This was a really hard one to do because there are so many classic books I think I should read and haven't yet managed to do so. However, the reason I went for this one was because of the author. I have read a few of Dickens' books (A Christmas Carol, Oliver, Great Expectations) and I hated each and every one of them. They're just so depressing! I get that he was trying to create a picture of life as it really was and I can appreciate the quality of his writing, but they're just not for me. I hate Nancy's fate in Oliver, probably because it was the real fate of so many women with abusive partners and still continues to be the case today. It's the fact that she has to make a choice between doing what is right for Oliver and her own life - I rail against the injustice of this. Interestingly however, I don't dislike Nancy herself because of this, whereas Hardy's Tess makes my teeth grind. Whilst I accept the reality that women were (and sadly still are) often blamed for being raped, her passive acceptance of this drives me up the wall.

Recently however, I had a conversation with a friend whose tastes in literature are often very different to mine, but whose opinions I have a high regard for and as a result, I promised him that I would give Dickens another chance. He clearly sees something in the books that I don't and I am very mindful of the fact that I was about 12 the last time I read his books. Maybe with a more grown up and (hopefully!) mature outlook on the world I might feel differently about them. I don't think I'm quite ready to tackle the weighty tomes of David Copperfield, Little Dorrit or Bleak House yet, but the premise of A Tale of Two Cities sounds interesting and if nothing else, at least it's not quite as long as some of the others.

I will read it....I will.