It's been a long while, but the main thing that sticks in my memory about A Tale of Two Cities was that it seemed to go on far too long, it's definitely not on my list to re-read. Another that fits that description was Hard Times. I don't think I've read Barnaby Rudge so at least it would be one I'd be interested in reading some time (not just now).
If people were considering some Dickens you could do worse than some of his non-fiction works, that way you might (perhaps) mange to strike on one that less people had already read. I enjoyed American Notes, which given the mixed audience here might generate some interesting conversation, but I also found The Uncommercial Traveller and A Child's History of England to be interesting.
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