lowood school and some years later gets employed as a teacher there before attaining the position of a governess at Thornfield Hall.

She leads a considerably peaceful life at Thornfield (at least for a few months) alongside Mrs. Fairfax who is the housekeeper and her pupil Adele until the master of the house, the famous Mr. Rochester, begins his uncommonly long visits to the place which he barely ever cared to spend a day or two at before. There cannot be a mistake about Mr. Rochester's not-so-subtle intentions; he has fallen in love with Jane and soon Jane too discovers her own romantic feelings for her master. But as no great love is ever easy, theirs is no exception. There are trials to be faced and choices to be made that would change Jane's life substantially. The important question is, will she be able to see the greater good and the necessity to follow the path of faith? Or will she succumb to the human desires for mortal happiness?

The intense chemistry subsisting between Jane and Mr. Rochester is portrayed in so skillful a manner that it gave me goosebumps all the way through. The turmoils of an unfortunate love, that insatiable desperation that never fails to cast a shadow over a captivated heart and the misery of hard choices that tear you from your loved ones, all of those seem to be so woven into the fabric of the story that I sometimes felt that if I reached far enough, I would be able to touch and feel all these sensations at the tip of my fingers. I can positively say that my favorite thing about this book is how strongly human emotions have been encapsulated in just the right words.

The characters have been delineated fairly well. Jane Eyre herself is a lovable creature and on several occasions she managed to provoke my feelings of sympathy for her. Other characters (such as Mrs. Reed, Mrs. Fairfax, Adele, St. John Rivers, Helen Burns,...) are depicted well enough to resemble actual human beings in real life. However, none of them lives up to the brilliance of Mr. Edward Rochester's persona. At first he seems abrasive and uncouth yet we learn that he has a very tender heart. He seems to be harboring all this anger towards everything and everyone but many a time we observe him act in a gentlemanly manner especially when it comes to Jane. He never shows anything but love and respect for her. Mr. Rochester consists of all these paradoxes and faults, all of which make me love him all the better. He is not intended to be handsome but his sharp features and strong presence convinces you that he, in fact, is very handsome. His intricate character is truly a literary masterpiece.

Charlotte Bronte definitely knows how to paint a vivid picture of the settings yet there were times when I felt like she focused too much (maybe more than necessary) of her powers on describing the surroundings of a scene rather than focusing on the characters. But to be frank, that did not lessen my love for the story at all. I was conscious of it, but didn't really mind it.

One thing, however, has me unsettled. I never truly understood Jane's motive in working at Thornfield Hall when she was aware of the presence of a maniac in the house who would haunt the corridors at night and set people on fire while laughing heartily. I just don't get it! I know that Mr. Rochester dismissed the whole matter by simply blaming a servant called Grace Poole but there was obviously something very fishy going on and Jane knew it yet she stayed. I want you to put yourself in Jane's shoes. You have just started working 24/7 at this new place with all these strangers (they are nice strangers, I admit.) and every night you hear a lunatic laughing outside your room and her presence is a threat to your safety. What would you do? I know I would've left as soon as I possibly could! (even if I had a dark handsome master totally smitten by me). Later in the story we learn that Grace Poole is actually innocent and the person responsible for all the mischief taking place in the dead of night is Mr. Rochester's mad wife who is normally imprisoned in the attic. After becoming informed of this, Jane decides to leave which, in my opinion, is a bit too late. But I guess if Jane had been as discreet as I usually am and had left that first night that she heard the creepy laughter, then we would've had no sizzling romance between Jane and Mr. Rochester and consequently no Jane Eyre novel to swoon over and that would've indeed been a shame.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte now has a special place in my top 5 favorite reads till now and therefore, I highly recommend it. Especially if you dabble in romance like I do, then you need this as surely as you need the air to breathe; you just don't know it yet.

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“Literature is the most agreeable way of ignoring life.” – Fernando Pessoa 💫