Classic Literature Must-Reads: Top Book Recommendations

Welcome to a journey through the timeless corridors of classic literature! Join us as we unlock the secrets of literary masterpieces from the past and present our handpicked recommendations for your next reading adventure. From beloved classics to hidden gems, we delve into the rich tapestry of storytelling that has shaped the literary landscape. Whether you're a seasoned bibliophile or just beginning your literary journey, there's something here for everyone. Get ready to immerse yourself in the enchanting world of classic literature and discover your next literary obsession!

[philtheo]

No Dostoevsky?! A crime that deserves punishment! 😋 But seriously I'd include Crime and Punishment as well as The Brothers Karamazov.

In addition, I think Steinbeck's East of Eden, The Grapes of Wrath, and/or Of Mice and Men deserve mention.

Likewise at least one of the novels of Charles Dickens should be on such a list (e.g. Great Expectations, David Copperfield).

Dante's Divine Comedy is another timeless classic.

If you're going to include Homer, I'd put Virgil's Aeneid on there too. For other epics, Beowulf, The Song of Roland, perhaps Le Mort d'Arthur (or my personal favorite Arthurian tale is The Once and Future King by T.H. White). Does The Lord of the Rings count or should scifi/fantasy be a separate list?

Sknce yiu mentioned 1984, I think Orwell's Animal Farm is just as good as 1984. And A Brave New World as well as Lord of the Flies for more modern dystopian themed novels.

I think Alice in Wonderland and The Little Prince are classics too.

Likewise these are among the very first English novels - The Pilgrim's Progress by john Bunyan and Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe.

Some adventure-themed books may be classics. Such as Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels, a couple of Jules Verne books, The Count of Monte Cristo is awesome (and see the scifi remake Rhr Stars My Destination), a couple of Rudyard Kipling's works like The Jungle Book and Kim, Rhe Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, Rider Haggard's King Solomon's Mines or The Man Who Would Be King, etc.

So many others to include, but I'll stop because i realize I'm getting carried away! 😊

[marthacanady]

My favorite classic, and I have read many, has got to be Les Misérables by Victor Hugo. Timeless it is, and an absolutely monumental achievement, leaving the reader stunningly moved and mesmerized. Never to be forgotten experience.

[MrTorleon]

Thank you. I am a retired academic - Classics and Early Medieval History, and pleased to say, at age 74, I have copies of all of the titles represented here, and more besides.
The recent publication of a new translation of Homer`s ' The Iliad ' to very favourable reviews might suggest that this should also be included in this list, or certainly should not be excluded :)
Enjoyable in every way

[HiwattW]

Moby Dick was the my favorite of the novels mentioned- I had to be deployed to a combat zone for several months waiting for wounded to come in, with a lot of downtime to read it, but I did. Cover to cover. Great, but very challenging novel. I personally would add Light in August (William Faulkner); Brave New World (Aldous Huxley); Tender Is The Night (Fitzgerald)- a better choice in my opinion than The Great Gatsby; Underworld (Don DiLillo)- more modern choice to be sure, but truly remarkable; and Darkness At Noon (Arthur Koestler). Frankenstein as noted is also a remarkable book. Thank you for a great platform to discuss timeless literature.

[mtgcorner]

My favorite classics are the divine comedy, the count of monte cristo and crime and punishment

[angreagach]

You might be interested to know that Moby Dick, Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights and Huckleberry Finn are among those included in Fifty Works of English and American Literature We Could Do Without, by Brigid Brophy, Michael Levey and Charles Osborne. (Not saying they're right.)

[GilbertHorn]

My favorite classics are: Henry Fielding’s “Tom Jones “ and Alexandre Dumas’s “The Count of Monte Cristo “. I’ve read each four times and expect to do it again.

[harishtomar]

Blood Sowing Humans written by Mayank Tomar represents our time read it and see the best of times

[carladaniels]

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, by Betty Smith? I read at age 12, loved it, need to read again..

[douglasdea]

Some of these I agree with. 1984 and Huckleberry Finn should be read by everyone, probably while young. (There's good reasons why they are standards of high school classes.)

Some I disagree with. I've never understood the appeal and staying power of The Great Gatsby, which is merely a pulpy romance novel. And while I can see where Catcher in the Rye was cool and edgy stuff when it was published today it is dated. There's a million Holden Caulfields on the Internet and one in every high school in America. Calling every person on planet Earth a "phony" no longer cuts it. Yeah, kid, we know. Got anything else to say?

While 1984 is here I would add Animal Farm as a companion book. That's another one every teenager should read. Grapes of Wrath is a must read too. I recently read Kindred by Butler and there's a lot to think about and discuss in that book. If I was a high school teacher I would consider adding it to my curriculum. Oh, and then there's Treasure Island, every 10 or 12 year old should read that.

[luiscorona]

Out of these 15, I've read:

To Kill a Mockingbird
1984
The Catcher and The Rye
The Picture of Dorian Gray
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

And my favorite has been the one written by Oscar Wilde.

[LoisThiessen]

I would add "Crime and Punishment" by Fyodor Dostoyevski.

[purplesprigs]

These are, for the most part, the literary equivalent to eating the dead worm at the bottom of the bottle of tequila. They are profoundly awful, but you can tell your friends that you actually enjoyed them, because you are such an intellectual.

[kaysimperfectgarden.]

Unbearable robotic voice, couldn't watch any more, too irritating...

[milan.djurdjevic]

I don't want to be rude but this should be titled american classics.
People outside USA do not like or even read most of listed books(half of it).
Any top 10/15/20 list should have Divine comedy, Decameron, Karamazov brothers, Lost paradise or Faust.
Excuse my bad English.

[tommurray]

In search of lost time. Other books are available.

[apollonia]

Of the 15 classics, I have not read Moby Dick, my reason is I cannot take cruelty to animals so when I read a passage in a book that mentions such an atrocity I skip that oassage. However, MD is far beyond my sensibility !
War and Peace.... I have been trying to read it since I was sixteen and never go beyond the first few pages, nevermind chapters ! Anna Karenina, had no problems.
Of the 15 books my top three would be:
1 Les Miserables;
2. Pride and Prejudice;
3. The Picture of Dorian Gray

[gs]

I'm a fan of Oscar Wilde, but have never thought A Picture of Dorian Gray was remarkable. Frankenstein is another overrated book. Also did not care for Anna Karnina. I liked Catcher in the Rye, but would not rate it so high. As below, I would substitute Les Miserables. Crime and Punishment and The Good Earth are two others deserving attention.