Jewish folklore is full of stories that have traveled across many lands and cultures. Over hundreds of years, these tales have carried the joys and challenges of being Jewish, showing both the struggles people faced and the strength they found along the way.

The people of the Appalachian Mountains have a special kind of humor—dry, colorful, and full of down‑to‑earth charm. Sometimes they poke fun at their own everyday mix‑ups, and other times they tease the outside world and its fancy ways.

The two cities of the novel's title are London and Paris, where Frenchman Charles Darnay and...