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Title: Charles Dickens Four Complete Novels (Great Expectations, Hard Times, A Christmas Carol, A Tale of Two Cities) by Charles Dickens ISBN: 0-517-05360-8 Publisher: Gramercy Pub. Date: 03 October, 1990 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $19.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.93 (15 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Timeless Classics
Comment: Charles Dickens makes characters come alive and stay alive. There is always a character to relate to, despise, pity and love. Great Expectations is one of my all-time favorites. It has depth and meaning and just enough humor to ice the cake. A Christmas Carol is, of course, a classic that can be read and enjoyed by young and old alike. A great way to break into the classics. The reason I give this book 4 out of 5...A Tale of Two Cities. A muttled mess of ideas that never really reach an enjoyable plateau until somewhere in the last 50 pages. By book's end you only wish that the beginning mirrored the end. On the up side, it was a great bedside tome that made it possible to get an early night sleep. Overall though, this book is a must have. Read it, Enjoy it, Share it.
Rating: 3
Summary: A Tale of Two Cities and a Moral Lesson
Comment: A Tale of Two Cities takes place during the time of the French Revolution in London and Paris. The French Revolution is a time of turmoil, sadness, and gloom in France for the aristocrats and poor people who die by the guillotine. Rebels who lead the revolution kill many people for unconscionable reasons. The guillotine becomes a large part of the lives of people during the French Revolution, and it takes the place of the Cross. Dickens did a superb job when he wrote A Tale of Two Cities because he is able to make a past revolution come to life. The action of the French Revolution makes the book interesting. Suspense is a major part of the success of A Tale of Two Cities. Dickens uses the suspense of the civil strife to keep the reader's interest in the novel. The author adds twists to the novel, to change the flow of the story line. Charles Dickens changes the line of A Tale of Two Cities when Charles Darnay goes to France to get his companion, Gabelle, out of prison. Darnay is put into prison also. The story moves to France, and the French Revolution becomes the major theme of the story.
Charles Dickens, the author, uses his voice as the narrator of the novel. Dickens' use of a narrator gives the characters in A Tale of Two Cities the chance to develop. One character is not telling the story from their view, and the reader is given a chance to establish their own view of each character. In A Tale of Two Cities, Lucie Manette is an important character. The reader is able to develop their own opinion of Lucie Manette as a cowardly figure because she always goes to her father, or faints, when things in her life are unsuccessful. The contrast of having a narrator would be to have a character from the story tell their opinion of characters, and the reader is forced to look at the other characters in the novel, like the character telling the story does. Lucie Manette could be described as a strong figure, because she was able to live through her husband's imprisonment and her father's resurrection from insanity to a loving and caring person.
Charles Dickens moves the plot of the story along slowly and fills the pages with superfluous information. The plot of the story is great, but the reader loses interest in the novel before it can get to the heart of the novel. The advanced vocabulary of the novel hinders the success of the story. The intimidating word choice of the author causes the reader to lose interest. The flow of the story is awkward, because Dickens does not stay on one subject as he tells the story. He speaks of the present events of a chapter and then refers to past events. Readers become mind-boggled.
Charles Dickens made the characters in A Tale of Two Cities imaginative. The main character of the novel, Sydney Carton, is a prime example of character development. He led a random life. His good friend, Robert Lorry, said, "Carton, your life is like a seesaw. A good spirit one day and a bad spirit the next day." Sydney Carton is an ignominious character but rises to be a man of high self-esteem. He saves Lucie Manette's husband from death by the guillotine, when he gives the ultimate
sacrifice, his life, because he wanted Lucie, her husband, and their child to have a life of happiness. Characters in A Tale of Two Cities live believable lives because their lives are flawed just like the lives of real people. Characters go through trials in their lives throughout the novel, these real-life situations make the reader feel closer to the characters. The reader enjoys and shares the emotions of the character. Dickens does a tremendous job of pulling the reader into the novel. Dickens is an excellent storyteller. He is able to bring out an important lesson of sacrifice, through a horrific story of the French Revolution. Charles Dickens uses Sydney Carton as the sacrificial lamb in A Tale of Two Cities. Sydney Carton shows the reader how someone can put the welfare of another person before your own. When the novel is finished, the reader feels like they have watched a man become a hero. There are strong emotions in the novel. A Tale of Two Cities is a story that will enlighten the heart and give the reader a sense of love, sacrifice, and hope. It is a novel that generations after us can read and be entertained by the emotions and terrifying scenes of the French Revolution.
Rating: 1
Summary: Entirely awful book
Comment: Great Expectations was perhaps one of the worst book ever written. I'm no Dickens' expert, but I do know a little about literature- I don't know how this even passed through the editing stage. It is slow-paced, boring, pointless, and an all-out waste of time to read. I have read challenging books with strong points like this before, and have sometimes enjoyed them, but never have I read a book this pointless and difficult to read, with such a stupid ending. DONT WASTE YOUR MONEY AND VALUABLE TIME ON IT!!!!!!!
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Title: William Shakespeare: The Complete Works, Deluxe Edition by William Shakespeare ISBN: 0517053616 Publisher: Gramercy Pub. Date: 08 September, 1990 List Price(USD): $19.99 |
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Title: Mark Twain: Four Complete Novels by MARK TWAIN ISBN: 0517092891 Publisher: Gramercy Pub. Date: 23 March, 1993 List Price(USD): $11.99 |
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Title: Edgar Allan Poe: Selected Works, Deluxe Edition by Edgar Allan Poe ISBN: 0517053586 Publisher: Gramercy Pub. Date: 03 October, 1990 List Price(USD): $19.99 |
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Title: Jane Austen: The Complete Novels by JANE AUSTEN ISBN: 0517118297 Publisher: Gramercy Pub. Date: 01 June, 1994 List Price(USD): $12.99 |
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Title: Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens ISBN: 0812580036 Publisher: Tor Classics Pub. Date: 15 August, 1998 List Price(USD): $4.99 |
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