November 21st, 2022
Started this book today. It’s off to an interesting start. Dickens opens up with a description of the world and setting. It is 1775, and it seems that we are in the “present” era with knowledge of what is to come. England and France are ruled by their kings. There is a lot of lawlessness and many highwaymen in England, especially around London. A mail coach is traveling through the winter night up a muddy hill when it hears a gallop. The driver and 3 passengers are alarmed, but it is a messenger for Jarvis Lorry, a worker for Tellson’s Bank. He is traveling to Dover, then cross to France and to Paris for bank business. The messenger tells him to wait in Dover for a young girl, who Jarvis has news for. At the Dover Inn Jarvis meets Miss Manette, and it is revealed that he brought her to England when she was a baby. She was an orphan, her was English, her father French. Her mother died two years after her father. Jarvis reveals to the young woman of 17 or so that her father lives. He has been found in some sort of French dungeon. This shocks the girl and makes her catatonic. It then jumps to Paris. A wine keg breaks and the poor flock to it for a drink. They look happy, but return to their sorry state. They are hungry, there is no food in the shops. Their apartments are full of filth. It is a miserable life. Mr. Lorry and Miss Manette are in a wine shop and reveal themselves to the owner, Jacques Defarge. Defarge was the former servant of Doctor Manette and his hiding him at the very top of the apartment building. They climb endless stairs and enter the dark chambers of the doctor. He is making shoes.
November 22nd, 2022
Defarge begins talking to Dr. Manette, but he is a shell. Thin, long haired, sunken face, expressionless. He responds to questions in a weak voice. Jarvis tries to talk to him, and for a single instant, sees the man he once knew. But only for an instant. Then the young woman silently approaches her father. He is confused and a long, emotional exchange goes on. He eventually seems to understand that this is his daughter. They sneak him to England and we skip 5 years. In Book 2, we are reintroduced to Jerry, the man who brought the message to Jarvis earlier in the book. He and his 12 year old son run errands for Tellson’s. We see his home life, and it’s odd. Obviously they are poor and live in a small apartment. Jerry seems to think his wife’s constant praying is working against him and he lets her have it.
November 25th, 2022
Jerry gets another odd job for the bank. He is to be a messenger on stand-by for Lorry at a court case. This is a case for treason, and the young man on trial will be hanged, drawn, and quartered if found guilty. It was a pretty good couple of chapters. A man of about 25 is accused of conspiring with the French while the two countries are at war. A gentleman, who the Attorney General says is is of good reputation, is clearly testifying against the witness because of some debts. A second witness is in league with the first. The next witness are the Manettes. This young man was on the boat with them the night they fled France. The daughter is distraught by having to testify, because she thinks he is a nice man. The father remembers nothing, but is put in a bad state of mind by the recollection of his imprisonment. Lorry’s testimony does neither harm nor good. The defense attorney rips into some guy and his partner, who looks nearly identical to the prisoner, uses his appearance to point out the flaws of human memory. The prisoner, Darnay or something like that, is acquitted. After some celebrating, this strange look alike, Carton, takes him to a pub. Carton is a drunk and strange man. Darnay feels like he owes Carton one, but Carton is offputting and alienates everyone around him. He doesn’t even know why he is with Darnay. He’s plotting something, and their similar appearance will have something to do with it. There is some jealousy in Carton. Miss Manette’s emotional and sympathetic testimony towards Darnay stirred something in him.
November 28th, 2022
Yesterday’s reading showed
Carton returning to Stryver, the other lawyer who does all the talking, and they do some work. Mostly seems like character development. A few months later, they all meet at the Doctor’s in the outskirts of Soho and enjoy a dinner. Then it starts to rain and they run inside and listen to the chaos of people running from the rain. Some sort of foreshadowing. Today’s reading jumps to France. Monsieur the Marquis is snubbed by a Monseigneur in Paris. He curses this lord judge and drives off. His carriage drives recklessly and kills a child. The grief-stricken father is held back by Defarge. The Marquis gives a gold coin to pay for the child, but it is thrown back in the carriage. In the country, the Marquis ignores the starvation of the peasants and one claims there is a figure under his carriage. In his home, he expects his nephew, Charles Darnay. The nephew arrives and the two talk. Darnay wants to make up for the past behavior of his noble family. The Marquis mourns the changes of the era that take absolute power from a lord over his land and people. The Marquis senses that a certain doctor has impacted his nephew’s philosophy in England. They go to bed. The chapter ends with the morning revealing the Marquis stabbed in his bed.
