Classics for Beginners discussion

This is where we will discuss Book 1.

Perfect :) This works for me!

I guess I'll go first. I really loved this book. The opening quote is still so powerful after all these years. In chapter 1, I like how Dickens compares and contrasts the two countries and shows how the crime is increasing at a worrying rate. Chapter 2 has one of my favorite quotes, "..the Dover Mail was in its usual genial position that the guard suspected the passengers, the passengers suspected one another and the guard, they all suspected everyone else, and the coachman was sure of nothing but the horses...". Hilarious and perfect description! Dickens creates so many wonderful, believable and unique characters in all his stories. I think that is one reason that I always am attracted to his books. What did you think?

Of course, the opening quote is one of the most famous opening lines of a novel. However, it seemed to be a play on Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, which has corresponding contrasts of events over time. I wonder if Dickens had those verses in the Bible in mind when he wrote those lines?

The third paragraph mentions a Mrs. Southcott who was actually a real person. She was an interesting character. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joanna_S...

Carrie wrote: "I guess I'll go first. I really loved this book. The opening quote is still so powerful after all these years. In chapter 1, I like how Dickens compares and contrasts the two countries and shows..."


I think it was that very line that convinced me I must finally make reading the book a priority. He's so funny!

Emily wrote: "Of course, the opening quote is one of the most famous opening lines of a novel. However, it seemed to be a play on Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, which has corresponding contrasts of events over time. I won..."

Thanks for sharing that. I never would have known. She sounds like a very interesting person!

I can't wait to get started on this, but it probably won't be till early next week.

Melissa wrote: "I can't wait to get started on this, but it probably won't be till early next week."

No rush on reading. That's one reason I will have separate threads for the book. Everyone can read at their own pace and participate when they can.

I am on chapter5 :). At first I was like wtheck is he talking about but by 3rd chapter i got ahold of what was going on or atleast i think I do lol.

Emily, thanks for sharing your link. She does sound like an interesting person. Chakara, I felt the same way at the beginning of the book. I wasn't sure where he was going with the storyline. It becomes very clear pretty quickly.

So today, I wanted to comment on another quote in chapter 3. "...every human creature is constituted to be the profound secret and mystery to every other". I think this is a wonderful quote explaining that no one can really know another fully and to be aware of that. Being such a mundane writer myself, I'm so impressed by someone who can write so beautifully and profoundly.

Aww, I didn't get notifications of postings in here, had no idea you guys had started discussing it lol Well, for me, once the first few characters were introduced, and dialogue started, I got hooked and already know this is one book I'm going to enjoy. I've been surprised so far by Dickens humor, I found myself chuckling at a few parts and descriptions. Some parts the writing was beautiful and made me stop and reread it over again, I'll look them up later and include them as I'm getting ready to head out the door here in a few minutes. Glad to see you all in here :))

I have this on my kindle. I'm ashamed to admit that I have never read a Dickens book in my life. I'll have to change that as soon as I've finished my current read.

David wrote: "I have this on my kindle. I'm ashamed to admit that I have never read a Dickens book in my life. I'll have to change that as soon as I've finished my current read."
Hi David! Nice to see you in here as well :) Until this one, I'd only ever read Great Expectations lol I've had Tale of two cities and The pickwick papers on my bookshelf for a very long time. Looking forward to having you join us when you're ready!

Carrie wrote: "Emily, thanks for sharing your link. She does sound like an interesting person. Chakara, I felt the same way at the beginning of the book. I wasn't sure where he was going with the storyline. I..."
Carrie I really loved the part following your quote, "...A solemn consideration, when I enter a great city by night, that every one of those darkly clustered houses encloses its own secret; that every room in every one of them encloses its own secret; that every beating heart in the hundreds of thousands of breasts there, is, in some imaginings, a secret to the heart nearest it!" My favorite so far.

That is a good quote, Tammy!

I also love some of the descriptive passages, such as this one on the weather:

"There was a steaming mist in all the hollows, and it had roamed in its forlornness up the hills like an evil spirit, seeking rest and finding none. A clammy and intensely cold mist, it made its slow way through the air in ripples that visibly followed and overspread one another, as the waves of an unwholesome sea might do. It was dense enough to shut out everything from the light of the coach-lamps but these its own workings, and a few yards of road; and the reek of the labouring horses steamed into it, as if they had made it all."


