A Tale of Two Cities

Charles Dickens · 1812–1870 · England

Why it matters

Paris and London entwine across the French Revolution's Terror, a dissolute lawyer and his aristocratic double drawn together toward the guillotine's shadow. Dickens's only true historical novel trades his usual social panorama for a compressed, propulsive plot of doubles and redemption.

At a glance

Tighter and faster than typical Dickens, though the doubling plot and revolutionary backdrop need tracking.