November 30th, 2022
It is a year after the assassination, and Charles Darnay is in England as a tutor of French. He comes to the Doctor while Lucie Manette is away to confess his love for Lucie. It is a bit awkward. It seems to depress the Doctor, who had been doing so well, but he ultimately gives his blessing to pursue his daughter. The Doctor is later found making shoes, this may be a relapse. Then we see the lawyer Stryver decide to marry Lucie, and he goes to Tellson’s to talk to Lorry about it. Lorry tells him, despite his success as a lawyer and bright future, there is no hope of it. It is a heated discussion, and Lorry talks to the Doctor of it. He returns to Stryver at night, who has twisted it around that Lucie is pursuing him and that it is okay to drop the matter. Carton, who was first told of Stryver’s plans, then goes to Lucie and confesses his love. He knows his life is a downward spiral and he has always be standoffish and unpleasant, but he asks only for this moment of her life and then to move on as to the way things always were. It is a sad insight into the mind of Carton, who is not such a cold and distasteful man as he always shows.
December 1st, 2022
We get a Jerry chapter, and it makes sense why he thinks his wife is praying against him. A funeral for an “Old Bailey spy” turns into a bit of a riot. Some guys hijack the carriages, but end up burying the guy anyway. At night, Jerry goes “fishing”, with Young Jerry secretly following him. It turns out that Jerry does a bit of grave-robbing. He seems to have failed, since he was beating his wife the next day. I hope he doesn’t get hanged. The next chapter is with Jacques Defarge in Paris. He brings a rustic Jacques to the three other Jacques (introduced in the beginning) in the old apartment of Doctor Manette. This newest Jacques is the only who saw the man under the carraige of Monsier the Marquis. This man killed the Marquis to avenge his dead child. The assassin was caught and imprisoned in a nearby prison. They speculate he will be killed like Damiens, the attempted assassin of Louis XV. Ultimately, he was hanged by the drinking fountain, and still hangs there. Defarge and his wife take the rustic Jacques to Versailles to see the royals. Evidently these Jacques are trying to take down the monarchy.
December 3rd, 2022
The Defarges return to Paris and from a friendly border guard learn of a new spy. It is an Englishman, and Madame Defarge memorizes his description. Shortly after in the wineshop, the spy comes in for a drink. He makes small talk with Madame as she knits and other patrons slink out. He seemingly tries to get her to discuss and admit to discontent in the area, especially after the execution of the assassin. She doesn’t take the bait, and Jacques returns. He engages the spy, but also maintains ignorance. A mention of the Doctor Manette seems to bring a flash of emotion to Jacques’ face, which the spy notes. Getting nothing else, the spy leaves. Back in England, the wedding of Darnay and Lucie takes place. It is small and only among family, then the Darnays go to Wales for a honeymoon. The Doctor relapses and is found by Lorry making shoes. He is unapproachable for several days, though Lorry attempts to speak to him and ignore his condition. One day, he comes down to breakfast, and Lorry talks about a problem his “friend” has had lately. Manette engages the ruse and thus explains his problem. The event is kept hidden from Lucie, but Lorry has convinced Manette to let his “friend” remove the workbench when he is absent. Lorry and the redhead destroy and burn the shoe bench.
