Classics That Made a Difference
Books that have stood the test of time, loved by Oprah, Gwyneth, Julia and more...
From the book finder
From the book finder
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
When stories become iconic, you sometimes forget what made them so special in the first place. They can become the punch line to a joke. But A Tale of Two Cities not only has the best first line ever written—"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times"—it's got everything! The novel has wine, guillotines, revolution! It has the storming of the Bastille! It has Madame Defarge, one of the best villains in any literary novel. At the end, it's got a little romantic switcheroo: One man stands in the place of another and dies for the woman he loves. The first line is fitting right now. It's a very have and have-not time. It's certainly the most hopeful period for our country but also a very bleak one for a lot of people.
— Amy Poehler
See all the books that made a difference to Amy Poehler
— Amy Poehler
See all the books that made a difference to Amy Poehler
From the July 2009 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine