A Tale of Two Cities (1859) is a 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. It tells the story of two men, Charles Darnay and Sydney Carton, who look similar but are very different in personality. Darnay is a romantic French aristocrat, while Carton is a cynical English barrister. However, the two are in love with the same woman, Lucie Manette.

Other major characters in the book include Dr. Alexandre Manette (Lucie’s father), who was unjustly imprisoned in the infamous Bastille for many years under a lettre de cachet, and Madame Defarge, a female revolutionary with a grudge against the Evrémonde family.

The novel’s 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. . .”, are among the most famous lines in English literature.

I found this at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Tale_of_Two_Cities

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