'A Tale of Two Cities' by Charles Dickens

A Tale of Two Cities is a historical novel published in 1859 by Charles Dickens, set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. The novel tells the story of the French Doctor Manette, his 18-year-long imprisonment in the Bastille in Paris, and his release to live in London with his daughter Lucie whom he had never met. The story is set against the conditions that led up to the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror.

The novel begins in London, where Jarvis Lorry, a banker, travels to inform Lucie Manette that she is not an orphan, but the daughter of Dr. Alexandre Manette, a French physician who has been imprisoned in the Bastille for 18 years. Lucie’s father is released, and the family reunites.

Meanwhile, Charles Darnay, a French aristocrat, faces trial in London for treason. Sydney Carton, a lawyer, defends Darnay, despite his own disillusionment with the law. Carton’s resemblance to Darnay sparks a series of events that ultimately lead to the French Revolution.

As Dickens's best-known work of historical fiction, A Tale of Two Cities is said to be one of the best-selling novels of all time.