Frances Browne, the author of this enchanting and original collection of fairy tales lived between 1816 and 1879. She was blinded by smallpox when she was a baby and so all of the vivid descriptions in this charming book are from her own memory of the tales that she heard as a child and from her colorful imagination. In 1904 Frances Hodgson Burnett wrote an introduction for a new edition of the book because as a little child she had won a copy of it as a prize for good behavior in school. It became her favorite book but was lost to her over the years. She searched high and low for it and it eventually surfaced in Boston and again in a second hand shop in London. This edition contains the introduction by Burnett that is certainly an added treat. It is brilliantly illustrated by Switzerland's Gisele Rime with her characteristic bright colors and whimsical decorative borders. Unlike other collections of fairy tales these are completely original and bring us new characters and plots with gentle moral lessons. The fame of Frances Browne may not approach the Grimms or Andersen but the beauty and cleverness of her tales will enchant and delight you just the same. Curl up in Granny's wonderful chair, snuggle close and follow the stories of Fairyfoot and Childe Charity, Prince Wisewit and Merry Mind. Meet the Lords of the White and Grey Castles. This is a grand experience not just a good book.

Do you remember visiting Grandma as a child? Perhaps snuggling into her favorite chair when you were too tired to possibly do anything else? Do you recall the comfort, the smell, the feel, the total release of 'Grandma's' chair? This was one my of favorite 'escape' books as a child. I would curl up in 'Granny's Wonderful Chair' and be transported to many a wonderous place. I have searched for many years for this title, and was so excited to see it unearthed for republishing! We will be reading it aloud as a family now. Granny's Wonderful Chair is a great addition not only to your library, but to you and your children's memory's as well!

I first read this book over fifteen years ago and it says something about the potency of the story that I (who am usually bad at remembering names) can still rattle off the characters' names -- Sidney Carton, Doctor and Lucy Mannette, Charles Darnay, Madame DeFarge ... I began reading the book sitting outside on a hot summer day, but was soon actually feeling cold as I was drawn into the freezing rain and mud of the openning scene on the Dover Mail coach. This book has it all: romance and tragedy, mystery and history, revolutionary atrocities and courtroom drama, not to mention both openning and closing lines which are unforgettable and famous (It was the best of times, it was the worst of times ...). It's a book that truly transports you to another time, one of history's most terrible and frightening, as well as one of its most idealistic and noble. A word to all those kids who had to read it for school and gave it bad reviews: there is something about having to ! read a book for school that makes you hate it. Don't let that throw you. Read it again ten years from now, after you've had a chance to experience life (both the good and bad stuff) a bit more, after you've learned a bit more history so you can understand all the book's allusions, and when you (and this time not your teacher) are really in the mood to read, and you'll see why this book is considered one of the truly great classics.

I just finished reading this book in my 9th grade Honors english class, and I have to say that I loved it! It was terribly boring at first--very hard reading! And Dickens IS VERY wordy; or, as my English teacher says, he likes to make his point and than slap you in the face with it several times until you get the point! Aside from that however, I really enjoyed the story. I laughed with my friends over the mini battle between Madame Defarge and Miss Pross, and cried with them at Sydney Carton's courage(he made Charles Darnay look meaningless). Although this classic story is by far one of the best I've ever read (Black Beauty is THE best), I don't think I could have enjoyed it nearly as much without my wonderful English teacher explaining every "difficult" section-- and pointing out the humor that Dickens uses, and which many overlook. To fully enjoy this book, you have to read "between the lines", but if you have the patience to do this, I gaurentee you will love this book as much as I do!

Charles Dickens deserves two thumbs up for his magnificent creation, A Tale of Two Cities. This novel does an explicit job of foreshadowing and portraying the French Revolution in the eyes of many different people. Dickens' attention to details also helps the novel flow well and at the same time, create irony and suspense. For example, when Mrs. Defarge remained almost invisible, her stitching revealed a lot about who she was and what her plans were. This brought irony to the plot. I also enjoyed the symbolism throughout the story. It was thought provoking. When I read the story for the first time, I thought some situations were unnecessary and were dragged on, but as I furthered into the book, every detail that previously occurred started to make sense. It is amazing that an author could make all of these details have parallels and with so much precision. I also liked how he formed the characters. Many of the characters within the novel were clearly described for a good reason. Most of them had one other character that they paralleled with. It is not easy to develop characters that are similar to one another, yet also opposite. There were also many twists to the story that made me want to keep reading so I could find out what was really going to happen, but I do not want to reveal any twists as to spoil the story for those who have not read it. I would highly recommend reading A Tale of Two Cities to any person who enjoys reading a wonderful story. Just remember to pay attention to the details and the book will make sense in the end.