# A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

5 Hacker News commenters recommended A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens and 0 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 4 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** People say it rewards a second reading and becomes a favorite, though its older English style takes patience.

## Why people recommend it

- Appreciated more on second reading (1 comments): "I definitely appreciated it more the second time around." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46398333))
- One of favorite stories ever read (1 comments): "It’s now one of my favorite stories I’ve ever read" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49595626))

## What people warn about

- Older English prose is demanding (1 comments): "If you can stomach older English novels" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48833865))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Aubrey-Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian](https://hackerapproved.com/p/aubrey-maturin-series.md): 18 recommend
- [The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas](https://hackerapproved.com/p/three-musketeers.md): 12 recommend
- [The MANIAC by Benjamin Labatut](https://hackerapproved.com/p/maniac.md): 12 recommend
- [I, Claudius by Robert Graves](https://hackerapproved.com/p/i-claudius.md): 11 recommend
- [Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian](https://hackerapproved.com/p/master-and-commander.md): 7 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/019831292X?tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/130825/9780198312925) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens", https://hackerapproved.com/p/a-tale-of-two-cities/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).