A Tale of Two Cities
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickensby Charles Dickens
Shares rank 8 of 13 historical novels by recommenders
People say it rewards a second reading and becomes a favorite, though its older English style takes patience.
People say it rewards a second reading and becomes a favorite, though its older English style takes patience.
5 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 5
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 4 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 5 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 4 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Appreciated more on second reading
“I definitely appreciated it more the second time around.”
Comment from 27 Dec 2025 in “Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?” One of favorite stories ever read
“It’s now one of my favorite stories I’ve ever read”
Comment from 7 Sep 2026 in “Every novel is boring until it isn't”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Older English prose is demanding
“If you can stomach older English novels”
Comment from 8 Jul 2026 in “The Age of Reading Is Over”
Other historical novels people recommend
The four most recommended other historical novels, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aubrey-Maturin seriesby Patrick O'Brian | 18 | 0 | 100% | 6 | — | Approved |
| The Three Musketeersby Alexandre Dumas | 12 | 0 | 100% | 5 | — | Approved |
| The MANIACby Benjamin Labatut | 12 | 0 | 100% | 4 | — | Approved |
| I, Claudiusby Robert Graves | 11 | 0 | 100% | 4 | — | Approved |
| A Tale of Two Citiesby Charles DickensThis page | 5 | 0 | 100% | 4 | — | — |
What people said
3 of the 5 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“It’s now one of my favorite stories I’ve ever read”
“If you can stomach older English novels”
“I definitely appreciated it more the second time around.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.