A Tale of Two Cities *****

I am not liberal in my giving of five stars. I think this might only be the second of the year (the first being The Help). It received so many stars, because that's how many kleenexes I was required to use to get through the last several chapters. I will say this for all who are daunted by the thick, meandering, sometimes seemingly non-sensical sentences of Mr. Dickens: it all falls into place at the end. I would recommend a few things for those who have tried without success to read this book (I was one ... this was at least my third attempt) and who don't have an English-teaching husband to read it aloud with them, offer them little crumbs of clarity along the way when it gets too confusing, and to ask questions like, "Now what just happened?" anytime something significant does. Because I realize that Joel's expertise is a precious commodity. But, here are the recommendations:

1. Make a character list of everyone mentioned. You'll be surprised how many resurface throughout the story. Record just a little line of significance so you'll be able to follow them through their epic journey.
2. Don't use SparkNotes. I promise, you don't need them. As long as you're aware of the historical set-up, you'll have the background set and you can focus on the foreground of Dickens' characters. (Brief, over-simplified historical background: France is on the verge of the Revolution. England, whose revolution was relatively long ago is just relinquishing its empire in the New World to the United States ... begrudgingly. The two cities (I didn't get it at first ... no shame if you didn't either!) are London and Paris. The "pretty queen" mentioned in the first paragraph is Marie Antionette.) That should be enough to get the training wheels off.
3. Keep going. If you start to feel bogged down by the ins and outs of the story, keep reading. You'll remember more than you think you will, even if at times it does seem tedious. Don't stop - read steadily, at least a chapter a day. By the end you won't be able to put it down (except to get the kleenex box).

As we finished reading today, it was so gratifying. Joel said that reading Dickens is like doing a really difficult puzzle. It seems impossible at first, but if you just start going forward, by the end, every piece is where it needs to be, and you are so proud of yourself that you put it together. At the risk of sounding like a eulogy and a heavy-handed Dickensian wanna-be, but without wanting to give too much away, my final words are this: My heart will forever remember the seemingly insignificant character of Sydney Carton. Thank you, Joel, for not giving up on me, and for trudging in the mud with me until I was ready to run.