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Go Back   SnitchSeeker.com > Forums > Floo Network (Extra Fun) > The Book Seekers (Book Club) > Book of the Moment


Book of the Moment Join us to read and discuss the current and past books of the moment!

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Old 09-06-2022, 09:23 PM
MadMadamMalfoy MadMadamMalfoy is offline
 
Default 'A Tale of Two Cities' by Charles Dickens


Welcome to The Book Seekers' Book of the Moment!

If you don't know what Book of the Moment is, you can find more information about it here but, in a nutshell, it's a bi-monthly event, during which we all read the same book and then discuss it. The first month is focused on reading the book, the second is focused on discussing it. This thread is dedicated to the discussion of the book and there will be lots of SPOILERS!!!! You have been warned! If you want to talk about your reading progress in a spoiler-free environment, this thread is the place for that, and it is always open and active so you can read at your own pace. When you have finished the book and are ready to talk spoilers to your heart's content, you should post in this thread. You can post in this thread at any time during the two months, but the Official™ discussion won't take place until the start of the second month. Don't fret if you're reading the book after that date ― you can add to the discussion at any time!

Our current Book of the Moment is...

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens!


AGE RATING: Sa16+
GENRE: Classics
SUMMARY: (from Goodreads)

A Tale of Two Cities is Charles Dickens’s great historical novel, set against the violent upheaval of the French Revolution. The most famous and perhaps the most popular of his works, it compresses an event of immense complexity to the scale of a family history, with a cast of characters that includes a bloodthirsty ogress and an antihero as believably flawed as any in modern fiction. Though the least typical of the author’s novels, A Tale of Two Cities still underscores many of his enduring themes—imprisonment, injustice, social anarchy, resurrection, and the renunciation that fosters renewal.


SPOILER!!: CONTENT WARNINGS!
Abuse, alcohol use, classism, death, mental illness, mention of rape, violence

Let's go over some ground rules and information...
  • All Book Club Rules and SnitchSeeker Board Rules apply in this thread.
  • You can discuss anything related to A Tale of Two Cities in here. Spoilers ARE allowed and we encourage you to avoid using spoiler tabs where possible because it helps the discussion flow better.
  • This discussion will be active until October 31. That being said, the thread will remain open for everyone to discuss the book after that time, too.
Extra stuff!
  • Feeling inspired? Why not contribute some A Tale of Two Cities art to our Bookish Fan Art thread?
Log of Discussion Questions:
What were your first impressions? How did they change over time?

If you have issues or queries, contact MadMadamMalfoy (your lovely BotM Host!!!) OR one of the two Book Club Mods: Lissy Longbottom or Bazinga – and don't forget to nominate books for future Book of the Moments!
Ready, Set, Read!
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Old 09-07-2022, 12:12 AM   #2 (permalink)
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I am SO happy you picked this book. This was one of my favorites in high school! I know Dickens can be daunting but this story really gripped me and I’m excited to revisit it after all these years!
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Old 09-09-2022, 01:45 PM   #3 (permalink)
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I have actually never read this, so I'm going to try with my crazy tennis schedule to get this read!
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Old 09-09-2022, 08:34 PM   #4 (permalink)
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This is such an epic read. Read this in high school. A nuanced description of a turbulent time in history, it's one of my favourites by Dickens!
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Old 09-11-2022, 11:21 PM   #5 (permalink)
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Originally Posted by Bazinga View Post
I have actually never read this, so I'm going to try with my crazy tennis schedule to get this read!
Yes, you definitely should! Here’s hoping your schedule cooperates! *crosses fingers*

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Originally Posted by Lissy Longbottom View Post
I am SO happy you picked this book. This was one of my favorites in high school! I know Dickens can be daunting but this story really gripped me and I’m excited to revisit it after all these years!
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Originally Posted by La_Luna View Post
This is such an epic read. Read this in high school. A nuanced description of a turbulent time in history, it's one of my favourites by Dickens!
Same! This story has been close to my heart for a long time. I saw a tv adaptation when I was a kid (many years before I read the book) and loved it even then, at least the parts of the story that I understood at that age. Then I read the book in high school like the two of you and loved it even more. I somewhat recently rediscovered this old favorite during the COVID restrictions of 2020 and found myself drawn to it in a whole new way, so I’m super excited to discuss it with you all!

Which brings me to my first question, and this is one you can answer as you’re reading/rereading the book. What are/were your first impressions of the story? Could be the characters, plot, writing style, any/all of the above or something else. Did/how have your impressions changed?
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Old 10-17-2022, 03:43 PM   #6 (permalink)
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Lets get into the story, thoughts so far? What is your favorite thing about reading this book?
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Old 10-17-2022, 06:51 PM   #7 (permalink)
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I really do enjoy Dickens' writing style. I know he can be a lot (being paid per word and all that lol) but maybe it's because I am wordy myself...I just vibe with it really well. It helps me get a better mental image of what exactly is going on. Plus I'm just a huge history nerd so the storyline of the book itself is really enjoyable for me!
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Old 10-21-2022, 02:33 AM   #8 (permalink)
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I really do enjoy Dickens' writing style. I know he can be a lot (being paid per word and all that lol) but maybe it's because I am wordy myself...I just vibe with it really well. It helps me get a better mental image of what exactly is going on. Plus I'm just a huge history nerd so the storyline of the book itself is really enjoyable for me!
I agree 100%! I remember the first time I read this book, I thought it would be an easy read. I don’t know why, maybe because I could more or less follow a tv version of the story at an early age? Anyway, I was struck by Dickens’s writing style and just how wordy it was. There were parts that I had a hard time understanding, and even to this day, I’ll find myself rereading parts to make sure I got everything.

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Lets get into the story, thoughts so far? What is your favorite thing about reading this book?
Oh goodness, where do I begin? I have so many favorite things!

If I had to pick one, I’d say my favorite thing is the characters. Even the characters that I don’t personally like (E.g. Darnay, Stryver, the Marquis St. Evremonde) are written in a compelling, if not entertaining way that makes them fun to read about, not to mention the fact that this story is home to one of my favorite fictional characters ever! If you look at my professor’s name or if you saw my doll repaint in the Bookish Fanart thread before the cyberattack happened, you can probably guess which one that is.

I’m of course referring to Sydney Carton. He was always the character I gravitated toward, even as a little kid watching the tv movie. As an adult, I came to realize just how much I relate to him… so much so that I sometimes joke with my bookworm friends that I’m like a modern female version of Sydney Carton. I see so much of myself in his cynicism, self-loathing, intelligence, and hidden depths, and like him, I fell far short of reaching my full potential.

I swear I’m not pointlessly fangirling! I bring him up because he’s an integral part of my other two favorite things about the book, the message and the ending. I love the themes of hope, sacrifice, and redemption, and I find it inspiring to see that someone can fall that far and still find a way to do something worthwhile with their life.

And how about that ending?! I remember I was soooo mad the first time I read it, but as heartbreaking as Sydney’s death was, I understand why it had to happen.
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