(review by Cori)So let's start here. I have avoided Dickens my whole life (besides "A Christmas Carol" and a brief encounter in high school with "Great Expectations") because I heard once that he was paid by the word and was very poor, so thus wrote very long, tedious books. So I've always shied away from his novels. But something struck me at the library one day shuffling through the Classics aisle, and I decided to give Dickens a try. This was my noble move at being truly cultured, deciding that I could hardly call myself well-read if I always avoided such a famous novelist's work.
Thus began my journey to the times of revolutionary France, among some charming and some truly frightening characters. Madame Defarge still seems scarier to me than most famous villains because she was so hardened and cold. The many ways that war and political upheaval can affect the lives of people of every station and class was what made this book so memorable. The story included the exciting, appalling, horrendous and beautiful. It was one of the best books I have read in a very long time. It drew me into the story so far as to sincerely consider what I may have done were I there, how would I have acted or handled a certain situation?
I also learned a lot historically, especially about the Reign of Terror. I spent a lot of time afterwards reading about the French Revolution and even reading other books about it. I just had to know how characteristic the situations actually were, whether people could be that desolate and cruel...and heroic.
My only consolation at having shunned such a stunning literary work for so long is that now I can go forward to see what other delights Dickens may have in store for me. I know that some of his books are indeed very lengthy (my friend read "Bleak House" and wow, that's a long book), but I'm not worried anymore. I look forward to improving the acquaintance!
2 comments:
How long is it and how gruesome does it get? There is something about this time period that makes me afraid. LOL
Great recommendation. I have heard the title many times.
The length completely depends on the edition you get - I looked online a bit and saw everything from about 260 pages to about 500. I just remember that it didn't feel SUPER long because the story was so interesting. Also, forgive my poor memory (I read quickly and don't remember a ton of details...it's a tragic flaw...) about the violence. But again, I remember my impression which was that while describing basic sentiment and punishments (AKA guillotine) there was not an overabundance of gruesome. It's just not Dickens' style. Hope that helps!
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