Kundenrezensionen

A Tale of Two Cities

5 Sterne:		(84)
4 Sterne:		(36)
3 Sterne:		(20)
2 Sterne:		(17)
1 Sterne:		(16)

 

 

Kürzer, humorloser und düsterer als die meisten anderen von Dickens Romanen, „A Tale of Two Cities“ gehört zu den besseren Werken des englischen Autors. Während der französischen Revolution in Paris und London spielend, dreht sich der Plot um vier Charaktere: Alexander Manette, Lucie Manette, Charles Darnay and Sydney Carton.

Nachdem er 18 Jahre unschuldig in der Bastille gesessen hat, kehrt Alexander Manette in seine Wahlheimat England zurück, wo er zum ersten Mal seine Tochter Lucie trifft.
Charles Darnay und Sydney Carton verlieben sich beide in Lucie. Carton ist ein genialer aber alkoholkranker und zynischer Anwalt, der Lucie zuerst als „golden-haired-doll“ (book 2, chapter 5) bezeichnet. Darney ist ein angesehener Akademiker, der zu Beginn des Romans in England wegen Spionage angeklagt und von Carton erfolgreich verteidigt wird.

Kurz nach Darnays und Lucies Heirat bricht in Frankreich die Revolution aus. Darnay, der seine wahre Identität bisher verheimlicht hat, kehrt unter Lebensgefahr nach Paris zurück um einem alten Freund das Leben zu retten. Doch auf Grund seiner wahren Identität gerät er in die Wirren der Revolution und wird zum Tod verurteilt. Nun kann ihn nur noch sein alter Rivale Carton durch einen selbstlosen Akt das Leben retten.

Der erste Satz gehört zu den beeindruckensten Anfängen der englischen Literaturgeschichte und präsentiert eines der Hauptthemen des Romans: die Gegensätzlichkeit des Lebens:

„It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way.”

Fazit: mehr Plot auf weniger Seiten. Wem David Copperfield, Bleak House und Little Dorrit zu lang sind, sich aber trotzdem mit den Romanen von Dickens vertraut machen möchte, sollte zu „A Tale of Two Cities“ und „Great Expectations“ greifen.

A Tale of Two Cities was the first book from Charles Dickens I came to read and I was soon very fascinated and could not stop reading it. It is very densely written and although the language is in the beginning a bit hard to understand (at least I had to get accustomed to it..) the plot makes it all up. The story deals with love, revolution and sacrifice, in short it's a very thrilling mixture. As well London as Paris are the locations where the story takes place and I found it very interesting how Dickens combined the revolution theme with a personal fate and story. My favourite character is Sidney Carton. This man is a disappointed but as well underestimated alcoholic who is in fact the one who saves all in sacrificing himself. He goes to the guillotine to save Charles Darnay, the husband of his beloved Lucie. Dickens managed to write a very critical book that doesn't lack at all excitement and emotion. To sum it up: I enjoyed reading "A Tale of Two Cities" and although it may not be one of Dicken's main works I found it excellent and recommand it warmly!

I read this book years ago and think of it as on one of the better stories of Charles Dickens. Especially now with the Bastille Day celebration just over (July 14) in France. When I talk books with other people I mention it as one of the better classics. It's sad, and funny too at times. This is the sort of book I want in a bound sewn together book instead of glued together. If you are in school and have to read a classic I say get this one. If you're sick of the junk that's out there, tired of your computer screen, tired of your endless choices on satellite tv, and want to sink into an oldie, get this one. Once you get into the lingo of the language you just zoom away. A little period music in the background couldn't hurt. "Let Them Eat Cake" was never more distinct although I don't recollect a direct quote from Marie on the matter.

This is the best Dickens book ever. It is a masterly plot, he squeezes so much plot and characterization into this fairly short book that it is amazing. Some of his other books are a lot thicker, but this one does just as much, if not more, in much less space.

Sure, there are a LOT of details and subplots, and some of them don't have any real relevance to the story (Dickens was paid by the word after all), but if the reader must occasionally strive through subplot after subplot and have to pick out the little bits here and there that pertain to the actualy storyline, then so be it. It's worth it in the end.

Speaking of the end, this book has what is possibly the best ending ever. It is at once beautiful, poignant, and poetic. Indeed, the ending is so famous that you will almost certainly know how this book ends before you even start reading it, but the greatness of it will still hit home.

