A Tale of Two Novels
Hello! Today I have a few more books for your consideration. 🙂
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…” This is the famous beginning of a book that if you haven’t read yourself, I’m sure you’ve heard of. The story is an enthralling look into the time of the French Revolution. A time of discord and unfortunately, much bloodshed. But, hard times often uncover, and form, heroes. Amid the terror and confusion of the French Revolution, some rose to the occasion. Putting others before themselves, even as they feared for their lives.
What I thought:
I read this book for the first time several years ago. I’d already read other books written by Charles Dickens, so I was sure I would like this one. I must say, though you can probably guess by looking at the cover, that many people die in the book. However, it is not overly gory. I think that Dickens was simply writing an accurate portrayal of the time, which did indeed include much bloodshed. The storyline is interesting and moving. I hope you read it for yourself!
Here’s a link to A Tale of Two Cities.
This second book I’m sharing today, though set in the same time period as A Tale of Two Cities and revolves around the French Revolution, is, in my opinion, much less serious. The plot follows a group of wealthy young men, living in England, who have taken it upon themselves to smuggle French aristocrats out of France and out from under the guillotine’s unforgiving (to say the least) blade. Their leader is the elusive, daring Scarlet Pimpernel, who is named for the small red flower that is his sign.
What I thought:
I read this book for the first time only a month or two ago. In my opinion, the writing style did, in some ways, remind me of Dickens. I thought the places and people were described very well. In fact, it almost felt as if I could see the characters as they were introduced to the storyline. It did have a little more of the flavor of a more typical novel, but was still an enjoyable read. I hope you’ll give it a look.
Well, that’s all I have for now. I hope you enjoyed this post! ~ Emily