Book Twelve
Introduction by Robbie
Why A Tale of Two Cities
Robbie introduces the reading · TBC
A Tale of Two Cities was the twelfth book in the reading sequence, begun in April 2025 after the brief interlude of The Tao of Pooh. The fifth Dickens novel in the series, this is his shortest and most dramatic — a historical novel set during the French Revolution, driven by sacrifice, resurrection, and love.
The reading ran from April through June 2025, covering forty-five chapters across three books. After the expansive canvases of Bleak House and Our Mutual Friend, A Tale of Two Cities moves with a different energy — taut, urgent, building inexorably towards its famous conclusion.
Dickens wrote this novel to be read aloud — he performed it himself in his public readings — and its rhythms and repetitions are made for the spoken voice. The opening words are among the most recognised in all of literature, and they set the pace for everything that follows.
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