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Would like to read a classic book, as never read one before and would defo like to broaden my interests. What do I recommend for my first read xx

Would like to read a classic book, as never read one before and would defo like to broaden my interests. What do I recommend for my first read xx

NicolaJohn #recommend #classics

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65 Answers

Bee

Jane Eyre

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NicolaJohnQuestion author

Thanks @Bee, just seen that one in Waterstones with a cloth cover x

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Rachel

Wuthering Heights is perfection.

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Linda

It is! ❤

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Sheila

Agreed.

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Ange

Definitely Wuthering Heights ❤️

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Bee

You can’t beat a bit of Jane Austen either- it’s often hilarious, and so well-observed.

My favourites are Persuasion, Emma, and Pride & Prejudice.

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Claire

Pride and Prejudice or Jane Eyre ☺️

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Stacy

These would be my two top recommendations!

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Claire

Madame Bovary.

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Bee

Henry James was a very influential American novelist- I find his longer ones a bit wordy for my taste, but there’s a very short one which I think is just brilliant, called Washington Square. It’s about a rich heiress and her rather cruel father who tries to see off a fortune-hunting suitor.

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Bronni

The Great Gatsby is relatively easy reading if you can’t be bothered with something long

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Rheanna

Pride and Prejudice is the best one to start with

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Bee

I tend to agree, Rheanna.

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Samantha

A Christmas Carol. Little women or Emma.

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Stacy

Pride and Prejudice or Jane Eyre would be my top suggestions.

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Vicki

I was the same I loved pride and prejudice Jane Eyre and Rebecca x

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Sÿa

Rebecca.

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Sarah

Wuthering Heights

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Claire

Rebecca

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Yazmina

Frankenstein! ?

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Hara

Jane Eyre

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Vicky

Jane Eyre or Rebecca – they were the first two I ever read whilst at school and I loved them both

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Sarah

Charles Dickens is my favourite, love quite a few of his.

Wuthering Heights is a firm favourite too although I found it a bit of a slog at first, there are websites for translating what Joseph says lol.

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Siobhan

Pride and prejudice makes me laugh. I love the writing. And it’s easy going for a start. Tess of the D’urbervilles is a classic but a bit more tricky. Wuthering Heights is a massive slog for a start.

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Shelly-Ann

Wuthering Heights is my favourite classic book, absoloutely brilliant and not a love story in the classic sense at all. Personally I find Dickens very dull to read, far too descriptive and not enough action!

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Kelly

I can recommend Rebecca (but not sure how much I enjoyed it in the end!)

Also, The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins is very good. Currently reading The Moonstone by the same author and that is turning out to be pretty good as well.

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Chrissy

I love Anna Karenina, Great expectations and lorna doone x

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Hannah

Tess of the D’Urbervilles

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Jackie

Tess of the D’Urbevilles by Thomas Hardy would be my recommendation. It is an epic, classic, timeless story but Thomas Hardy has a very reader-friendly style. Great descriptions of landscape and the everyday and a proper page turner, too. Romance, tragedy – it’s all there.

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Rhona

I was going to say Rebecca too, I love this book so much.

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Anna

Rebecca is one of my all time favourites ?

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Bee

Mine too, but I think that it draws so heavily on Jane Eyre that it would be a shame not to have read that too.

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Anna

@Bee also one of my all time favourites…love Jane Eyre too ?

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Jocelyn

Wuthering Heights

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Jocelyn

Or how about A Christmas Carol?

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Sadie

Rebecca, pride and prejudice or persuasion. Tess is good although a bit heavier.

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NicolaJohnQuestion author

Don’t mean to sound thick, what is it with classics, is it how they were wrote in that era and style of words or the story telling x

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Bee

Nicola, it’s more that they are books which have changed the way we think about storytelling, and which have particular qualities that have stood the test of time so they can still enrich our understanding of life and literature now.

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NicolaJohnQuestion author

Aww thank u, just think it’s never to late to learn and have only started to read as a hobby the past few yrs, it just opens r mind xx

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Clare

It’s definitely never too late where it comes to reading. ?

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Elizabeth

Dracula. Wuthering Heights. The Woman In White. Tess of the Durbervilles

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Anne

Little women, Jane Eyre, Brideshead Revisited and Rebecca.

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Harriet

Jayne Eyre, Dracula, Rebecca, Wuthering Heights (I have never been an Austin fan). In terms of modern classics On The Road by Jack Kerouac, I’m the King of the Castle by Susan Hill or Love In A Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

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Sadie

Oh the Austen’s! Harriet! I will be quoting them in our meeting tomorrow morning.

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NicolaJohnQuestion author

Didn’t even know about half these books Harriet, I’m learning so much lol x

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Emma

Any of the Bronte sisters would be a good choice ?

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Kate

Jane eyre…..

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Len

Wuthering heights

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Cheryl

Like you I’ve wanted to broaden my reading – this year I’ve read 1984 and Far From the Madding Crowd – enjoyed both of them with more classics in my bookcase to read! Enjoy!

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NicolaJohnQuestion author

I watched the film the other day if far from madding crowd, it was amazing, I’m over the moon with responses, thanks Hun x

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Frances

Pride and prejudice without a doubt !!!

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Vanessa

For your first, ‘Emma’ by Jane Austen. Then ‘Pride and Prejudice’ ?

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Kate

The short stories of Thomas Hardy. My personal favourite classic is Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D.H. Lawrence, but I adore all of his novels. I also love Jude The Obscure and Heart Of Darkness. I’m not an Austen fan, I’m afraid; I prefer things a little darker.x

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Judith

Of mice and men would be my suggestion. But I don’t like Jane Austiine and a lot of the authors that have already been suggested. All quiet on the western front and above us the waves are both good books which challenge the views but not what most people would call classic.

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Clo

I read Animal Farm a few weeks ago and now I’m on to 1984! Both enthralling and so well written.

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Judith

1984 is on my list.

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Clo

Oscar Wilde – the importance of being Ernest is also one of my FAVOURITE classics. Such a funny book.

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Judith

there is an excellent black and white film of this, not sure how it compares to the book though. A handbag!?

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Laura

Wuthering heights is a definite for me. Rebecca is also epic

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Stephanie

To kill a mockingbird

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Miriam

Brilliant recommendations above – to which I would also like to add The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins – a great Victorian mystery novel

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Kate

Loved this!

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Lucy

Little women!!!

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Tracey

Tess of the d’Urbervilles by thomas hardy is my absolute favourite. I loved withering heights too.

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