I'm reading it as an adult, and it's absolutely enthralling. Part of my fascination is the details that a writer living today may not know--like when Mr. Lorry is in Dover, and the room he is waiting in has tables that have been oiled. Part of it is Dicken's subtlety, when I realized the inhabitants of Dover were smugglers.
But I think a big part of what makes this a book I can't put down is its rawness. From the arrogant assumption of privilege by the Monsiegneurs, to the dark, bloody violence of the Revolutionary mobs, the despairing dissipation of Sydney Carton--and his familiarity with the sordid streets of both London and Paris, the terrifying obliteration of Doctor Manette's self, this book hooked me in the first few pages and never let me go. (Another book that hooked me that early? The Fellowship of the Ring.)
I suspect, if I had read it in school, I would have dismissed any idea of reading it for pleasure. There's something about analyzing themes in writing that sucks out the enjoyment. But reading it for pleasure? Dickens hit it out of the park with this one.
I may have to re-read A Place of Greater Safety.
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