Being a great lover of literature, I have no pleasure in declaring that I haven’t read as many books that I would love to. But the few of those that I have read are fortunately books that were truely worth reading and unforgettable. One amongst them is Charles Dickens’ most acclaimed ’’A Tale of Two Cities’’.
Charles Dickens’ most striking ability to me is his observance of every tiny detail of human behaviour and his perfect portrayal of them in his books. That makes him a truely remarkable writer. His books cannot be just read, they literally have to be eaten to be really understood. At the first reading some of his verses seem to be a nonsensical jumble of words. But if you hang on and read again you would realise that those jumble of words are actually gems. Of course, you have to be interested in philosophy to be able to understand and admire them.
’A Tale of Two Cities’ is not a lighted-hearted tale. So those with a penchant for only happy endings, romances and comedies should stay away from this book. Even people who hate philosophy or detest tragedies are advised against reading this book.
The main plot of the story is set against the backdrop of the French Revolution, thus immortalising it. Even a history textbook cannot explain the Revolution as well as this book does. The story portrays the best that a man is capable of; at the same time describing the worst that can come forth from a man oppressed. It shows the contradictions of life set up against each other - love versus hatred, revenge versus sacrifice - a constant war that wages in every one of us.
A must read for those interested in literature, philosophy or even history.