December 5th, 2022
The next few chapters are very intense. It starts off nice. Carton approaches Darnay in one of his states of feeling and makes a request. He wants to be allowed to show up as a friend at any time. He says he would only do that a few times a year, but he wants a place where he can be welcome as a friend. Darnay is a bit confused but agrees. Darnay later says some negative things about Carton, and Lucie confronts him in private. She does not reveal the earlier confession, but tells her husband that Carton is a gentle man and emotional, despite his general unlikability. A few years pass and they have a daughter. They have a baby boy later, who dies. The family life is good, Carton is like an uncle to the young Lucie. A few more years pass and it is 1789. The Defarges’ network is finally at its breaking point and the people of Saint Antoine arm themselves. They go for the Bastille. It is a well known story and Dickens tells it in a way that gives much anxiety to the reader. Once in the Bastille, Defarge finds Manette’s old room. They lead the officer of the Bastille to the Hotel, but he his stabbed and killed by the mob. Madame Defarge beheads him. More aristocrats are hanged by the lampposts. Many have fled to England. It is a terrible time for France, though its hard to blame their anger. In the village of the Marquis, a man (Defarge?) meets Jacques. The people are starving, and all over the country are rising up. The Marquis’ house is burned down and the soldiers of the prison refuse to help. The people go for the Marquis’s, Darnay’s, governor Gabelle. He bars his door and survives the night. Many such men were hanged in other towns, many rebels were killed. I believe it now jumps to 1792. Lorry has to go to Paris for business, but he does not mind the danger. A letter to Telson’s arrives for the Marquis. Lorry does not not that Darny is the Marquis, but Darnay says he can deliver it. The letter says Gabelle is in prison and Paris and will likely be executed for no crime. Darnay decides to sneak away from his family and go to Paris. End of book 2. I will take a short break to read A Christmas Carol.
December 15th, 2022
The third book is in 1792 and Darnay is in France. It is chaos and he is constantly stopped at each town by the “patriots”. Eventually some town forces him to go on with an escort and they stop in Beauvais. Only the gates to building prevent a crowd from killing the aristocrat Darnay. Recent laws have been passed to confiscate emigrant property and give them the death penalty if they return. In Paris, Darnay is immediately put in La Force prison (the former Hotel). Defarge leads him there, acknowledges that he knows his relation to Manette, and offers no help. He scorns him because he is an aristocrat. Then we find Lorry at the bank, in fear of what is going on. The bank is guarded, and I guess it is known that it is English. However, nearby is a grinding stone for weapons. The “patriots” are massacring prisoners at La Force and will for days. Suddenly, the Manette family appears. Lorry is surprised and sends Lucie, little Lucie, and the redhead to the back. He explains the situation to Manette, who is a hero for his time at the Bastille. The doctor immediately tells the murders to take him to the prison to release his son-in-law, and they walk off.
December 18th, 2022
The next few chapters are pretty intense. Manette’s presence essentially saves Darnay’s life. 4 days of slaughter occur at La Force prison, as a “court”, with Defarge, judges the prisoners. Some are released free, some are sent to be butchered in the street. Very few remain. The Defarges visit Lorry and wish to see Lucie. It is an unsettling meeting and I don’t trust them, though I think there may still be some loyalty from Jacques towards Manette. They do not offer Lucie any help. The Doctor tells his daughter that there is a spot she may stand in which Darnay, if he is able to get there, can see her from the prison. She goes every day and meets a strange wood cutter. Lucie witnesses the even stranger song and dance of the Carmagnole. She then shortly is informed that Darnay will be going to the Conciergerie for his trial. Like many others, it is assumed he will be executed. However, the sway of the Doctor, unlikely the merits of the case, won the jury over. Darnay is free to go, and the mod raises him on their shoulders and takes him home.
December 19th, 2022
The happiness is not long lasting. Men come for Darnay that night and he is taken back to the Conciergerie. The Doctor can do nothing. An arrester admits, for the Doctor’s sake, that the Defarges and a mysterious third person have spoken against Darnay. Jerry Cruncher (who is Lorry’s escort) and Miss Pross (whose name I finally remember) are out on errands during this. They stop at a place for wine, when Pross sees her long-lost brother, Solomon, who she adores. She makes a scene and they go talk in the streets. He is a bad man. Jerry remembers him also, as John, but doesn’t know from where. Suddenly, Carton appears. He arrived at Lorry’s yesterday. He knows Solomon as one of the two men from Darnay’s trial. They go back to Lorry’s to discuss. Solomon is a spy for the government, formerly a spy for the king. He was the spy at the Defarge’s wine shop so many years ago. Carton threatens to
rat him out, also as a British spy, unless he helps Darnay. He thinks the friend is also involved, but Solomon claims he died. His was the funeral that turned into a riot outside the bank in London. Jerry remembers, as he robbed the grave. There was no body inside (though he does not explain how he came to the knowledge. Solomon gives in and he and Carton go to talk in private.
