'It is a far, far better thing that I do than I have ever done.' Sydney
Carton is a lawyer who has wasted his abilities and his life. Now he has
to make a difficult choice about what is really important to him, which
could be a matter of life or death. The French Revolution is running its
violent course; lives are ruined as a new France is created. How did the
gentle Doctor Manette and his daughter Lucie become caught up in
France's struggles? What is the real identity of the handsome Charles
Darnay, who wins Lucie's hand in marriage? And why does the shadow of La
Bastille Prison hang over them all? The best of times and the worst of
times. London and Paris. Sydney Carton and Charles Darnay. A story of
contrasts and chaos. Can peace ever be restored in France? Can it ever
be restored in the hearts of the people involved?
Real Reads are accessible texts designed to support the literacy
development of primary and lower secondary age children while
introducing them to the riches of our international literary heritage.
Each book is a retelling of a work of great literature from one of the
world's greatest cultures, fitted into a 64-page book, making classic
stories, dramas and histories available to intelligent young readers as
a bridge to the full texts, to language students wanting access to other
cultures, and to adult readers who are unlikely ever to read the
original versions.