Recommendations of Classic Books

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amcanelly3
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Post by amcanelly3 »

Out of the classic love stories I absolutely love "The Great Gatsby" by Fitzgerald and "Their Eyes Were Watching God." Yes there are a lot of other themes in GG, as it is the epitome of the Roaring 20s, but it is essentially a love story. Their Eyes is a wonderful love story following a young AA woman who struggles to find what freedom and love really are to her. It's a little harder to read because Hurston spells her dialogue the way the dialect sounds. I teach 11th grade English and my first year doing so I had the class break up into different groups depending on what they wanted to read but the options were those two along with "The Scarlet Letter." I may hate TSL solely because I hated teaching it and it was so much fun to teach the others. I highly recommend reading "The Great Gatsby" and "Their Eyes Were Watching God."

I also enjoyed Slaughterhouse Five. I love the alien motif that goes along with the war.
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raikyuu
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Post by raikyuu »

If one is a fan of "1984", I would also suggest "A Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley. Like 1984, "A Brave New World" also explores a dystopian-themed society where everyone is segregated according to their biology, and they don't have a problem with it. It is a good classic because one can't tell who the enemy is, or rather there is really an enemy or not.
-rk
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Rebecca_Rivera
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Post by Rebecca_Rivera »

The Tuggernaut wrote:I recently read Fyodyr Dostoyevsky's paragon of classic Russian literature, Crime and Punishment.
I have one called Brothers Karamazov I believe. Do you have any info on this one? I want to read it but it's a little intimidating to get into. :hand: I find a summary such as the one you wrote for Crime and Punishment works well as motivation. I would be grateful for any info you could give.

-- July 24th, 2017, 8:28 pm --
dimes wrote:I recommend The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins. It's a gripping mystery which kept me at the edge of my seat throughout the whole. I started off listening to the audiobook, but I got so impatient to find out what happened that I dug out my physical copy and started reading it at full speed. The Woman in White is written in the form of diary entries from the perspectives of various characters within the story. It starts off with Walter Hartright, drawing master, encountering a woman in white on a lonely road on his way to London. He is later hired to teach the beautiful Laura Fairlie and her half-sister Marion Halcombe, and gets embroiled in finding out who or what the woman in white is.
This book sounds absolutely intriguing. I have to check this out. The fact that she wears white reminds me of Emily Dickinson and how I always wonder why she dressed consistently in white. I wish there were record somewhere of why she did that.
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kislany
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Post by kislany »

The first book I have ever read was The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas. It was so awesome that I had to read the whole Dumas collection. Historical fiction at its best, depicting a time in France that is not only turbulent, but often magical. I could never forget those books and I think Alexandre Dumas is a classic author that aged quite well.
smart24
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Post by smart24 »

I love 'Tale of Two Cities' its amazing and intriguing, it can equally be recommended for any reader
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Tamanna
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Post by Tamanna »

I loved both Dracula by Bram Stoker and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, they're both thrilling gothic novels and it was quite amazing reading about the original books that inspired so many movies, tv-shows, books, cartoons and cereal box designs. They're one of the first proper horror novels and I really loved reading them as the authors' use of traditional gothic elements made them all the more enjoyable.

But otherwise, if you're looking for a light, funny read then The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde is perfect for you. It's a hilarious satire on the English upper-class at that time and I couldn't stop laughing while reading it.

:techie-studyinggray:
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EDDY OKOTH
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Post by EDDY OKOTH »

i love clasdic books
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cassidyh
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Post by cassidyh »

My two favorite classic books are "The Picture of Dorian Gray" by Oscar Wilde and "Wuthering Heights" by Emily Bronte. Both of these books fall under the gothic genre. "The Picture of Dorian Gray" follows the main character Dorian and deals a lot with the idea of appearance vs. reality and the superficial nature of people. The ending is also very climactic and makes you think. "Wuthering Heights" is a love story, which details two intertwined families and the desire for revenge.
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myplatter
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Post by myplatter »

Thanks for this one.
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Anirudh Badri
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Post by Anirudh Badri »

I recommend both The Count of Monte Cristo as well as The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas. The stories explore extremely complex themes but the writing style is truly what drew me to the books. There is a sense of optimism and hope even when the book turns to its darkest points, which really made me enjoy reading them.
It is what you read when you don’t have to that determines what you will be when you can’t help it.

–Oscar Wilde
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Chelsy Scherba
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Post by Chelsy Scherba »

I recently read The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo. I thought it was fantastic and way more humorous than I was expecting. I loved the first few chapters with the character of Gringoire (hopefully I spelled that correctly; French names aren't my strong suit). There were a lot of playful puns and silly observations that gave the English major in me plenty of entertainment. It's also quite a sad book, but very interesting and fun to read. It has everything: romance, humor, Gothicism, and drama. Highly recommended!
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panaginip
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Post by panaginip »

I read Anne of Green Gables when I was a child and I'm still rereading it until now! It's one of the books I still love. The adventures of Anne Shirley and her friendship with Diana, as well as her romantic relationship with Gilbert Blythe, will forever make my heart warm.
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Brandi Noelle
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Post by Brandi Noelle »

"A Farewell to Arms" by Ernest Hemingway is my favorite classic novel. A great glimpse into WWI Europe attached to a touching love story. Heartwarming and heart-wrenching all at the same time. I highly recommend.
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0721397657
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Post by 0721397657 »

i have not yet read the book but i like the review, the book sounds interesting
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noralyn9941
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Post by noralyn9941 »

journey to the center of the earth by jules verne
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