A Tale of Two Cities.

A Tale of Two Cities is a novel by Charles Dickens that tells the story of Lucie Manette, her father Dr. Alexandre Manette, and their journey during the French Revolution. Mr. Lorry, an official of Tellson's Bank, discovers that Dr. Manette is alive and had been wrongfully imprisoned in the Bastille. Lucie and Mr. Lorry take her father back to London, where Lucie plans to nurse him back to health and sanity. Five years later, Charles Darnay is accused of being a traitor and spy and is sentenced to death. However, Sydney Carton, an advocate present in the courtroom, points out the resemblance between the prisoner and himself to the defense lawyer Mr. Stryver, and Darnay is acquitted. Years pass, and Darnay and Carton fall in love with Lucie Manette. Carton is a lawyer who wastes his life in drinking and idling, while Lucie marries Darnay, a French aristocrat who has renounced his inheritance and now lives in London under an assumed name and works as a tutor. The French Revolution breaks out, and Darnay is caught and imprisoned. Lucie, her daughter, Dr. Manette, and Mr. Lorry rush to Paris to save him, but Madame Defarge seeks personal revenge against the Evremonde family. Sydney Carton decides to save Darnay's life by taking his place, and with the help of Mr. Lorry, he gets him out of danger. The Darnay family flees back to England while Carton sacrifices his life for Darnay, his look-alike, to fulfill a promise to Lucie.

Format: Hardback
Publication date: 29 July 2021
Publisher: Chiltern Publishing

A Tale of Two Cities, a novel by Charles Dickens, delves into the captivating story of Mr. Jarvis Lorry, an official at Tellson's Bank in London, who accompanies Lucie Manette to Paris. Mr. Lorry possesses vital information that her father, Dr. Alexandre Manette, who had vanished eighteen years prior, is alive. Dr. Manette had been unjustly imprisoned in the Bastille and left to perish. Upon their arrival in Paris, Mr. Lorry and Lucie visit the residence of Monsieur Defarge, a wine seller who had served as Dr. Manette's servant and cared for him after his release from prison. To their dismay, they discover that Doctor Manette has suffered a drastic transformation. He has aged prematurely, losing his memory and sense, and spends his days cobbling shoes. Every time Defarge and his associates gaze upon this shattered man, who has been a victim of the aristocracy, the flames of revolutionary fervor and hatred against oppression are stoked. Determined to restore her father to health and sanity, Lucie lovingly takes him back to London.

Five years later, in 1780, a young Frenchman named Charles Darnay is accused of being a traitor and a spy. Lucie and her father, reluctant witnesses for the prosecution, had encountered Darnay during their journey from Calais to Dover. Lucie highlights the accused's admirable qualities while testifying. However, the overwhelming evidence against him, with numerous witnesses swearing that he is a spy, casts a shadow of doubt. The onlookers, too, mentally condemn him, eagerly anticipating the death sentence. Yet, it is the astute advocate Sydney Carton who, during the courtroom proceedings, notices a striking resemblance between the prisoner and himself to the defense lawyer Mr. Stryver. This revelation prompts the jury to consider the possibility of a mistake.

In a dramatic turn of events, the truth is revealed: Darnay is not a traitor but a twin brother of the man who had been imprisoned and executed in his place. The real traitor, Lucie's former fiancé, Jarvis Lorry, had orchestrated the entire plot to save his brother's life. With this revelation, the courtroom erupts in chaos, and Darnay is set free. The novel concludes with the reunion of the Manette family, as Dr. Manette regains his memory and is reunited with his daughter and son-in-law. A Tale of Two Cities is a powerful exploration of love, sacrifice, and the triumph of justice, showcasing Charles Dickens' exceptional storytelling skills and his deep understanding of human nature.

Weight: 742g
Dimension: 128 x 187 x 35 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781912714964