I noticed most of the reviews were written by high school students; thus, being a high school English teacher, I felt obliged to respond. I teach all seniors, and we read the book each year. Most of them, I will admit, do not like reading. I, on the other hand, feel there is no greater pastime. One argument I hear often is, "It's not a good book because I can't understand it." Balderdash. I simply tell them they can't understand it because it IS a good book. The plot is, as my summary says, "super-thick." But it is not Dickens' fault if the reader, whatever age, cannot pick the details. He wrote novels. And yes, they are full of exposition and detail (he did not overdo it--English teacher thinking, of course). But an intensive study of anything, especially Dickens, requires reader effort. The most unfortunate thing about A Tale of Two Cities is most people, students and adults alike, would never rush into a book store and purchase it for pleasure reading. It is, in my opinion, the greatest novel ever written. Some have said, "I believe Dickens is a good writer, but I didn't like the book." Hogwash. That statement is based on popularity. I don't care for Hitler, even though he was popular. Others have said, "Dickens is a great writer who has written a lot of good books; I just didn't like ATOTC." Again, hogwash. Those folks have no more read Dickens' "good books," which they all are not, than the next person. I do thank all of the teachers out there who have assigned the novel. I do not thank the teachers who have simply put the novel into a student's hand and said, Read!" and have offered little help. And to all the students who have given Dickens a chance, whether you liked him or no, I must extend to you a sincere, "Thank You." If you like him and the novel, great. If you don't like him and the novel, make sure you know why, and don't let it be because you don't understand it or because he uses too much detail. Actually, he could stand to add detail, but that's another essay.

A Tale of Two Cities is set in the two cities of London and Paris, in the fourth quarter of the eighteenth century. A Doctor Manette is brought from France, where he has been wrongfully imprisoned for 18 years, to England where his daughter has been raised. They testify in a trial against Charles Darnay, who is eventually aquitted and later marries Miss Manette. Darnay is really a French nobleman, the Marquis Evremonde, who has left his estate in France to work for a living in humble circumstances in England. During the French Revolution, his representative in the old country is arrested, and the idealistic Darnay goes home to defend this man only to get himself arrested. This occurs during the Terror, and Darnay must expect to be executed as a treacherous emigrant. The final chapters of the book revolve around the effort to save Darnay and his family from the guillotine. The book seems to have two distinct parts. In the beginning, Dickens mainly describes settings and characters, while the plot is mostly invisible. Then, as the end of the book approaches, focus moves to a chain of more or less surprising events, which bind together other seemingly disconnected events in the first chapters. Towards the end, the Tale is almost a Thriller. Dickens reveals himself as a master of the English language, a genius of style and a great wit early in the book. His descriptions rival those of Turgenev, although his descriptions of misery are in a moralizing tone that is never heard from the more subtle Russian. One problem I found with this book is that the characters seem a little too black and white, there is little of the psychological complexity found in, say, the writings of Dostoevski or Ibsen. Two interesting exceptions are Sydney Carton, a family friend with great ability and potential but a life-long lack of self-control, and Dr. Manette, who we find struggling to repress the memory of his imprisonment. A Tale of Two Cities is certainly great literature from a writer who even in the most gloomy circumstances finds something to amuse us. But I find it hard to suffer with his poor virtuous Ms. Manette/Mrs. Darnay with her blonde hair, blue eyes, unlimited loyalty, and talented interior design. She is simply too much, too perfect, too unreal. As for Dickens' description of the Great Revolution, vivid and engaging as it is, it is plagued by the same hyperbolic tendency. A Tale of Two Cities, then, is a highly enjoyable and fascinating read, but it doesn't have the complexity and insight characteristic of the very best novels (in my humble and subjective opinion).

1/5 - Recalled to Life
An encounter on the Dover Road, and a message.
2/5 - The Old Order
Lucie Manette is a witness at Charles Darnay's trial for treason at the Old Bailey, where his defence team includes the dissolute Sydney Carton. Meanwhile, an incident in a Paris street stirs revolutionary fervour.
3/5 - Two Promises
In a Paris wine shop information is exchanged about the courtship of Lucie Manette and Charles Darnay, and indeed, in London, it appears that a wedding is indeed in the air.
4/5 - The Grindstone
Much against the wishes of his new wife, Charles Darnay is determined to travel to Paris to go to the aid of a family retainer who has been imprisoned by the revolutionary committee.
5/5 - The Substance and the Shadow
Sydney Carton is in Paris with Lucie and her father, determined to try and save Charles Darnay's life. An encounter in a Paris street with someone from the import-export trade may just provide the ghost of a chance.

Jarvis Lorry, Angestellter der angesehenen Tellson's Bank, erhält einen ungewöhnlichen Auftrag, er soll die Tochter eines guten alten Freundes nach Paris begleiten. Dieser totgeglaubte Freund, Dr. Manette, ist von den Tote wieder auferstanden und wieder aufgetaucht. Er soll jahrelang in der Bastille gefangen gehalten worden sein. Seiner Tochter Lucy, Lucys Gouvernante Miss Pross und Jarvis Lorry machen sich auf die gefährliche Reise in das vorrevolutionäre Paris, um Dr. Manette aus dem Land zu schmuggeln und nach London zu bringen. Auf der Rückreise macht Lucy die Bekanntschaft mit einem gutaussehenden Unbekannten, der sie nicht mit der Nennung seines Names in Gefahr bringen will, denn es ist der in London lebenden Marquis de Evremonde, der sich den Idealen der Revolution verschrieben hat, wofür ihm sowohl in London als auch in Paris die Todesstrafe drohen würde.

