A Tale of Two Cities

A Tale of Two Cities (1859) is the second historical novel by Charles Dickens. The plot centres on the years leading up to the French Revolution and culminates in the Jacobin Reign of Terror. The story touches upon Dr. Alexandre Manette's 1757 imprisonment, but the actual story timeline begins in 1775. The first issue of Dickens's literary periodical All the Year Round appearing April 30, 1859, contained the first of thirty-one weekly installments of the novel, which ran until November 26, 1859.

The opening – "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..." – and closing – "It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known." – of the book are among the most famous lines in English literature.

The book tells, first and foremost, the story of Charles Darnay and Sydney Carton, who look similar but are very different in their personalities. Darnay is a romantic French aristocrat; Carton is a cynical English barrister. Both fall deeply in love with the same woman, Lucie Manette.

— Excerpted from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.