December 20th, 2022
I have a bad feeling. It seems that Carton has convinced the spy to allow him access to Darnay, but once. I think it’s all coming around. Carton is Darnay’s lookalike. He’s going to switch places so that Darnay will live. Man, that’s sad. Darnay walks the streets and buys something from a chemist, which seems like poison. Lorry then confronts Jerry for being a grave-robber, but Jerry asks for sympathy, more or less, and prefers to do honest work. The trial begins the next day. Earnest Defarge (I guess Jacques is just a nickname) reveals that Manette has accused Darnay. This, apparently, was through a letter Defarge found in the Bastille. Manette, in 1757, was forced into a carriage by two men, who are obviously the Evremonde twins. At their estate, a woman is in hysterics. Outside, a peasant boy is dying, stabbed in the chest. The peasant tells the story as he dies. The Marquis and his brother wanted to take the woman inside for the brother’s pleasure. They worked her husband to death first. They took her and this news killed her father. Her brother, the dying boy, took his other sister far away for safety. He they came back with a sword to kill the Marquis. He was stabbed first. In his dying breath, he curses the brothers. The doctor returns to the woman, who eventually dies. The Marquis tries to pay Manette, but he declines. He goes home, but keeps the events to himself. He writes them down to send a letter to the court. The wife of the Marquis with her 2 year old son appear, looking for the girl. She wants to make things right, but nobody knows her whereabouts. The next day, the brothers come and take the doctor. They burn his letter and take him to the Bastille. The Doctor curses the family. With this read, the jury declares Darnay guilty. He will be killed within 24 hours. The crowd cheers.
December 21st, 2022
I couldn’t stop reading and I finished the book. It’s a really good book. What an ending. The trial over, everyone goes home dejected. The Doctor goes out to try to find help. In private, Lorry and Carton acknowledge there is no hope. Carton goes out to show the people his face. At this point, it seems Dickens assumes we know the plan. He goes to the wine shop and plays the dumb foreigner, and the Defarges see him and his identical appearance to Darnay (though this does not come in to play later. Good red herring.) They reveal that the young sister of the story was Therese Defarge and she is hell bent on exterminating all Evermondes. Defarge does not want to harm the Doctor’s family, but his is outvoted. The Doctor returns in his old wretched state. All is lost. Carton orders Lorry to make arrangements. Everyone, including the Mannettes, have passes to leave for England. Lorry is to get everyone going before the execution. Carton then goes to the prison, where Darnay had been counting the hours to his execution. Shortly before they are to cart the 52 condemned, the spy Solomon lets Carton in the cell. They talk, he tells Darnay to switch some items of clothes, to his confusion. Then he makes him write a letter, which references the day he confessed his love to Lucie. Carton then takes the items from the chemist and knocks Darnay unconscious. The spy takes him out, and Carton is now imprisoned. Lorry, the Doctor, Lucie, little Lucie, and “Carton” leave the city with relative ease. Carton and the 51 are carted off. He meets a young 20 year old peasant girl, who is to be killed for some reason. She knew Darnay, and picks up on the ruse. She asks to hold his brave hand until it is time. He is happy to do it. Jerry and Miss Pross are left behind to take a lighter carriage and then over take them. Jerry is telling the cab to go to the Cathedral when Madame Defarge comes to Miss Pross. She wants to see Lucie and then have the whole family executed. Miss Pross holds her back and then a fight begins. Defarge grabs a gun from her dress, shoots, but is knocked by Pross. Defarge kills herself and Miss Pross is permanently made deaf. They escape. Carton and the rest are at the guillotine. He and the young woman only pay attention to each other and are calm. She is killed 22nd. He is 23rd. That is the end. He predicts a nice future before he dies. In England, the family remembers and loves him. All is well with the Doctor. The Darnays have a son named Sydney who grows up to be a great lawyer and judge. He takes his own son to a new Paris, a beautiful Paris, and relates the tale.