A Tale of Two Cities


Read by LibriVox Volunteers

(4.5 stars; 783 reviews)

A Tale of Two Cities (1859) is a historical novel by Charles Dickens; it is moreover a moral novel strongly concerned with themes of guilt, shame, redemption and patriotism.

The plot centers on the years leading up to French Revolution and culminates in the Jacobin Reign of Terror. It tells the story of two men, Charles Darnay and Sydney Carton, who look very alike but are entirely different in character.(Summary from wikipedia)

(14 hr 59 min)

Chapters

I.I: The Period 6:49 Read by Michael Sirois
I.II: The Mail 14:53 Read by Kara Shallenberg
I.III: The Night Shadows 12:07 Read by Chip
I.IV: The Preparation 29:57 Read by Chip
I.V: The Wineshop 26:23 Read by Andy Minter (1934-2017)
I.VI: The Shoemaker 23:42 Read by Jamey Osborne
II.I: Five Years Later 14:19 Read by Zale Schafer (Rose May Chamberlin Memorial Foundat
II.II: A Sight 17:55 Read by Chip
II.III: A Disappointment 36:14 Read by Chip
II.IV: Congratulatory 17:33 Read by Kara Shallenberg
II.V: The Jackal 14:30 Read by Chip
II.VI: Hundreds of People 26:20 Read by Tora
II.VII: Monseigneur in Town 22:40 Read by Kristin LeMoine
II.VIII: Monseigneur in the Country 13:37 Read by Chip
II.IX: The Gorgon's Head 27:44 Read by Nocturna
II.X: Two Promises 21:07 Read by Susan Denney
II.XI: A Companion Picture 7:53 Read by Kevin McAsh
II.XII: The Fellow of Delicacy 14:46 Read by Kevin McAsh
II.XIII: The Fellow of no Delicacy 18:18 Read by Denny Sayers (d. 2015)
II.XIV: The Honest Tradesman 24:56 Read by Andy Minter (1934-2017)
II.XV: Knitting 26:16 Read by Betsie Bush
II.XVI: Still Knitting 30:34 Read by Kara Shallenberg
II.XVII: One Night 11:53 Read by Patrick
II.XVIII: Nine Days 16:57 Read by Andy Minter (1934-2017)
II.XIX: An Opinion 21:09 Read by Chip
II.XX: A Plea 7:25 Read by KentF
II.XXI: Echoing Footsteps 26:18 Read by Zale Schafer (Rose May Chamberlin Memorial Foundat
II.XXII: The Sea Still Rises 13:01 Read by Zale Schafer (Rose May Chamberlin Memorial Foundat
II.XXIII: Fire Rises 19:51 Read by Peter Eastman
II.XXIV: Drawn to the Loadstone Rock 30:00 Read by Andy Minter (1934-2017)
III.I: In Secret 26:31 Read by Marian Brown
III.II: The Grindstone 14:44 Read by Tora
III.III: The Shadow 12:44 Read by Patrick
III.IV: Calm in Storm 15:02 Read by Andy Minter (1934-2017)
III.V: The Woodsawyer 16:43 Read by Andy Minter (1934-2017)
III.VI: Triumph 17:29 Read by Nocturna
III.VII: A Knock at the Door 11:45 Read by Tora
III.VIII: A Hand at Cards 30:26 Read by Andy Minter (1934-2017)
III.IX: The Game Made 27:45 Read by Tora
III.X: The Substance of the Shadow 35:49 Read by Michael Sirois
III.XI: Dusk 9:15 Read by Deborah Clark
III.XII: Darkness 19:30 Read by Deborah Clark
III.XIII: Fiftytwo 23:52 Read by Caroline Morse
III.XIV: The Knitting Done 28:16 Read by Moira Fogarty
III.XV: The Footsteps Die Out For Ever 14:37 Read by Michael Sirois

Reviews

A Tale of Two Cities

(5 stars)

One more book that truly deserves many stars, written by master writer Charles Dickens. I am ashamed to say that I never read it before in its printed form, and appreciate LibriVox's audio books even more for it. The work of the readers was great, no exceptions, as far as I am concerned. Everyone in his or hers own style gave depth and the appropriate degree of emotion to the portion they were reading, and some were truly magnificent. Thank you all of you readers, from an appreciative listener. Thank you, LibriVox.

Well done reading of Dickens

(4 stars)

This Dickens classic is read by a wide variety of talented Librivox volunteers. Overall, the reading is very well done and they bring the book to life. When I read to myself, I tend to read quickly and skip. But being read to is a whole other experience - the depth of description and character development that Dickens builds into his novels shines through. Well worth the 15 hour commitment to hear the entire book.

A Tale of Two (or More) Narrators

(4 stars)

The book is great, of course. Most of the narrators were good, some especially so. A couple left quite a bit lacking. I was very disappointed that in the pivotal scene at the end, the narrator read far too quickly and had poor pronunciation.

A Tale of Two Cities

(5 stars)

The book is a timeless classic that has the power to hold the reader in attention and suspense like many of its contemporaries can do. The readings, for the most part, were done well. This Dickens novel is worth your attention. -N

A Literary Masterpiece, Not Illustrated by This Execution

(3 stars)

I am forced to agree with the other reviews. While the story is long, it really grabs the imagination in the second half and the multiple readers, with differing enunciation for various words and names, seemed to muck things up a bit. Though each reader did a superb job, it is my opinion that a single reader would have been much more fluid

Superb Classic

(5 stars)

The book is wonderful as we’ve all come to expect the pen of Charles Dickens to produce. The reading was good. Only one or two chapters were read with some static interference and it was difficult to understand. 95% was read clearly and brilliantly, giving life and character to each word.

(5 stars)

Most of the readers did well but if I had had my way Andy Minter would have read the whole book. He was excellent. His reading made the scenes he read come alive for the listener.

Gains tempo and interest

(4 stars)

There are three books here. The first one introduces many of the characters, and sets the tone and contrast of England and France. It is a slow start, but maintains interest with powerful descriptive language that paints a vivid image of the world unfolding. The second book is when things start to get very interesting, with the French revolution being an important and dramatic theme. By the third book, you are hooked. Overwhelming suspense between the chapters make 'A Tale of Two Cities' slow start well worth your time.