Das ist die zweite BBC Hörspielproduktion zu diesem Buch. Das erste Hörspiel wurde vor ca. 20 Jahren produziert, dieses stammt aus dem Jahr 2011 und wurde im Rahmen des 200. Geburtstags von Charles Dickens produziert und konnte anschließend als Podcast von der BBC Radio 4 Seite heruntergeladen werden.
Dickens veröffentlichte diese Geschichte 1859 als wöchentlich erscheinende Fortsetzungsgeschichte und sie ist zugegebenermaßen recht brutal und blutig.
Es ist ein wirklich grandioses Hörspiel und wenn man davon ausgeht, dass die Handlung natürlich gekürzt werden musste, muss das Buch noch viel besser sein. Eine Geschichte, die alles hat, was ein gutes Hörspiel ausmacht:
Eine spannende Abenteuergeschichte mit Verwicklungen, Verschwörungen und Geheimnissen.
Eine (tragische) Liebesgeschichte, erfüllte Liebe, unerfüllte Liebe und Opfer für die Liebe.
Wunderbare Protagonisten mit Ecken und Kanten, die einem ans Herz wachsen.
Dazu noch hervorragende Sprecher, auch in den Nebenrollen und stimmige Geräuschkulisse mit dezentem Soundtrack.
Das besondere an der Umsetzung dürfte wohl sein, dass man den Erzähler in Form eines ironischen Charles Dickens beibehalten hat, der dem Hörspiel noch einmal Würze gibt, denn viele der wirklich witzigen, gemeinen, ironischen Passagen befinden sich bei Dickens im Erzählstrang, und würden ohne Erzähler einfach verloren gehen. Das Hörspiel konnte Anfang 2013 als Podcast bei der BBC abboniert werden und lief Mai/Juni 2013 auch als Afternoon Drama auf BBC Radio 4

Sprecher:
Charles Dickens...Robert Lindsay
Jarvis Lorry...Jonathan Coy
Miss Pross...Alison Steadman
Lucie Manette...Lydia Wilson
Dr Alexandre Manette...Karl JohnsonCharles Darnay...Andrew Scott
Ernest Defarge...James Lailey
Therese Defarge...Tracy Wiles
Gaspard...Simon Bubb
Jerry Cruncher...Carl Prekopp
Joe...Rikki Lawton
With Adam Billington and Christopher Webster
Music by Lennert Busch
Directed by Jessica Dromgoole and Jeremy

"A Tale of Two Cities" ist vielleicht nicht mein liebstes Buch von Charles Dickens, aber es ist sehr gut und überzeugend geschrieben. Und Gott sei Dank enthält es nur einen von diesen unglaubwürdigen Zufällen, die manchmal in seinen Romanen passieren (siehe "Oliver Twist" und OLivers Großvater). Daher ist "A Tale of Two Cities" eine sehr glaubwürdige und realistische Geschichte, die jedenfalls mich tief getroffen hat. Das liegt unter anderem auch daran, dass es hier sehr düster zugeht und wenig vom Humor, den man sonst gern in Dickens' Romanen trifft, vorkommt. So eine absolute Witzfigur fehlt, die das Geschehen etwas auflockert. Nur leichte humoristische Züge finden sich in zwei Figuren. Ansonsten geht es ernst zu. Dickens beschreibt die Jahre vor und nach der Französischen Revolution, all das Elend, die Ungerechtigkeiten, den Kampf für Besserung, den Sieg und den Beginn neuer Ungerechtigkeiten -- die jetzt die andere Seite treffen. Den Slogan "Freedom, Equality, Fraternity" erweitert Dickens um "or Death" und zeigt damit, dass die neuen Ideale über Leichen gehen und die Menschen, die sie vertreten, letztlich nicht besser sind als die anderen. Im Zentrum der Handlung steht ein französischer Arzt, der viele viele Jahre zu Unrecht in der Bastille eingesperrt wurde, seine Tochter und dessen Ehemann, der nun zu Unrecht angeklagt ist und vor dem Todesurteil steht. Dickens trifft die Zeichnung aller Figuren hervorragend. Sein Gespür für ihre Psychologie ist meisterhaft. Seine Drehungen und Wendungen sind voller Kunst. Eine wirklich sehr gute Geschichte, die man ruhig mal wieder hervorholen und lesen sollte.

An exceptional blend of history, and fiction, A Tale of Two Cities is Dickens at his best. If you give the novel a chance, and see the tale for what it is, a detailed and complex story of the people of the French Revolution, the characters and the plot will pull you in, refusing to release you until the end.

This is my true introduction to Dickens (yes, I had to read A Christmas Carol ages ago, but I hated it with a passion.) This book was truly well done, and rightfully and lasting classic. The span of characters was vast, and the story well told. One of few criticisms I could find with this book was that I found most of the emotional value of the story fall flat. The only emotional scene that really caught most of its capability to move the read was one of the last.... This is, otherwise, a very entertaining and well done read. Be warned, however, that it WAS written in Victorian England, so if you have difficulty reading older dialects of English you may have some trouble with this book.