A romp through historical 18th century England and France during the formative years of Sydney Carton, adult hero of the Dickens' classic, "A Tale of Two Cities." How did this brilliant, compassionate man become a dissolute drunk, willing to die for love?
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Must Read Prequel
August 11, 2012
By Robert J. McDonnell
Charles Dickens captivated the world's imagination with A Tale of Two Cities in 1859, selling over 200 million copies. One of his central characters, Sydney Carton, was a British barrister who struggled to redeem his ill-spent life. Talented author Eileen Granfors gives us an opportunity to understand the powerful experiences that molded Sydney's character and launched him on his collision course with destiny. This prequel is a must read for literary fiction fans.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Loved It!
August 11, 2012
By Maplesyrup
It's fun to read books that take off from a character I already know. Like Rebecca and Mrs. DeWinter. I got Sydney's Story in a preview copy from a friend who knows the writer.
I remember Sydney Carton in A Tale of Two Cities, which I read in school. What this author has done is go back through Tale to find some quotes about Sydney and build a portion of the book on that.
So the book doesn't require you to remember everything about Tale except the ending.
Mrs. Granfors gives Sydney an interesting (that's a mild word for what he goes through) childhood. There are scenes in insane asylums and diseases that are disgusting. He has one friend who influences him to try harder even though his parents favor the elder child. Then Part II is boarding school, full of boys' shenanigans. Part III really surprised me when Sydney went to Paris for Law School. I loved that part of the book because of the gypsies there. Part IV comes back to England and the reader sees again the characters out of Tale of Two Cities, but added to that are all the people from Sydney's past. The book comes to a wonderful conclusion that I will keep secret. I think the book helped me understand the Dickens' character.
If you Charles Dickens or historical fiction or both, like me, Sydney's Story should be on your list of books to read.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Sydney is Recalled To Life August 26, 2012
By sheba
The world of Charles Dickens is 'recalled to life" in SYDNEY'S STORY by Eileen Granfors. Europe of the 1700's, torn by poverty and a well-entrenched class system, is the backdrop for this dramatic prequel to A Tale of Two Cities. Here we have Sydney Carton, the undesirable drunken lawyer, returning as the main character. SYDNEY'S STORY draws a well-detailed picture of an unenviable childhood. Carton is the second son and is treated as second rate by a domineering father. His mother, unable to help him, finds herself treated like a servant and finally as a mental patient. Granfors shows us the life of a young man who is beleaguered by the boarding school system of England and friends who are too absorbed in their social status. We see Sydney struggle to finish college in Paris and start a legal practice with his school chum, Stryver. Happiness eludes him because of the strangling class system, personal losses, and addiction to alcohol.
I truly enjoyed this novel, as I felt like I was visiting old characters that had disappeared. Eileen Granfors has done a masterful job of bringing Sydney Carton back to life from the "far, far better rest."
---This above description is from the product description page for Sydney's Story: A Prequel to Tale of Two Cities from Amazon and has been chosen for the eBook of the Day for An Indie Authors Journey blog.
You can purchase Sydney's Story: A Prequel to Tale of Two Cities by Eileen Granfors in the Indie Author's Journey store for your Kindle.
- Antonio Grasso, author of The Valley of Candles
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