Summary Doctor Manette, Lucie, Mr. Lorry, and Mr. Stryver congratulate Darnay on the verdict. After the group disperses, Carton approaches Darnay and invites him to a nearby tavern for dinner. Once there, Carton’s erratic behavior bewilders Darnay. When Darnay tries to thank Carton for his assistance in the trial, Carton […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Book 2: Chapter 4 – CongratulatorySummary and Analysis Book 2: Chapter 3 – A Disappointment
Summary The trial begins with the Attorney-General’s long and often-times digressive statement of the treason charges against Darnay. Darnay’s counsel, Mr. Stryver, attempts to discredit the prosecution’s two main witnesses — John Barsad and Roger Cly — but the turning point in the trial comes when Stryver’s associate, Sydney Carton, […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Book 2: Chapter 3 – A DisappointmentSummary and Analysis Book 2: Chapter 2 – A Sight
Summary Jerry is told to take a note to Mr. Lorry at the Old Bailey law court and to stay there until Mr. Lorry needs him. After arriving at the Old Bailey and giving the doorkeeper the note to deliver to Mr. Lorry, Jerry makes his way into the crowded […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Book 2: Chapter 2 – A SightSummary and Analysis Book 2: Chapter 1 – Five Years Later
Summary Five years have passed since Tellson’s Bank sent Mr. Lorry to bring Doctor Manette back to England. Tellson’s continues to be “the triumphant perfection of inconvenience,”with its old-fashioned dark and cramped facility lending it an air of respectability and security. Jerry Cruncher acts as a porter and messenger for […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Book 2: Chapter 1 – Five Years LaterSummary and Analysis Book 1: Chapter 6 – The Shoemaker
Summary The man making shoes works steadily at his bench. Aged and weakened by his long years in prison, he seems to be aware only of the task at hand — shoemaking — and does not even know that he has been released from prison. When asked his name, he […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Book 1: Chapter 6 – The ShoemakerSummary and Analysis Book 1: Chapter 5 – The Wine-shop
Summary A street in the Parisian suburb of Saint Antoine is the scene of chaos as a crowd gathers in front of a wine-shop to scoop up pools of wine spilled from a broken cask. When the wine is gone, the people resume their everyday activities. Left behind, however, are […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Book 1: Chapter 5 – The Wine-shopSummary and Analysis Book 1: Chapter 4 – The Preparation
Summary Mr. Lorry arrives at the Royal George Hotel in Dover in the late morning. After freshening up, he spends the day relaxing and meditating on his mission while he waits for the young woman, Lucie Manette, to arrive. When Lucie arrives, Mr. Lorry introduces himself and proceeds to divulge […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Book 1: Chapter 4 – The PreparationSummary and Analysis Book 1: Chapter 3 – The Night Shadows
Summary As the coach rattles its way toward Dover, Mr. Lorry dozes restlessly, reflecting upon his mission, “to dig some one out of a grave”who has been “buried alive for eighteen years.”He envisions what the face of the man must look like and contemplates how severely the years may have […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Book 1: Chapter 3 – The Night ShadowsSummary and Analysis Book 1: Chapter 2 – The Mail
Summary In England, the Dover mail coach makes its way up a hill one late November night. The foreboding atmosphere of night and mist makes everyone uneasy — the passengers, the coachman, and the guard. Highway robberies are common, and the travelers are as wary of each other as they […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Book 1: Chapter 2 – The MailSummary and Analysis Book 1: Chapter 1 – The Period
Summary The year is 1775, and life in England and France seems paradoxically the best and the worst that it can be. The rulers and ruling classes of both countries may have the best of life, but they are out of touch with the common people and believe that the […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Book 1: Chapter 1 – The Period