A Tale Of Two Cities, Four Month Read Along. (Title edited by MNHQ at request of OP)

[DesdamonasHandkerchief]

Welcome to a 6 month read along of Dicken’s 12th novel A Tale of Two Cities
We will be reading it using the following format, and discussing the chapters on the first day of the following month: (So January chapters discussed from 1st Feb onwards etc)

A Tale of Two Cities

6-Month Read-Along Calendar

Start: 1 January 2026
Finish: 30 June 2026

🗓️
JANUARY 2026

Book the First: Recalled to Life
(Chapters 1–7)

✔ Book the First complete

🗓️
FEBRUARY 2026

Book the Second: The Golden Thread
(Chapters 1–6)

🗓️
MARCH 2026

Book the Second: The Golden Thread
(Chapters 7–12)

✔ Midway through Book the Second

🗓️
APRIL 2026

Book the Second: The Golden Thread
(Chapters 13–18)

🗓️
MAY 2026

Book the Second: The Golden Thread
(Chapters 19–24)

✔ Book the Second complete

🗓️
JUNE 2026

Book the Third: The Track of a Storm
(Chapters 1–15)

✔ Novel complete

I know very little about this book other than its set in revolutionary Paris and London, let’s hope it’s a goodie!

I’ve never started a read along before but I’m hoping to get this under my belt before the new adaptation lands this year and knowing I’m reading it with others should keep me on track. Let's hope it’s The Best Of Times!

Adaptation details:
A new, four-part adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities, starring Kit Harington, François Civil, and Mirren Mack, which is set for release in 2026 on the BBC in the UK and MGM+ in the US, offering a "twisting period thriller" focusing on romance, sacrifice, and the French Revolution's drama.

Thanks @DesdamonasHandkerchief . The new adaptation sounds fun.

Oh I read this as a teenager and sobbed my heart out.

Thanks Desdemona, am looking forward to this.

Can I join? I’ve never been on one of these threads before but it’ll sounds very motivating to actually read a book - as opposed to using one as a coffee cup coaster on my bedside table!

Placemarking

I’d like to give this a go. I read my first Dicken’s last year which I enjoyed but would like to have others to discuss with

Hilarious, hopefully it’ll be the motivation you need, although given what @BitOutOfPractice said it doesn’t sound like it’s going to be a bundle of laughs!

I'm in!
Thank you @DesdamonasHandkerchief
I'm looking forward to this.

All I know about this book is its opening line :)

Thanks for the thread, checking in!

‘It was the best of threads, it was…..er, not the other thing’ 😂

Thanks for doing this, @DesdamonasHandkerchief, I’m in!

Thanks @DesdamonasHandkerchief. I started it on Kindle a few years back but got distracted. Is Audible acceptable?

Joining! Thank you....

Checking in! @BestIsWest I hope Audible is acceptable for the readalongs, I'm listening to Les Mis instead of actually reading 🙈

I'd like to give it a go. I've never done a read along but it looks more manageable than a book group. I don't have fond memories of Dickens from school but I have never tried to read him as an adult.

Oooooh, yes please! Now, just need to locate the copy I know I have.... somewhere...

I just got a Kindle copy for 14p.

Oh God yes, I usually have a freebie Kindle addition and an Audible version going for Dickens, helps me power through when I’m not able to physically read.

Thanks so much @DesdamonasHandkerchief , I'm in!

I have read this before, but it was a long time ago, and it was one of my favourite Dickens. I don't remember it well at all, apart from one hugely tear-jerking event. And of course the iconic, knitting Mme Defarge. (DH and I have a whatsapp group chat with a couple of very snarky friends, and one friend named the chat 'Tricoteuses' in honour of Mme Defarge). But no spoilers I promise!

I need to buy a new copy because I've just checked our bookshelves and the only copy we own is a vintage one given to DH by his ex, with an inscription. It was a very acrimonious split between DH and the ex (I was sort of the other woman, a role which I still feel rather ashamed about 30 years later) so I need a new, neutral copy without a history.

Oh yes @cassandre, definitely invest in a new copy, you don’t need that emotional baggage every time you pick up the book!
Although I think you can ditch the guilt after 30 years. All’s fair in love and war and all that 🤷‍♀️

I’d like to join - will go very well with Les Miserables
readalong.

I would like to give this a go. I used to be a voracious reader but now just doom scroll for fun.

It seems that I’ve had it on my kindle since 2011, so now maybe a good time to read it!

Thanks @DesdamonasHandkerchief ! Yeah, the start of my relationship with DH was catastrophically messy but I should ditch the guilt now! Especially given that DH's ex has been in a long-term relationship herself for decades now and has DC of her own.

Young love can be so intense 😳

I’d like to join! I’ve watched many a readalong from afar but never joined. I’ve also never gotten through any Dickens other than A Christmas Carol - made it halfway through Bleak House in the pandemic, but that’s it. Looking forward to the thread!