A Tale of Two Cities
Charles Dickens
Read by LibriVox Volunteers





A Tale of Two Cities (1859) is a historical novel by Charles Dickens; it is moreover a moral novel strongly concerned with themes of guilt, shame, redemption and patriotism.
The plot centers on the years leading up to French Revolution and culminates in the Jacobin Reign of Terror. It tells the story of two men, Charles Darnay and Sydney Carton, who look very alike but are entirely different in character.(Summary from Wikipedia) (14 hr 59 min)
Chapters
I.I: The Period | 6:49 | Read by Michael Sirois |
I.II: The Mail | 14:53 | Read by Kara Shallenberg |
I.III: The Night Shadows | 12:07 | Read by Chip |
I.IV: The Preparation | 29:57 | Read by Chip |
I.V: The Wineshop | 26:23 | Read by Andy Minter (1934-2017) |
I.VI: The Shoemaker | 23:42 | Read by Jamey Osborne |
II.I: Five Years Later | 14:19 | Read by Zale Schafer (Rose May Chamberlin Memorial Foundat |
II.II: A Sight | 17:55 | Read by Chip |
II.III: A Disappointment | 36:14 | Read by Chip |
II.IV: Congratulatory | 17:33 | Read by Kara Shallenberg |
II.V: The Jackal | 14:30 | Read by Chip |
II.VI: Hundreds of People | 26:20 | Read by Tora |
II.VII: Monseigneur in Town | 22:40 | Read by Kristin LeMoine |
II.VIII: Monseigneur in the Country | 13:37 | Read by Chip |
II.IX: The Gorgon's Head | 27:44 | Read by Nocturna |
II.X: Two Promises | 21:07 | Read by Susan Denney |
II.XI: A Companion Picture | 7:53 | Read by Kevin McAsh |
II.XII: The Fellow of Delicacy | 14:46 | Read by Kevin McAsh |
II.XIII: The Fellow of no Delicacy | 18:18 | Read by Denny Sayers (d. 2015) |
II.XIV: The Honest Tradesman | 24:56 | Read by Andy Minter (1934-2017) |
II.XV: Knitting | 26:16 | Read by Betsie Bush |
II.XVI: Still Knitting | 30:34 | Read by Kara Shallenberg |
II.XVII: One Night | 11:53 | Read by Patrick |
II.XVIII: Nine Days | 16:57 | Read by Andy Minter (1934-2017) |
II.XIX: An Opinion | 21:09 | Read by Chip |
II.XX: A Plea | 7:25 | Read by KentF |
II.XXI: Echoing Footsteps | 26:18 | Read by Zale Schafer (Rose May Chamberlin Memorial Foundat |
II.XXII: The Sea Still Rises | 13:01 | Read by Zale Schafer (Rose May Chamberlin Memorial Foundat |
II.XXIII: Fire Rises | 19:51 | Read by Peter Eastman |
II.XXIV: Drawn to the Loadstone Rock | 30:00 | Read by Andy Minter (1934-2017) |
III.I: In Secret | 26:31 | Read by Marian Brown |
III.II: The Grindstone | 14:44 | Read by Tora |
III.III: The Shadow | 12:44 | Read by Patrick |
III.IV: Calm in Storm | 15:02 | Read by Andy Minter (1934-2017) |
III.V: The Woodsawyer | 16:43 | Read by Andy Minter (1934-2017) |
III.VI: Triumph | 17:29 | Read by Nocturna |
III.VII: A Knock at the Door | 11:45 | Read by Tora |
III.VIII: A Hand at Cards | 30:26 | Read by Andy Minter (1934-2017) |
III.IX: The Game Made | 27:45 | Read by Tora |
III.X: The Substance of the Shadow | 35:49 | Read by Michael Sirois |
III.XI: Dusk | 9:15 | Read by Deborah Clark |
III.XII: Darkness | 19:30 | Read by Deborah Clark |
III.XIII: Fiftytwo | 23:52 | Read by Caroline Morse |
III.XIV: The Knitting Done | 28:16 | Read by Moira Fogarty |
III.XV: The Footsteps Die Out For Ever | 14:37 | Read by Michael Sirois |
Reviews
A Tale of Two Cities





eli g
One more book that truly deserves many stars, written by master writer Charles Dickens. I am ashamed to say that I never read it before in its printed form, and appreciate LibriVox's audio books even more for it. The work of the readers was great, no exceptions, as far as I am concerned. Everyone in his or hers own style gave depth and the appropriate degree of emotion to the portion they were reading, and some were truly magnificent. Thank you all of you readers, from an appreciative listener. Thank you, LibriVox.
A Tale of Two (or More) Narrators





royalsparrow
The book is great, of course. Most of the narrators were good, some especially so. A couple left quite a bit lacking. I was very disappointed that in the pivotal scene at the end, the narrator read far too quickly and had poor pronunciation.
Superb Classic





Runnernumber5
The book is wonderful as we’ve all come to expect the pen of Charles Dickens to produce. The reading was good. Only one or two chapters were read with some static interference and it was difficult to understand. 95% was read clearly and brilliantly, giving life and character to each word.
Great novel, mixed reading





Harry Haller
The story is every bit as good as I had always heard. Most of the readers are good, and none terrible. One thing I fail to understand, though, is how some readers consistently mispronounce words. I understand that they are volunteers, and not everyone could do as well as even the mediocre readers, but I wish every one who records a book or chapter would read each section through at least once before recording and look up the correct pronunciation for any words that aren't familiar. Still, to those reviewers who complained about there being so many different readers, yes, it's distracting and sometimes disappointing--but where do you expect Librivox to find enough people who will volunteer to read 800 pages out loud, let alone do it like a practiced professional?
Gains tempo and interest





Justin Greenland
There are three books here. The first one introduces many of the characters, and sets the tone and contrast of England and France. It is a slow start, but maintains interest with powerful descriptive language that paints a vivid image of the world unfolding. The second book is when things start to get very interesting, with the French revolution being an important and dramatic theme. By the third book, you are hooked. Overwhelming suspense between the chapters make 'A Tale of Two Cities' slow start well worth your time.
A Literary Masterpiece, Not Illustrated by This Execution





D.M. Chambers
I am forced to agree with the other reviews. While the story is long, it really grabs the imagination in the second half and the multiple readers, with differing enunciation for various words and names, seemed to muck things up a bit. Though each reader did a superb job, it is my opinion that a single reader would have been much more fluid





wow. only a few complaints about recording quality (when there is two voices at the same time for an instant)besides that the readers did well. its a slow start but i was captive by mid way.





Most of the readers did well but if I had had my way Andy Minter would have read the whole book. He was excellent. His reading made the scenes he read come alive for the listener.