Recommendations of Classic Books

[imodelmichelle]

Alice's Adventure's in Wonderland - lewis carol

my all time favorite book. the author captivates the reader with his word play and interesting characters. a must read.
5/5

the jungle books- rudyard kipling

100 times better than the disney movie. a fun read with great lessons and wonderfully written characters. if you havent rad it DO IT!!

5/5

[bibliomaniac_23]

As far as classics go, I have a taste for modern classics. Herzog by Saul Bellow is a personal favorite. What I love about this book, is the way the author can make you literally "drown" into the disintegrating mind of the protagonist. Herzog, the main character, is disillusioned with life and humanity in general, following a painful divorce, and the plot revolves around Herzog writing letters to people he never met, people in his life, as well as people who are dead. He never does post any of those letters, but they serve as a window through which we can have a fleeting glimpse of the state of his mind, on the verge of insanity. The letters of Herzog speak of his past, his present, plans for the future, as well as random philosophical ideas that course through his rapidly degenerating mind.

[pt_12]

Tale of Two Cities has stuck in my mind for a while. Charles Dickens in general is a must-read.

[nellybae100]

The scarlet letter, dracula, animal farm, lord of the flies, frankenstein

[scriptbunny]

I recently read Fyodyr Dostoyevsky's paragon of classic Russian literature, Crime and Punishment. The protagonist of the novel is a young intellectual student who resides in St. Petersburg, named Raskolnikov. He lives in squalid poverty and murders an immoral pawn-broker for what originally appears to be her possessions. But, as Dostoyevsky delves deeper into the mind of Raskolnikov, the reader finds more intriguing motives for his crime, and Raskolnikov seems to view himself as a great man (he is constantly comparing himself to Napolean) that is exempt from moral law. In this page-turner Raskolnikov attempts to avoid arrest and redeem himself by helping the poor family of a prostitute. This novel was written by Dostoyevsky as an attempt to combat the growing Russian nihilism of the time period, and the author sternly reminds us that nobody is above moral law, whether your punishment comes in the form of imprisonment or grief and remorse.

If you like Crime and Punishment, you should definitely check out The Idiot and The Brothers Karamazov. Absolutely divine reads!

[shayna]

I highly recommend The Call of the Wild by Jack London.

I've always loved classic literature, typically more complex pieces, along the lines of Charles Dickens or William Shakespeare. However, I started reading after watching Into the Wild (a fantastic film by the way), and was engrossed in a story about a dog! Well written and captivating throughout, a highly recommend this simple read out of sheer enjoyment.

[AnaF]

The Count of Monte Cristo is one of my favorite classics. Crime and Punishment is quite good and if you can find it in english Os Maias dby Eça de Queiroz. Great portuguese classic!

[Book-obsessed]

Personally one of my favorites is Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens.

It shows London, England in the 1800s in a new light. A darker light to be specific, it's especially interesting if you're like me and never really knew much about England or only knew very little of the oppression of England's own people. It great.

[David Dawson]

I agree with all those recommending Dickens, although for me David Copperfield is his best.

[Headbanginghunny]

I love classic books. There is nothing better than seeing how time changes yet these books can still move us. My favorite by far is The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. It has so much deep, intellectual meaning buried inside the context of the beautiful words placed on each page that it is worth reading over and over again, just to see what you missed from the last read through. Any other works of Oscar Wilde are witty and worth your time as well.
Another good classic is Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. It is a scarier book with lots of confusing and raw human emotions packed in it. It really questions humanity and the concept of who is really a monster in this world.
There are plenty of other good classics as well and I am about to start reading The King in Yellow by Robert William Chambers and I am stoked!

[shanet]

"Tale of Two Cities" was one of the few high school "required reading" book I ever enjoyed. I've forgotten most of it now (30+ years ago), might have to read it again.

I'm currently reading "The Time Machine" and loving it. I think the way Wells leaves the characters unnamed helps draw you into the story. By purposely leaving the descriptions vague, he allows you to create your own. You become a part of the story rather than just an observer.

Dickens was actually one of the few authors that I disliked in High School. I may have been too immature to enjoy him at the time so I may have to revisit him. Oliver Twist was the thorn in my side in High School English.

[David Dawson]

"Tale of Two Cities" was one of the few high school "required reading" book I ever enjoyed. I've forgotten most of it now (30+ years ago), might have to read it again.

I'm currently reading "The Time Machine" and loving it. I think the way Wells leaves the characters unnamed helps draw you into the story. By purposely leaving the descriptions vague, he allows you to create your own. You become a part of the story rather than just an observer.

Dickens was actually one of the few authors that I disliked in High School. I may have been too immature to enjoy him at the time so I may have to revisit him. Oliver Twist was the thorn in my side in High School English.

I was saying this on the Dickens thread earlier, but I love Dickens yet find the anti-semitism in Oliver Twist incredibly difficult to deal with. I know it was a different time etc., but it's so pervasive in that specific book that I found it created a barrier between me and the text.

[Elizabeth Rogers 47]

I can recommend Jane Austen's Persuasion. Anne is a heroine with a lot of trouble weighing her down. No one in her family values her good qualities. She is a sensible, modest, quiet and loving. Her one reliable friend is her godmother. However, that lady was the cause of much unhappiness when she persuaded Anne to break off her engagement with a young ship captain who was poor and had no sure future. Her sisters were interested in themselves, and in social climbing. Anne still pined for the young man she had turned down, She does not resent her godmother for persuading her, but she has come to know that she would have been happier if she had married. The young man returns to the area, and he has made his fortune. But the question is, will Anne get a second chance at happiness?

-- 19 May 2014, 16:45 --

I recommend Giants in the Earth by O.E. Rolvaag. I read it as a high school sophomore, and it convinced me that going west in a covered wagon, was not a romantic walk through the prairie. It was the story of four Norwegian families traveling to the Dakota Territory to settle. The left their homes with high hopes, meet with many troubles, and eventually find their way to some a place called Spring Creek. The main character is Per Hansa, and his wife is Beret. The husband is optimistic and hard working. He and the other men build sod houses for their families. His wife is pregnant. She is a sensitive person, and when things do not go well, she obsesses on the past. Her life in Norway, and the fact that her mother had not wanted her to marry this man and follow him to America. She is obviously not suited to being a pioneer and living in wilderness. The open spaces disturb her. "There's nothing to hide behind" she thinks. She becomes increasingly depressed, and eventually becomes religious. I found the book fascinating, even if it did burst my fantasy bubble that was more along the lines of "Wagon Train" and popular western TV shows and movies.

[ebookfan]

Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen

[jordantyler91]

I wanted to recommend a genre of books that I love immensely that I haven't noticed in the forum but that qualifies as classic. (I apologize if it has been reviewed ad nauseum.) I'm recommending Victorian sensationalism, a genre of overly dramatized mysteries that usually feature women as an antagonist and insanity as part of the plot. The two I would specifically recommend that I enjoyed immensely are "Lady Audley's Secret" by Mary Elizabeth Braddon and "The Woman in White" by Wilkie Collins.