A Tale of Two Cities

By: Charles Dickens

Narrated by: Martin Jarvis

Length: 14 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

Exclusively from Audible

'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times'; so the recording begins and ends with some of Dickens' best-known words, and between those lines is every Briton's view of the worst excesses of the French Revolution.

Set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution, the audiobook tells the story of a French doctor who is imprisoned for 18 years in the Bastille in Paris. Upon his release, he moves to London with his daughter, Lucie, whom he had never met. She marries but there is conflict between her husband and the people who decades earlier caused her father's imprisonment.

Set against the backdrop of the conditions that led up to the French Revolution, it depicts the plight of the French peasantry demoralised by the French aristocracy and the brutality demonstrated by the revolutionaries during the Reign of Terror, towards the former aristocrats.

Dickens was one of eight children from a very poor family, with his father eventually being sent to debtor's prison. Dickens began work at the age of 12 to help clear the family debt. It was this troublesome childhood that provided him with much of the material for his novels and lent him a sympathetic voice for the poor.

Narrator Biography

Martin Jarvis is one of Britain's most admired actors. His audiobook output is legendary. He is described in Vanity Fair as 'the Olivier of audiobooks' and 'genius of the Spoken Word' in the LA Times. Award-winning recordings range from titles by Charles Dickens, P.G. Wodehouse and Michael Frayn to thrillers by Jeffrey Archer, Wilbur Smith, Ian Fleming and Dick Francis.

He has starred in many acclaimed West End and National Theatre productions and received the Theatre World Award as Jeeves on Broadway. Numerous UK television appearances encompass Law & Order, Doctor Who, Endeavour, Inspector Morse and The Forsyte Saga. In America: Murder She Wrote, Numb3rs, Cosmos and Walker, Texas Ranger. Films include Titanic, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Wreck-It Ralph. Videogames: Alfred in Batman, Finn McMissile in Cars. Martin was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE).

Public Domain (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

Classic for a Reason!

I have decided to go back and read many of the "classics" that I never got around to. This is my second Dickens book (Great Expectations) and neither of them has disappointed. The depth of the characters in this book is amazing and his accounts of post revolution France were also very enlightening. Martin Jarvis is a superb narrator; the range of his character voices makes it very hard to imagine that it is only one man reading this book. Dickens and Jarvis make a great team-- tremendous tremendous audiobook.

Beautiful book by wonderful reader

Not necessarily a book that modern sensibilities will embrace, Tale of 2 Cities is for readers who long for a beautiful and idealistic portrayal of human character. Martin Jarvis reads the story with feeling (just the right amount) and he gives each character a unique and recognizable voice. So enjoyable!

A great historical Dickens tale

Dickens crafts larger-than-life characters whose defining personality traits and conversational tics carry them strongly through the story, and his depiction of France before and during the Revolution is as vivid and bloody as the Terror, despite his exercising all the expected Victorian restraint when it comes to actually describing bloodshed. He also contrasts Paris with London, and not always in London's favor; Dickens was a marvelous social critic of his time, and with understated clarity he shows the reader how, while the British aristocracy was no longer trampling peasants beneath their horses' feet with impunity, the English court system was hardly more just or less rapacious and corrupt than the French.

The story itself is typically Dickensian in that it is full of memorable characters who are all brought onstage separately and then brought together by a tightening web of plot threads that ends up tying everyone together one way or another. Once Dickens introduces a character, he means to use that character until the very end, and will use any improbable plot device to make sure everyone is where he wants them to be. So of course the spy who is known to the Defarges is the very same man whom Sydney Carton saw tried years earlier in London; of course the nephew of the Marquis who imprisoned Doctor Manette (who once employed Monsieur Defarge) is the very same man who flees France and marries his daughter; of course Sydney Carton and Jerry Cruncher just happen to be in Paris on business (with the "man of business" Mr. Lorry) when Charles Darnay goes there, etc. And there is the most improbable plot device at all, telegraphed at the beginning of the book when Carton faces Darnay during that London trial. But it all works to create a tense and very enjoyable novel.

Definitely a favorite, and one I should have read earlier. Martin Jarvis's narration is great and perfectly British, though a bit "squeaky" with some of the female characters.

Excellent In Every Way

This may just be the quintessential audiobook version of A Tale of Two Cities. I have a preference for a single narrator of the classics such as the Dicken's novels (as opposed to multiple actors) and Martin Jarvis is absolutely excellent in this role. His main narration of the text is confident and consistent with no affectations or pregnant pauses and the voices he gives to the characters are spot-on.

If you are new to the great 'A Tale of Two Cities', then you are in for a particularly exciting treat. If, on the other hand, you are returning to it again (as was my case), Martin Jarvis may just make you think you are hearing it for the first time. 'It was the best of times....'

Outstanding

A wonderful version. I've started this book several times, but only now finished it. I'm glad I did. This has given me a new appreciation for the power of Dickens' writing. I strongly recommend it.

A classic made better by Martin Jarvis.

This is one of my favorite books ever. The first time I had trouble with it, but found it was easier to keep everything straight once I saw one of the movie adaptations. Since I've read this book at least 4 times and is one of my favorites. I am getting ready to read it again. I love the way Martin Jarvis reads the book.

A TALE OF TWO CITIES

Though – A Tale of Two Cities – is considered Charles Dickens’ most famous work, it is not his best. Dickens offers historical and personal perspective in “A Tale of Two Cities” but empathy for his characters is often missing; i.e. empathy that makes one gasp for air or suppress a tear.

Dickens provides a primer on revolution in “A Tale of Two Cities”. What is seen in today’s Syria, Iraq, Libya, Egypt, and other “Arab Spring” countries are boiling cauldrons. Their societies are roiling at the extremes of the pendulum; the killing continues. New and hopefully better societies will come from their revolutions.

A book most wonderful

Fantastic, wonderful, marvelous, I cannot say onebad thing about a Tale of Two Cities. Honestly, I really did not want to listen to this book. I thought it would be boring. The only reason I did is because I am trying to reeducate myself by reading the classics. It was one of the best books I have ever read. It gave me the chills. True heros from a horrific time in history. Amazing!

Jarvis is very fine

No one can touch Patrick Tull when it comes to reading Dickens--if you haven't downloaded his version of The Pickwick Papers do it instantly! Having finished the latter I was up for another but was disappointed to find there is only the one Dickens read by him in Audible. Jarvis is not as revelatory as Tull but he is definitely the next best thing. The novel itself is a bit of a tough haul, not only because the subject matter is quite grim but also b/c Dickens is at times experimenting with prose techniques that can be a little hard to follow in the audio format. But it will live with you. Highly recommended.

Best book I've ever listened to. Wow!

I had never read or listened to any works by Dickens before this. I would honestly say this is the best book I've experienced, ever, and I am no youngster (52 years old) and a fairly avid reader. Simply outstanding story!

The narrator of this version is also incredible! The voices are distinctly different for each character, and his voice pleasing. This adds more to the story than you can imagine. He is top-notch.

You simply MUST get this audio. I literally could not put it down. I think anything else I listen to is going to be a comedown, after this.