"Susanne Alleyn's riveting book A Far Better Rest is the retelling of Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities, as seen through the eyes of Sydney Carton, the legendary anti-hero who sacrifices all for the sake of both the woman he loves and the man she loves. Though we know what will happen at the end, Alleyn's command of French culture and historical detail brings the story to life in a fresh new way; she puts flesh and bone on Carton, and we can literally inhale the atmosphere of revolutionary Paris."
Katherine NevilleKatherine Neville is the internationally bestselling author of The Eight and The Magic Circle.
"Portraying a Paris full of political intrigue, lofty goals and lost hope, Alleyn's first novel re-imagines Dickens's classic A Tale of Two Cities, charting the events of the French Revolution and filling in the missing years in Sydney Carton's life. The stage is set in Paris, where narrator Carton is studying with such illustrious historical characters as Maximilien Robespierre and Camille Desmoulins. Another classmate at Collège Louis-le-Grand is Carton's mirror image, Charles Darnay. An unfortunate turn of events leads Carton to his native England, where he is severed from his inheritance by his emotionally distant father and begins leading a dissolute life of drinking and whoring, while halfheartedly pursuing a career in the law. He meets Lucie Manette, whose youth and beauty he idealizes, when, in 1780, he represents Darnay, now residing in England and accused of treason. Darnay is acquitted, and weds Lucie. Eight years later, Carton returns to Paris on the eve of the revolution, and meets Darnay's cousin Eléonore. It is here that his life takes on meaning, and the novel acquires dramatic tension. From the fall of the Bastille to the Reign of Terror, the revolution's main players, both historical and fictional, are portrayed with skill and depth, making even such notorious figures as Robespierre comprehensible, if not sympathetic. Although the prose is encumbered with 18th-century vernacular, Alleyn's insightful storytelling and assiduous historical research create a richly textured, tragic tale that, in the tradition of the best historical novels, brings an era alive through the depiction of human drama."
Publishers Weekly
May 29, 2000
"Once you start reading, you simply can't put down Susanne Alleyn's A Far Better Rest. A refashioning of Charles Dickens's Tale of Two Cities, Alleyn's novel centers on the intriguing figure of Sydney Carton, enhancing the original with an abundance of surprising, historically based plot twists. The past comes alive, not merely through the vividly depicted events, but also through the carefully crafted period language that seems to capture the essence of the French Revolutionary era. Unlike Dickens, who dwelled only on the bloodthirsty phase of the Terror, Alleyn properly places that phase in a larger context including an earlier period of love, hope, and political idealism."
Doris Y. Kadish
Department of Romance Languages, University of Georgia
"If it has been a while since you read Charles Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities, now you have a chance to reread it from the viewpoint of Sydney Carton. Beginning with Carton's childhood, debut novelist Alleyn fleshes out his character and makes his dying for Charles Darnay even more understandable than in the original. Having Carton write his life story while awaiting his date with the guillotine, Alleyn proposes that after Carton declares his love for Lucie Manette, he goes to France, sobers up, and becomes involved in French politics. The author follows the French Revolution through its increasingly violent stages as Carton tries to use his position to rescue his friends. With each failure, he again turns to alcohol, becoming more and more dependent until the opportunity comes to save Darnay. This well-written historical romance is recommended for all readers, especially those who have read the Dickens classic."
Library Journal
May 2000
"Sydney Carton, the brooding hero of A Tale of Two Cities, is one of Dickens' best creations. In her first novel, Alleyn has taken Sydney as her central character and imagined his entire life. As in Tale, fate links Carton's path with those of Charles Darnay and Lucie Manette but also with that of many historical figures, such as Desmoulins and Robespierre. After the marriage of Darnay and Lucie, Carton goes off to France, expecting to live an idle life there as well but instead gets caught up in the French Revolution, first by writing for a revolutionary journal and later by being elected to the French National Convention. He even finds love again with a cousin of Darnay named Eléonore. There are some discrepancies between this novel and Tale, and Alleyn takes some liberties with Dickens' characters, but she tells a very good story. Best read alongside Tale, Alleyn's novel gives a vivid picture of the development of the French Revolution through the eyes of that wonderful hero despite himself, Sydney Carton."
Booklist
June 2000
"'To-day they guillotined Danton; and with him died the fragile dream of Clemency, and all my hopes and prayers.'
So opens Susanne Alleyn's debut novel A Far Better Rest, described on the back cover as 'A reimagining of Charles Dickens' classic novel A Tale of Two Cities.' In the hands of a less skilled writer, this book could have been a disappointment or worse, yet Ms. Alleyn succeeds admirably.
Told from Sydney Carton's point of view in a journal written during the weeks before his execution, the novel tells the same story as the Dickens original, but on an intensely more personal level. One by one Carton introduces the reader to the main characters as he reflects on his life's journey from Georgian England to Revolutionary Paris.
This novel is engrossing right from the start. The author uses a slightly archaic form of English that is easy to understand and read, yet evocative of the turbulent period in which the story is set.
Though we only see the characters through Carton's eyes, they are nevertheless well-rounded and thoroughly captivating. Of special interest to this reviewer were the brief glimpses of Charlotte Corday and her eventual victim, Jean-Paul Marat. Meeting these and other historical figures in such an informal setting was an added pleasure. Among the most appealing of the fictional characters were Carton's friend Molly, Darnay's daughter Lucie-Anne and Darnay's cousin, Eléonore. They lived, breathed and touched the heart.
As for setting, Ms. Alleyn brings the period to life, especially those scenes set on the streets of Paris during the key events of the Revolution such as the attack on the Bastille and the preparations for the Festival of Federation. The reader sees, hears and smells the past and is, in effect, transported back in time.
I highly recommend A Far Better Rest, not only for fans of Dickens wanting to see the story told in a different way, but for anyone interested in the French Revolution and how it affected the lives of so many people. Though literary in nature, this novel appeals to the heart and soul and left this reader haunted by its wonderful characters, most notably its hero, Sydney Carton.
When I was round about 12 years old, I developed an obsession with a certain older man. He wasn't perfect, by any means, no--rather low in the self-esteem department, somewhat carelessly dressed, and of questionable social reputation. . . . Yet he had a quick and biting wit, a rather seductive world-weary understanding of things, and a deep, secret compassion that he kept hidden from nearly everyone who knew him. He wasn't an easy man to be intimate with, you see. But he inspired me: in getting to know him, I later discovered, I had fallen in love with my first anti-hero.
I daresay the author of A Far Better Rest shares similar sentiments. In this re-imagining of Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities, she retells the classic saga of the French Revolution from the perspective of Sydney Carton. . . . (read more)
K.A. Corlett, Bygone Days
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