Recommendations of Classic Books

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kellymfowler
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Re: Recommendations of Classic Books

Post by kellymfowler »

My favorite classic books would include Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, for it's simplicity and reader-friendly style. George Orwell's 1984, and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury are my two favorites for when I'm in a political mood :) I also find anything by Dickens to be fabulous, and I love his wry sense of humor.
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sheenasmith0715
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Post by sheenasmith0715 »

Flaubert's Madame Bovary is worth checking out. I realize it can be a little slow at times, but tragic Emma really plays to your sympathies in her quest to find happiness.
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tiajanay
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Post by tiajanay »

Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley

If you've only been watching the scary movies of the same name then you are defiantly missing out. This book is a tale of growth and knowledge and in my opinion taking responsibility for ones actions. The main character Victor who creates the monster and then runs out on it will leave you confused. At times I was rooting for victor to get away from his monster and to be happy with his wife to be and then at other times I was hoping against all odds that the monster would come and take victors life for good.

The Monster who feels like like an abandoned child grows and learns but is still pretty unpredictable in behavior. But all in all he just wants to feel loved and accepted and not at all like the monster he truly is. His mood swings push people such as victor and nice family in a hut far away from him as he tries so desperately to gain their love. In the end he gets even like a toddler with everyone who has ever crossed him and leaves Victor as lonely as he has felt himself.

The story itself is easy to follow and though is it was written in the 1800's. it reads fluidly and while i didn't get a hold of it till college it has fast become a book i will continue to cherish as a kind of coming of age read. something to teach me not to run from the messes I may create but to face them head on before they get worse and come and bite me in the behind later
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jessheard2013
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Post by jessheard2013 »

Jayne Eyre is the best classic to start with!
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MontyV
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Post by MontyV »

As far as books set upon the backdrop of war and the emotional drain on those encompassed within it, Hemingway's "A Farewell to Arms" is one of the more modern classics (as far as modern warfar is concerned). Some of the other novels we've seen throughout history are directed in an era very different from our own, and not too many have come along since the World Wars.
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CaseyFry
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Post by CaseyFry »

I highly recommend Homer's The Odyssey. The Iliad is also a wonderful book, but The Odyssey is a particular favorite of mine. The original journey-adventure, a man leaving on a mission and his struggle through the obstacles he must face in order to return home and find what he has been missing. Not only does it have the adventure aspect, but also the underlying romance between Odysseus and his wife, as well as humor that follows through the story. :)
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Ashleydawn628
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Post by Ashleydawn628 »

While browsing books in my kindle app I decided to download dracula (Bram Stoker), that was last year sometime. It quickly became a book I couldn't put down. It truely is a classic.
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jackdel
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Post by jackdel »

Little woman, a must read!! :mrgreen:
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bethany_vanwaes
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Post by bethany_vanwaes »

Personally, I'm a big fan of Jane Austen. All of her books (yes, all of them), are wonderful stories. People tend to think that her books are fluffy romance novels, but they're really not. All of her novels have very interesting stories.

Also, a really good one to go for is Little Women. You must be dedicated though, that book is thick!
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The Bookinista
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Post by The Bookinista »

One of my favorite classic books to recommend is "Dangerous Liaisons" by Choderlos de Laclos. It is the book that the movie (with Michelle Pfeiffer, Glenn Close and John Malkovich) was based on. It was considered extremely racy for the time (late eighteenth century) and somewhat immoral because it showed these rich, decadent people using and abusing people all to win a secret war between them for their pleasure. It is a lot of guilty fun. Also, I love a great epistolary novel!
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annawallace
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Post by annawallace »

Dracula. In this day, vampires are a thing of popularity and beauty. Originally, this was not so! Dracula is by far one of the creepiest books I've ever read! It still holds a place in my heart as a creepy classic!
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Christine81
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Post by Christine81 »

To Kill A Mockingbird is a classic for all ages. I read it as a freshman in high school and have re-read it throughout the years.
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SLM-006
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Post by SLM-006 »

I really love The Three Musketeers By Alexandre Dumas... It is funny, full adventure and has romance. The movies that are made don't even touch the book. Alexandre Dumas was an excellent story teller.
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chadalovette
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Post by chadalovette »

All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy is one of my all time favorites. If you have never read any of his other work it is a little challenging to take in the way he writes in the first few pages, but once you have adjusted it is worth it. I am a huge fan of novels with movement and a journey throughout them, and this is a great example. The main character grows and changes along the way and keeps you on your toes the entire time. Definitely worth the read if you are looking for a an exciting classic novel!
Senserial_Publishing
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Post by Senserial_Publishing »

PhotonicGuy wrote:Anna Karenina, by Lev Tolstoy is also a great classical book. I like its style very much , because Tolstoy made a realistic picture of Russia in that era. This book together with all books written by Dostoevsky are the representative classical books for me.
Agree! All books by Dostevsky are abolutely classical.

I would add also "Bel Ami" by Guy de Maupassant and "Madam Bovary" by Gustave Flaubert. Two classical books about the moral degradation.
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