That could easily describe the fog here today, so dense you could barely see in front of your face, and a freezing fog at that, that coated the trees and ground with hoar frost. Makes you shiver just thinking about it.

Wonderful quotes! Really, you could practically quote the whole book, it is written so well! So here is my quote from chap 5, "...every wind that blew over France shook the rags of the scarecrows in vain, for the birds, fine of song and feather, took no warnings." This whole chapter is very powerful, the description of the people drinking the wine off the cobblestones is so sad and pathetic. Also it's such a powerful foreshadowing image. I loved the comparison of the people as scarecrows and the wealthy as birds. Fantastic!

I always find humor in Dickens work, even if the storyline is serious, in this book, Mr. Chruncher's dialogues never failed to make me laugh. I could image him so clearly. Dickens character development is just amazing!

Heather L wrote: "That is a good quote, Tammy!

I also love some of the descriptive passages, such as this one on the weather:

"There was a steaming mist in all the hollows, and it had roamed in its forlornne..."
That was a great passage Heather! It was one of those that I'd read, and returned to read over after I reached the final line.

Carrie wrote: "Wonderful quotes! Really, you could practically quote the whole book, it is written so well! So here is my quote from chap 5, "...every wind that blew over France shook the rags of the scarecrows..."
That was great Carrie. I'm starting to feel that this is a book meant to be enjoyed over and over again. There is so much in his writing style and passages that strike me and give me pause ( and pleasure)...but only momentarily because I want to see what happens next! I'm trying to pace myself but I'm finding that difficult, definitely the mark of a good story :)

Im loving the story and have finished book one. hoping to start book two today. The writing is beautiful and i dont know if i should feel the repition something god or not for example the "wheap for it" that was repeated 50 times lol.

Oh boy, Dickens makes you work for his stories doesn't he? I have to say some of his descriptions are glorious. But some of his sentences are so convoluted you feel you need a translator!

Chakara wrote: "Im loving the story and have finished book one. hoping to start book two today. The writing is beautiful and i dont know if i should feel the repition something god or not for example the "wheap fo..."
I've started book two also, the more this story develops the more I'm loving it :)

David wrote: "Oh boy, Dickens makes you work for his stories doesn't he? I have to say some of his descriptions are glorious. But some of his sentences are so convoluted you feel you need a translator!"
Ah, you started it too David :) For me , I find it's just adjusting to the style, the more I get into the book, the easier it is to read .
I like how the story is unfolding, giving you a taste of the characters a little bit at a time.

David wrote: "Oh boy, Dickens makes you work for his stories doesn't he? I have to say some of his descriptions are glorious. But some of his sentences are so convoluted you feel you need a translator!"

I don't always like to read Dickens because of his excessive wordiness. He got paid by the word, so he made sure he used a lot words!

I did enjoy his description of the spilled wine in the beginning of chapter 5. I could see the desperation of the people as they tried to get a special treat.

@Emily, ahhh that explains a lot. He certainly got his money's worth then! Some of his sentences are so convoluted you have to literally unravel the meaning. But some of his descriptions are soooo good. No doubt about it, the man was a literary genius!

I'm on chapter 5 now. School is keeping me too busy to read more quickly, but I love it so far. I loved his humor in describing the messengers hair, that it would be dangerous to go over in a game of leap frog because it was so stiff and jagged. I also liked his describing how everyone, including the horse, saw forms in the shadows of the night that related to their own anxieties.

It was fun to keep an eye out for the descriptions that everyone enjoyed. They were all lovely and I might have missed them otherwise. I also enjoy the descriptions of people and how Dickens incorporates their surroundings into his descriptions of them. For instance, in describing Jarvis Lorry: "Very orderly and methodical he looked, with a hand on each knee, and a loud watch ticking a sonorous sermon under his flapped waist-coat, as though it pitted its gravity and longevity against the levity and evanescence of the brisk fire."

Just started. I'll be giving updates by tomorrow. All I remember is, "That was the best of times, that was the worst of times"

Glad you joined! :)

Aditya wrote: "Just started. I'll be giving updates by tomorrow. All I remember is, "That was the best of times, that was the worst of times""

That's the main thing I remembered before I started to reread. There was one other thing I remembered that is near the end. Enjoy the book!