A Tale of Two Cities

Set against the French Revolution’s roar, A Tale of Two Cities weaves two lives together: Charles Darnay, a French aristocrat who rejects his bloodline’s cruelty, and Sydney Carton, a brilliant but broken English barrister who believes he’s wasted his chances. Through Dr. Manette—rescued from the Bastille after eighteen years—and his devoted daughter Lucie, Dickens tests love’s endurance in a world turned upside down. In London, hope flickers; in Paris, Madame Defarge knits names for the guillotine. When old sins call for new blood, one man will choose a destiny that brings meaning to every step he’s ever taken. This performance-style retelling keeps the characters close and the stakes clear, while the story surges from fireside tenderness to street-corner fury—until the last breath becomes the greatest gift.

• Listeners who enjoy character-driven classics with cinematic pacing
• Fans of historical fiction seeking vivid portraits of revolutionary Paris and Georgian London
• Anyone drawn to themes of redemption, sacrifice, and found family
• Book clubs looking for a timeless story that sparks ethical conversation

Charles Dickens (1812–1870) was the most widely read English novelist of the 19th century and a tireless observer of social injustice. A former law clerk and journalist, he wrote serialized fiction that combined cliffhanger storytelling with moral urgency, exposing child labor, debtor’s prisons, and bureaucratic cruelty. Beyond A Tale of Two Cities, his works include Great Expectations, David Copperfield, Oliver Twist, and Bleak House. His characters—from quiet heroes to unforgettable villains—live on because they’re rooted in the ordinary heart pressured by extraordinary times.