4Real Forums: A Tale of Two cities

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Topic: A Tale of Two cities

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LLMom
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Posted: April 03 2008 at 3:54pm \| IP Logged

I know this book is set during the French revolution but does it give an accurate account of it or is it just mentioned in passing? Also, what age would you recommend it for?

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Lisa
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Cay Gibson
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Posted: May 23 2008 at 8:50pm \| IP Logged

Dear Lisa,
Dear me! not sure how I missed your question.

I read this book back in junior high school and Kayleigh read it this past year so i got to re-immerse myself in it.

Kayleigh found Dickens extremely hard to follow so she would read a chapter and then we would discuss it together. She didn't realize the significance of Madame Defarge's knitting within the story and I find it fascinating. Dickens was a master.

Anyway, I know that I read it in 8th grade. Most in the class were bored by the story. I loved it.

I'd also encourage your family watching the movie version first so they can get the characters set in their minds and understand the sequence of events in order to enjoy the story more.

I'd give "Illustrated Classics" to any child 4th grade and 6th grade (depending on the child and his/her reading comprehension ability).

The original text, I would "recommend" for about 9th-10th grade though, as I said, I read it in 8th grade and my daughter in 12th.

Unless your child reads the "Illustrated Classics" version, you will have to read this with your child. Kayleigh just graduated Summa Cum Laude with honors but she still found Dickens hard to follow.

Does it give an accurate account of the French Revoluntion? Oh, yes, I definitely think so. Beyond the country and city aspects, it takes you into the hearts and minds of the people living during this scary time.

Goodness, I could go into a whole visual study of the Paschal Mystery using this book.

But I understand so much more of it than I did in 8th grade.

It's a fascinating book during a fascinating period in history. My daughter really enjoyed it by the time we got to the end.

Just make sure you have good study notes so your child will be left with an enjoyment of the story and Dickens. We really shouldn't expect our children to trudge through his writing feeling as though it were a ball and chain.

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MacBeth
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Posted: May 23 2008 at 10:38pm \| IP Logged

Annika LOVED this unabridged, on tape at age 9. The other kids have all enjoyed reading it or listening to it at one time or another, but before high school, and revisiting it during high school. I just recall Annika's enjoyment as she and I were on a road trip together.

Historical accuracy? I think it captures the essence of the time very, very well. Is it a word for word account? Not Dickens. But I remember being on the road with Annika and hearing her call dh on the phone to ask questions about the period (and modern times) as we drove and listened. Simply wonderful.

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SuzanneG
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Posted: May 23 2008 at 11:40pm \| IP Logged

I think I remember reading it in 10th grade and again in college. I had a better grasp of the historical significance in college and appreciated it better. I liked it in high school too, but I had my dad to ask questions to when I didn't understand something about the history.

I think it captures the historical time period very well also.

I also remember complaining a bit to my dad at times(10th grade) that Dickens was "hard"......he would snatch the book and open to where I was and read out loud for a paragraph or two in very animated tones. And then bellow out, "Ohhhhhh, wonderful verbiage! Ahhhhh, Marvelous descriptions!! It just doens't GET any better than that! What a MASTER Dickens was!!!! "

(or something to that effect)

Of course, at the time, I just

.

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Suzanne in ID
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Maddie
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Posted: May 24 2008 at 12:17am \| IP Logged

My older children just went through a Tale of Two Cities phase. We got the unabridged book on tape, but found it difficult to understand so we watched this version and loved it. Sydney's sacrifice stayed with me for days, such love! Then we listened to this dramatized version on audio. It really helped fill in the blanks for us. We never understood that Miss Pross and "the spy" are siblings, that was a shock to us after listening to the dramatized version.

The youngest I let listen to / watch TTC was 13, my younger ones are still in the E. Nesbit type stage.

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