For fans of: Ernest Hemingway, Arthur Conan Doyle and Jane Austen

The first line of A Tale of Two Cities, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times," immediately immerses the reader into the French Revolutionary world.

A Tale of Two Cities, written in 1859, is one of Charles Dickens' greatest literary achievements. The novel contains elements of history, romance and action and discusses themes contemporary readers can relate to.

A Tale of Two Cities deals mainly with two protagonists, Charles Darnay and Sydney Carton. Darnay is a good natured French aristocrat who fled France due to its unjust social system. Carton, a London lawyer, is a lazy drunk who shows his intellect at times.

Darnay's father imprisoned many people in the Bastille, the famous Parisian prison that was overthrown, sparking the French Revolution. One such prisoner was Dr. Alexandre Manette, whose daughter, Lucy Manette, Darnay falls in love with. Carton also falls in love with her, further entangling the various characters' plots, something Dickens does well in his novels.

A wine-casket spilling out onto the road epitomizes the ripeness of revolution: "All the people within reach had suspended their business, or their idleness, to run to the spot and drink the wine." The French citizens were tired of being hungry and thirsty and thirsted for noble blood.

Perhaps the greatest part of this novel is its theme of resurrection, important to a Christian Victorian audience. Manette, Darnay and Carton all receive a hope for a second chance in their lives. For example, the elder Manette was held in prison for 18 years ("buried alive" in his words), but was rescued and transported back to London to reunite with his daughter and be "recalled to life."

The plot of the novel is broad but significant. It is very readable for a college student and provides insight on self-sacrifice and self-worth. The novel also provides social commentaries on British and French culture and politics. (At the start of the novel, Darnay was on trial for a crime he did not commit, and two spies were planted to provide false testimony).

Perhaps the two greatest quotes Dickens ever wrote are the first and last lines of A Tale of Two Cities, which give the reader a glimpse into the turbulent times the novel is set in. The novel deserves to be one of the most popular novels in English literature, even after 150 years.