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.

Brillant!!

OOhhhhh...such a hard book to read or listen to -- at first - then it is as great as David Copperfield or his other works. The characters are so well exemplified. Mr. Dickens is a wonder to beyond at creating characters and making them so believeable and entertaining. You really get to “know” them. Everyone, give this reading a real chance. This is one of my favorite all-time books. Bravado!

And, Martin Jarvis, reading is fantastic. I question if there was indeed only one reader. He plays each character. I would almost call it a dramatization.

A great story. A heartfelt story. Yet -- history. You learn something in the reading (or listening) of this story. Human nature - be it compassion or barbarism - is human nature and we are probably all capable of both put into certain circumstances.

All in all, this is so worth your time. It is entertaining, enlightening, and pure wonder at the wisdom of Dickens words. I loved it!!

Best Story in the English Language

Amazing reader. This is a must-listen. Everything about it is astoundingly great. Should be a required listen for all.

Always poignant

I love Dickens’ prose. I don’t know of any current author with his genius for phraseology.
If you have never tried Dickens, then this book would be the first one to try.

More than I could have ever hope for

Martin Jarvis was marvelous. Charles Dickens was marvelous. This was my first Dickens book and I am in love. What a wonderful story. Martin Jarvis made this book come alive for me. His narration was the best I have heard.

My favorite Dickens yet

While it took a while to get going, once it did, it was enthralling. As usual, Dickens does an amazing job with the characters. They are so real you have no problem imagining them in your minds-eye. Narrator was amazing as well. Highly recommend this one.

Marvellous Listening, Outstanding Performance

This audiobook production is a marvellous work with outstanding performance by Martin Jarvis. I have always been a great fan of Charles Dickens’ works. I have bought all of Charles Dickens recorded works with several different recordings of “A Tale of Two Cities”. This is the best version. Martin Jarvis’ voice vividly brought every character to life: passionate, accurate, colourful, and non-pretentious.
It’s like a full cast performance.
I do wish I could find the recordings of Martin Jarvis being the narrator of “A Song of Ice and Fire”.

Fantastic story. Excellent performance.

No matter how many times I listen to this, I love it.
I imagine Dickens himself must have sounded just like Martin Jarvis.

Masterful Work Brilliantly Delivered!

Martin Jarvis brings out the heart of the story by not only narrating with a solid understanding of this classic but also by using distinct voices for each character. Worth the listen!

A great Dickens novel superlatively read

A great Dickens novel superlatively read by Martin Jarvis. No need to say more. Thank you.

Just returned to this for a third listen. It only increases my wonder and gratitude. I'm normally a critical curmudgeon but cannot say anything but Wow! as regards this audiobook.

Truly exceptional

This is an absolutely outstanding audiobook. The story is one of Dickens' most enthralling works, and Martin Jarvis' narration captures its essence with unmatched passion. Dickens' wit sparkles in Jarvis' voice as brightly as the darkness and helplessness loom heavily. The characters come to life in all their facets, keeping up with the lively narration. If you are looking for the right Dickens for entertainment, you can't go wrong with A Tale of Two Cities. And if you are looking for the right version of this masterpiece - you will enjoy this one tremendously.