A Tale of Two Cities
Recommended. Age: 14+. A Catholic review of this book for parents.
Our review
Few novels show sacrificial love as plainly as this one. Sydney Carton, a drunk who has wasted his gifts, lays down his life for a friend with the words of Christ on his lips. Revenge destroys and mercy raises the dead. The reservations are the violence, with mobs, the guillotine and a rape told in a letter, and a few sharp lines from Dickens against French priests and monks.
For parents
Independent reading from 14, as Common Sense Media and Good Books for Catholic Kids say. Reading aloud works from 12. Ask why Carton's death is a gift and not despair (John 15:13). Ask what Madame Defarge's revenge does to her. Tell your teen that Dickens was not Catholic and is unfair to French priests in places.