A Tale of Two Cities is one of the greatest English novels ever wrote. If you've always wanted to read the classic, but just don't have the time, this abridged version can help. At just 15,000 words long (100's of pages shorter than the original), this version of the classic novel will let you read Melville's classic in just hours, and provide you with an excellent overview of the entire novel. The novel depicts the plight of the French peasantry demoralized by the French aristocracy in the years leading up to the revolution, the corresponding brutality demonstrated by the revolutionaries toward the former aristocrats in the early years of the revolution, and many unflattering social parallels with life in London during the same time period. It follows the lives of several protagonists through these events. The most notable are Charles Darnay and Sydney Carton. Darnay is a French once-aristocrat who falls victim to the indiscriminate wrath of the revolution despite his virtuous nature, and Carton is a dissipated British barrister who endeavours to redeem his ill-spent life out of his unrequited love for Darnay's wife, Lucie Manette.