It’s the episode in which we dig into the ways Dickens uses different tones of voice in various sections, the way his writing creates a tableau-like effect, how the serialization of the story should impact our reading, and question on morality that the book’s introduction of the French Revolution raises. In other words, it’s another conversation on A Tale of Two Cities! Thanks for tuning in and happy listening!

NOTE: VIDEO COMING LATER

Welcome back to our ongoing conversation about Charles Dickens’ classic novel! In this episode, we discuss what the book is revealing itself to be about, the question of villainy in the story, the importance of the historical context, the differences in the various men who love Lucie, Dickens use of symblism, and much more. Happy listening!

We’re back with another conversation on Charles Dickens’ classical novel, and this time we discuss the introduction of Sidney Carton and Charles Darnay—and the way Dickens employs doubling to develop them as characters alongside the key themes of the book. Plus: a great Dickens-ism, a few wonderful scenes, chat on Dickens and dialogue, questions about how Dickens writes women, and much more. Happy listening!

Over the years, many of you have asked us to discuss a Dickens novel and it’s finally time! Over the next several episodes we are going to dig into A Tale of Two Cities. But fair warning: as we get into the book we do spend some time explaining why we’re not necessarily Dickens enthusiasts, before getting into what really works well. (Don’t worry, we won’t dwell further on the things we don’t love, but it would be strange to not address it given our collective reputation on this count). Happy listening!

You had questions about The Bridge of San Luis Rey; we did our best to answer them. Thanks for tuning in to this series!

Up next: A Tale of Two Cities.

Please note: no video for this episode.

It’s time to dig into the end of Thornton Wilder’s lovely novel and in this episode we’re discussing the impact (and epilogue-like nature) of the final chapter, the spiritual contemplations inherent in the narrative, the way Wilder manages to say something powerful about the nature of love, and much more. Happy listening!

Video editionA quick note on video: some listeners have requested that we post videos of the show. We’re open to this and will try it, since it does seem to be the future of podcasting, whatever that means. But many video podcasts can get quite performative; video can change the tone of a show. After all, it’s weird to sit and look into the camera; it’s weird to be conscious of the fact that people are watching you have a conversation as opposed to just listening to it. Some people get anxious about lighting and hair and makeup and all that. We aren’t going to worry about any of that. We are just going to post our Zoom calls as they are. If they look bad or poorly lit, so be it. If they seem awkward, oh well. If it’s for you, great. If you just want to roll with audio, that’s great too. However you tune in, thanks for doing so!

Welcome to the first episode of 2025 here on Close Reads! Our first book of the year is a short but powerful contemplation of , well, the meaning of life and death. Great way to kick off a new year . . .

Topics of conversation include whether this is an unbearably sad book, the complex (mirrored) relationships at the core of the story, the nesting doll structure of the narrative, the echoes of Jesus’ teaching that show up, and much more. Happy listening!

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We’ve come to the end of our series on James Runcie’s novel, The Great Passion, which (as usual) means it’s time for a Q&A episode and this time we have a very special guest: our friend Greg Wilbur, who happens to a conductor and composer who has also authored a biography of Bach himself. Greg joined us to chat about his experience with The Great Passion and to answer some of your questions. Happy listening (and happy new year)!

Merry Christmas from all of us at Close Reads! In this episode we’re chatting about the final chapters of James Runcie’s lovely novel, The Great Passion. Topics of conversation include the way this book is perfect for the Christmas season, how Runcie portrays the performance of the Passion in the book, what the epilogue accomplishes, and much more. Happy listening!

It’s that time of year! In this annual tradition we’re sharing our top five reads of 2024 (as well as a slew of honorable mentions). Happy listening!