A Tale of Two Cities and Great Expectations: Two Novels (Oprah's Book Club)

Two of the most beloved novels in all of English literature--together in one extraordinary volume.

A TALE OF TWO CITIES
After 18 years as a political prisoner in the Bastille, the aging Doctor Manette is finally released and reunited with his daughter in England. There the lives of the two very different men, Charles Darnay, an exiled French aristocrat, and Sydney Carton, a disreputable but brilliant English lawyer, become enmeshed through their love for Lucie Manette. From the tranquil roads of London, they are drawn against their will to the vengeful, bloodstained streets of Paris at the height of the Reign of Terror, and they soon fall under the lethal shadow of the guillotine.

GREAT EXPECTATIONS
A terrifying encounter with an escaped convict in a graveyard on the wild Kent marshes; a summons to meet the bitter, decaying Miss Havisham and her beautiful, cold-hearted ward Estella; the sudden generosity of a mysterious benefactor--these form a series of events that changes the orphaned Pip's life forever, and he eagerly abandons his humble origins to begin a new life as a gentleman. Dickens's haunting late novel depicts Pip’s education and development through adversity as he discovers the true nature of his "great expectations."

This deluxe paperback edition features
•   French flaps
•   rough-cut high-quality paper
•   complimentary front- and back-cover designs highlighting each novel and including foil and debossing

A Charles Dickens Timeline

1812Born February 7 in Portsmouth, England1824His father John sent to Marshalsea Debtor's Prison for a debt of £40 and 10 shillings
Began working 10-hour days in shoe-polish warehouse to help support family1833First story, "A Dinner at Poplar Walk," appeared in the Monthly Magazine1836First book, Sketches by Boz, collected his early journalism and stories
First novel, The Pickwick Papers, began its monthly serialization
Married Catherine Hogarth1837-39Oliver Twist appeared in monthly installments1838-39Nicholas Nickleby serialized1840-41The Old Curiosity Shop1841Barnaby Rudge1842American Notes, based on his tour that year of the United States1843The Christmas Carol, the first of his "Christmas tales"1843-44Martin Chuzzlewit1846-48Dombey and Son1849-50David Copperfield1852-53Bleak House1854Hard Times1855-57Little Dorrit1857Met actress Ellen Ternan, his longtime companion1858Separated from his wife, Catherine1859A Tale of Two Cities1860-61Great Expectations1864-65Our Mutual Friend1867-68Second tour of America1868-69Farewell reading tour of the British Isles1870The Mystery of Edwin Drood (unfinished)
Died from a stroke on June 9

Customer Reviews:

Great read and a great gift

By B. McEwan "yellokat" - December 7, 2010

As usual, Oprah has picked a great book for her book club, only this time around she's recommending two books for the price of one, literally. And great books they both are. Charles Dickens is one of the towering authors of English literature. If you haven't read Dickens -- and I mean read, not just seen a movie -- you have a gaping hole in your knowledge and your literary experience.

A Tale of Two Cities is generally considered the better of these two novels. Some have called it Dickens' greatest, which is saying something when one considers the entire body of work from this outstanding author. At heart, Dickens is a story teller and A Tale of Two Cities relates a gripping story set against the backdrop of the French Revolution and the sweeping intellectual, political and social changes of the Enlightenment period.

The basics of the plot are relayed elsewhere, but I caution you not to read too much about the story line before you have read the novel, as one... read more

Excellent AudioBook

By R. Koning "Your opinions may differ" - July 10, 2012

This is an unabridged version of Great Expectations and A Tale of Two Cities. This recording has a talented cast with consistent application of well-differentiated character voices. There is a narrator who reads the non-dialog portions of Dickens' novels. The chapters and headings are narrated. There are clear bookends on each CD telling you which CD it is and which CD is next in the series. The last few lines of one CD are repeated at the beginning of the next CD so that you know you have connected them correctly and have the context for the next portion of text. These are the features of what I call an excellent audiobook. The listener gets the author's imaging, setting, and context thanks to a full reading of the book. There are 35 hours of reading here. The two sets of CDs come in a very sturdy plastic library case with ring-bound jackets for each disc. Highly recommended!