You may find the longer works of Charles Dickens a little easier if you first read A Christmas Carol. It’s much shorter than A Tale of Two Cities, has a familiar plot, and the style is more direct.

I think that Oliver Twist is usually considered the easiest to read of Dickens’s longer works. Reading one 19th century novel will make you more accustomed to the language and writing styles of the day and your future reading will be easier.

Don’t feel bad if you can’t finish War and Peace - it’s notoriously long and difficult. But it is definitely worth the trouble!