Week 18 – A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Last year on Mondays we had fun with books. This year, we'll look at most of the same books but also some new ones, and see if the first line [or first paragraph] met the goal of a first line which is ==> to hook the reader's attention. Here are some tips on writing a first line

https://www.masterclass.com/articles/tips-for-writing-the-opening-line-of-your-novel 

Week 18 – A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Tale_of_Two_Cities 

First published: November 26, 1859 

Here's what the story is about: A Tale of Two Cities is a historical novel published in 1859 by Charles Dickens, set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. The novel tells the story of the French Doctor Manette, his 18-year-long imprisonment in the Bastille in Paris, and his release to live in London with his daughter Lucie whom he had never met. The story is set against the conditions that led up to the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror. 

First line/paragraph:  It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way--in short, the period was so far like the present period that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.

This story looks like it starts in omniscient POV but then we come to the word “we” and it looks like first person. Everything is contrasted but then the main character says it was “so far like the present period” so instead of contrast, there is similarity. Further in the chapter we learn it's 1775 and we read comparisons between England and France so the story is probably set in one of those countries, maybe both. Nothing about a plot yet, or even much about the main character. The opening contrasts make me curious but something has to happen in the next page or two to bring me into the story, otherwise I'm putting the book down. 

Does this first line/paragraph hook your attention? If you had never heard of this story, would you buy this book in 2024? Knowing the story, would you change the first line? Tell us in the comments!