What are some good classics. I’m just starting to wanna read some. But I don’t know witch ones are better to start with.
What are some good classics. I’m just starting to wanna read some. But I don’t know witch ones are better to start with.
71 Answers
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Loading Please wait
I loved Anna Karenina and Wuthering Heights
Wuthering Heights, Dracula, and The Count of Monte Cristo are my favorites
@Angel the count of Monte Cristo is one of my favourites too
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
The dictionary
The Count of Monte Cristo
Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice ?
Jane Eyre.
Cannery row, brave new world, nineteen eighty four, ANIMAL FARM. Wouldn’t recommend Dracula/Frankenstein couldn’t finish neither
Couldn’t get into the picture of Dorian grey either, liked grapes of wrath and Dicken’s great expectations, couldn’t get into a tale of two of cities tho. Of mice and men is nice but short
Didn’t like but got through catcher in the rye
In terms of classics that are classic for a reason… I adore A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Have a look around and see what appeals to you though. The good thing about classics is that a lot of them are available free or very cheaply, so get hold of some from different authors and see what you enjoy. Don’t force yourself to keep plugging through any if they’re a chore.
Not sure this is considered a classic…but I so loved So Big by Edna Ferber. Also The Razors Edge by Somerset Maugham…actually anything by Somerset Maugham…all the short stories, etc. The Last Hurrah by Edwin O’Connor. I know someone mentioned A Tree Grows in Brooklyn…a personal favorite…but I also loved Betty Smith’s Joy in the Morning. So many. <3
Jane Eyre!
Picture of Dorian Gray
John Steinbeck, George Orwell, Harper Lee, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Charles Dickens,and Cervantes. So many.
Of Dickens…A Tale of Two Cities is my favorite. Anything Jane Austen, of course. Thackeray’s Vanity Fair. Mark Twain…A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. Little Women. Black Beauty. <3 <3 <3
DRACULA! Everyone should read DRACULA!!!
@Rosemary loved Dracula ?
I’m 61 years old and I just read it last summer for the first time. You know what was awesome about that? I was like OMG…what other amazing books are still out there for me to read!!!
My daughter is currently reading it with her 6th form students – they’re all loving it.
@Rosemary – absolutely! Read it when I was 15 and always go back to it every few years.
The Good Earth
My 2 favourites are Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck and Tess of the Durbervilles by Thomas Hardy
My husband and I lived in Washington DC for over a year when he was getting his LL.M in labor law. I was a high school graduate who worked as a receptionist for a doctor’s office. I had hour long + commutes everyday on the bus and subway systems. Being poor at that time and having a husband who studied continuously, the library was my best friend. I started reading all kinds of classics. Those hours on the bus and subway were some of the best times of my life. <3
I read Little Women recently and loved it! Such a sweet book!
@Ashlee isn’t it? I read it for the first time about 50 years ago and it remains a favorite!
@Rosemary yes!! And it is definitely a true classic. I don’t know how I went so long without reading it!
There are so many out there that we haven’t read yet. Exciting!
@Ashlee a friend just finished reading and loved it. She asked me what modern writers may be similar in style. Any ideas?
looks like Little Women is going on my TBR list
I loved Jane eyre, Frankenstein, and everything Steinbeck
Anna Karenina, Great Expectations, Les Miserables.
To Kill a Mockingbird
Tess of the D’Ubervilles
@Claire I need to put this on my list.
@Rosemary it was the first classic I read. I was 14. I found it at a resale shop in beautiful leather. It changed the way i saw reading forever. It’s dark but romantic and real. I just adore it.
Les miserables or war and peace. My faves!
Wuthering Heights
Dickens is great. I agree with Tess. The Awakening by Kate Chopin is one of my favorites. What themes and settings interest you?
@Victoria oh wow you just reminded me of the Awakening. Read it at university. Great book.
I’m reading A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN and im loving it. To kill a mocking bird and Where the red fern grows are my favorites!
To kill a mokingbird
@Samantha I’ve actually read that one I had to for school. That’s the book that made me wanna read more classics.
Christmas Carol, a tale of two cities, little women
Brilliant choices – not too heavy and will get you used to the style of writing.
Pride and Prejudice
David Copperfield
Far from the Madding Crowd, Tess of the D’urbervilles, Grapes of Wrath
Some “newer” classics are “A Prayer for Owen Meany & ” The Kite Runner” ??
Any book by the bronte’ sister’s or Steinbeck is a good start
I can’t believe no-one has recommended Rebecca. It’s wonderful and superb! I loved it! But to be fair it’s the only classic I’ve tried. I must read more ?
@Kim it’s an excellent book. One of my favourite classics. All her books are great. Try my cousin Rachel Rachel by du Maurier too.
@Kim my fave book at age 10 was Jamaica Inn!
Tale of Two Cities.
Tolstoy’s War and Peace
There so many, a few of my favourites include:
The count of monte cristo
The three musketeers
Les miserable
Rebecca
1984
Frankenstein
The grapes of wrath
David copperfield
Crime and punishment
Fahrenheit 451
All quiet on the western front
Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens
Bronte sisters (Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights and please don’t forget the Tennant of Wildfeld Hall).
I think the thing to remember about classics is that, just like other fiction, they cover a huge range of styles, genres etc. I love a lot of the swashbuckling types (The Scarlet Pimpernel, Three Musketeers, Phantom of the Opera – though that’s a little less swash-ing!). I also love Wilkie Collins who-dunnit type books. I care less for Austen, Brontes or Orwell. My advice is to think about what types of books you like best and go from there.
@Tessie yes definitely Wilkie Collins – I loved The Woman in White
To kill s mockingbird the only book I read twice in my life
I’d recommend A Town like Alice by Nevil Shute
There are classics and then there are The Classics. Classics in American literature like The Old Man and the Sea, The Great Gatsby or The Scarlet Letter. Then there are the Ancient Greek and Roman classics— The Iliad, The Oddysey and Dante’s Inferno. You have the European classics— Madame Bovary, Great Expectations or The Art Of War.
Jane Eyre. Wuthering Heights. Villette. Ulysses. These are classics.
Has anyone mentioned George Eliot yet? I love all.of her books especially The Mill on the Floss.
Huck Finn? I always enjoy it.
Thanks everyone for all suggestions
Jane Austen
Jane Eyre, Great Gatsby, To kill a mockingbird, Handmaid’s Tale
I just read the first godfather book. So good! Probably not considered a classic, but should be