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A Tale of Two Cities cover art

A Tale of Two Cities

By: Charles Dickens
Narrated by: Martin Jarvis
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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.

What listeners say about A Tale of Two Cities

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

The best of books, the best of readers

Possibly Dickens' greatest work, certainly English literatures greatest opening AND closing lines 'A Tale of Two Cities' may also be the incomparable Martin Jarvis's greatest reading.
His characterisation enhances the written text, bringing life to the already lively players in this masterpiece.
Possibly the best of the hundreds of auido books I have enjoyed.

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40 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A

This audiobook is like a good symphony conducted by a really great director. It is an amazing work by Martin Javis: so many diferent voices that it seems as if he were 10 actors.

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30 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Can cause embarrassment!

Having struggled in the past with Dickens but having rediscoverd my love of Jane Austen via audible audiobooks - I took the plunge with the Tale of Two Cities since I am planning a trip to Paris soon. Well, what a wonderful experience. The beauty of the language, the devices Dickens uses like repetition, and the laugh out loud humour all came alive in this audiobook experience. All credit goes to Martin Jarvis - what a fantastic talent in voicing these characters, bringing the lyricism out so perfectly. However, I was unprepared for the emotional response the experience evoked - so if you are apt to shed a tear at poignant moments make sure you are on your own for the end of this and not walking home actually sobbing out loud like I was - how embarrassing!

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28 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A really enjoyable listen

Martin Jarvis does the Tale of Two Cities brilliantly. I never thought I'd find Dickens so compulsive and I've listened to this more than once. Highly recommended. If you don't think you are a Dickens fan - try this!

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24 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

a Tale of Two Cities

Having just finished listening to this I felt moved to write a review! I thought this was absolutely superb. Beautifully read by Martin Jarvis, he brought the characters alive and as you listened you felt they were there beside you. I can't recommend this too highly enough

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19 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Don't fall for a cheaper version of this book!

I made the mistake of purchasing a cheaper (unrated) version of this book. I spent a good few hours slogging through it, with many rewinds to clarify the story, by the end of the first download I reached a point where I thought that this book was beyond me but I did not want to declare defeat. Having previously listened to Martin Jarvis narrate Great Expectations I decided to download his version of a Tale of Two Cities. I am so thankful I did so as it has been an enjoyable listen, and with some additional historical background information from a Dicken's site, an informative read. This is the version to download.

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18 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Dickens and Jarvis doing what they each do best

Martin Jarvis employs his great range in making each of the many characters in this book burst into life. And it's a great story of injustice and hate, full of initial mystery which unfolds layer after layer as it draws all the players togther in the final act. Some of Dickens lends itself to some judicially abridging but 'A Tale of Two Cities' all in all stays on track and is worth going the full distance.

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18 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Great story, brilliant narration

This was an absolute pleasure to listen to. Martin Jarvis is brilliant and keeps your interest in the long convoluted Dickensian passages as well as so cleverly playing all the characters. He even manages to say the well known opening and ending with new emphasis and meaning.

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14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A reading that truly does the text justice.

One of the main reasons I listen to audio books is to reacquaint myself with novels I have read in the past. I loves books, not just for the stories they contain, but because they are books. I love the feel and the smell of the paper. I love the sense of anticipation of what the next page turn will bring.



But there are so many good books out there, and so little time. I won’t be on this Earth long enough to read all I want to read even once, let alone to re-read any of it! To do so would be at the exclusion of some other great story.



However some books demand re-reading, and that is where audio books have found their place in my life. Now, as I walk, drive, prepare dinner, do my ironing etc. I can re-visit some of the worlds greatest literature, and what better example of such a story than A Tale of Two Cities?



This is a remarkable book. The story is meticulously constructed and the world is described with Dickens’ trademark poetic attention to detail. It also suffers from the usual flaw in Dickens’ work, in that the characters are what E.M. Forster describes as being ‘flat’ and not ‘round’. However the story unfolds with such confident style and momentum that you are breathlessly swept along to the books immortal closing lines.



The text of A Tale of Two Cities speaks for itself. However, when Martin Jarvis speaks it, the story comes alive in a whole new way. He breathes such a distinct voice into each character that at times I was sure there was more than one person reading. He doesn't just read the story, he becomes it. During the storming of the Bastille I was so overwhelmed that I had to stop in the middle of the street, and I stood there enraptured until the siege had ended.



While I would always recommend just reading an actual book, especially if it is your first encounter with a story, this Martin Jarvis rendition of A Tale of Two Cities is definitely worth your time and money. Unquestionably five stars.

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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Outstanding classic

This gripping, stirring tale deserves its accolade of 'literary classic'.

And Martin Jarvis' narration is a match for Dickens' genius with his mellifluous tone and versatile array of different character voices.

Loved it. You can't go wrong buying this audio book!

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12 people found this helpful