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  • A Tale of Two Cities [Tantor]

  • By: Charles Dickens
  • Narrated by: Simon Vance
  • Length: 13 hrs and 39 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (140 ratings)

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A Tale of Two Cities [Tantor]

By: Charles Dickens
Narrated by: Simon Vance
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Publisher's Summary

This novel provides a highly charged examination of human suffering and human sacrifice, private experience and public history, during the French Revolution.

A Tale of Two Cities is one of Charles Dickens's most exciting novels. Set against the backdrop of the French Revolution, it tells the story of a family threatened by the terrible events of the past. Doctor Manette was wrongly imprisoned in the Bastille for 18 years without trial by the aristocratic authorities. Finally released, he is reunited with his daughter, Lucie, who despite her French ancestry has been brought up in London. Lucie falls in love with Charles Darnay, another expatriate, who has abandoned wealth and a title in France because of his political convictions. When revolution breaks out in Paris, Darnay returns to the city to help an old family servant, but there he is arrested because of the crimes committed by his relations. His wife, Lucie, their young daughter, and her aged father follow him across the channel, thus putting all their lives in danger.

Public Domain (P)2008 Tantor

Critic Reviews

Charles Dickens's classic of the French Revolution is expertly dramatized by Simon Vance. It's also a grand romance. Charles Darnay, the French émigré who relinquishes his title in disgust at the poverty wrought upon the peasants by the titled class, and Sydney Carton, the world-weary drunken London barrister, both love Lucie, the daughter of the unjustly imprisoned Dr. Alexandre Manette. Vance will have listeners weeping as Carton greets Madame Guillotine with some of the most famous lines in literature. Carton's depression and ultimate redemption are crystal clear; Madame Defarge, with her clicking knitting needles, takes on appropriate menace; and Jarvis Lorry, the reliable "man of business," loves Lucie as if she were his daughter." (AudioFile magazine)

What listeners say about A Tale of Two Cities [Tantor]

Average Customer Ratings
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A very powerful version of a great tale

a great tale told beautifully by a wonderful writer in the voice of a great and very versatile actor. The characterisations are very vivid and the era and people come to life, rather than being an old tale told in an antiquated and wordy manner. l enjoyed it immensely.

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The Best Novel Ever

The language is superb. Those opening lines lead you in to a luxury of literature. What a wonderful, profound story.

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A rich experience

This book is a joy for Dickens’ fans. I’m one of them. I had never read A Tale of Two Cities and looked forward to listening to it. I wasn’t disappointed. It had richly drawn characters, a wonderful dip into the history of the times and a cutting description of the society of the times. The language is lyrical and complex, transported me into the thick of the tumultuous world of the French Revolution. And the narration was entirely suited to the beautiful words and added to the joy of listening to this work.

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    4 out of 5 stars

Spellbinding

Beautifully narrated, it flowed, surprised and shocked. Highly recommended.
Dickens fans will be very pleased having listened to this historic depiction of the horror of the French Revolution.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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Disappointing, considering all the hype.

Considered by Dickens as his best work and many positive reviews agreeing with the author but I was disappointed and bored. Perhaps not a work suited to this medium. l generally love Dickens books but not this one.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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Typical Dickens Novel

Is this book brilliantly written? Of course it is - any Charles Dickens novel is an exhibition of the mastery of literature. That said, I found it boring. There are parts which are really gripping, with the dialogue and capture of emotions being amazing, but these are mere moments, mainly in the beginning and end. Sometimes I'd finish a chapter and think "what the heck happened?" I literally had to watch a chapter by chapter summary to understand what's happening. I had a similar issue with Great Expectations . I should just stop listening to his books.

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A Classic for Good Reason

A Tale of Two Cities is a classic for Good reason. wonderfully read by Simon Vance, with great characterisation. Thank you for producing this audio book.

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Time travel in a book

Simon Vance’s narration is brilliant- a book written 162 years ago that is clever, complex and provides an in site intobrevolutionary France - just great to listen to the characters tell the tale

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A well made classic

It was the best of adapted audio books it was the worst of adapted audio books.

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Well narrated

Simon Vance's narration was really good. He did well with accents and the different characters. I find Dickens' style to be long winded and not very engaging.

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