Thanks so much to Wendy for hosting for our discussion of Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, it was a lovely evening. We suffered a bit for the lack of Val as none of us stepped up with any intriguing questions, and because we all liked the book, our views were all consistent.
That being said, we had a lovely discussion about the book. One thing that came up immediately was the way the book was organized into scenes more than chapters. Perhaps this is a result of the way the book was published, chapter by chapter in a magazine published by Dickens, called All Year Round. This was the usual way of publishing at the time, 1859, a method that continued on for many years after.
For whatever reason, each chapter really was a set piece, and although the narrative carried through, it was possible to envision each chapter as a scene in a play.
That did not diminish the strength of each character, so well drawn, so vividly described, so believable.
Although one could certainly see Lucie Manette as an idealized female figure, somehow she worked as a character, devoted to her heroic husband and father, perfect in her ability to create a charming, thrifty home. Her father again was a perfect character and still somehow so believable and charming.
The plot also was wonderful, fast paced, easy to follow, and again, so well organized into chapters that kept all moving forward. Of course the language was florid and representative of its time. Despite that, it was easy to follow, moved the action forward and formed the characters.
So a great pick! Thanks to Maggie for suggesting it. Our next meeting is June 9, 6:30 pm at Lynn's. (Thank you Lynn!) Lucky us! The book is A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. This was a hot book at the past two Christmas book swaps so it will be fun to discuss it.
Great to see you all!
