Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
Yeesh. This book is thick and has taken me the longest to get through of any book, ever. Probably because it includes like 10 essays of Victor’s political stance on subjects varying from Napolean to the history of French slang. I will say, Hugo is an excellent writer, and his style as well as insight into people reminds me a lot of Tolstoy. When the story is actually being told it is exciting, funny, emotional, true to character, and beautifully described. War, tragedy, love, heartbreak, repentance. It’s all in there with excellent characters. But good gracious, the man can go on and on. For this reason, I highly recommend the abridged version if you are not a major literary nerd (because Hugo’s writing is so thorough and beautiful if you are a literary nerd). I included the link to this beautiful and complete copy above, but here‘s a link to an abridged version in case you are simply interested in the story and not the 4,000 page, very wordy version.
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
THIS IS UNDOUBTEDLY MY FAVORITE BOOK OF ALL TIME. Tolstoy brilliantly captures humanity in every way while he narrates the Napoleonic war in Russia between the years 1805-1813. This book made me weep, laugh, feel unnervingly known and had me contemplate life from so many different facets. It has several love stories throughout and follows interesting, well-portraited characters that are perfectly flawed and so human. Make it your next Winter (or anytime of the year, really) read, because disclaimer: It is very long. Also, with any classic, the start is slow, so just stick with it. I figured if you were going to invest in purchasing War and Peace, it’s a book you might want to display/buy a cool cover for, so I included this beautiful version to the above, but if you’re just looking for some good literature, here‘s the cheapest version I could find on Amazon.
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
Ugh. This book just had too many depressing themes for me to enjoy. You know when something is too human? Like depicts the fallenness of people too accurately? That was this book. Anna has a stunning appearance and unfortunately stewards it nastily. She slowly becomes just so rotten, toxic, unforgiving, and repulsive that I simply couldn’t stand her, and that was probably the point. I did however, very much enjoy the story of a character named Levin throughout. I find myself returning to his contemplations and story often- he was probably the only reason I finished this book. I’m honestly not sure I would recommend it, but if you’re curious, you do you. And who knows? Maybe you’ll like it.
The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy
This was a good story, and perhaps a read we should all undertake at least once in our life. Tolstoy explores life, death, and the intense weight of personhood by following the life of Ivan Ilyich, a man who learns that he is dying, and whose internal landscape may be more similar to the masses (and ourselves) than we’d care to admit. It is Tolstoy, so it is, of course, very well written. A highly recommended read.
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
This story is so precious and endearing, a true classic .Mary, an orphaned and very selfish child, moves to her Uncle’s estate and experiences a warming of the heart and the discovery of friendship. This story is written for kiddos 8 and up, but I very much enjoyed it as an adult; it’s a good read no matter the age! It also involves a beautiful, secret garden, if you couldn’t tell from the title. Very good, very simple, and worth the time.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Ugh. Wow. Jane Austen. Such a classic. Romance, incredible dialogue, and an endearing, grumpy bachelor. I loved this book. Jane Austen explores the concepts of pride and prejudice (obvi), in a perfect relational dynamic between the lively Miss Elizabeth Bennett and the reserved Mr. Darcy. I walked away from this book so satisfied as a literature nerd and happy as a human.
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
Of course this book was good because it’s written by our beloved Jane Austen, but sheesh. It taught me so much about myself and others (especially women) in a way I’m not sure I would have understood otherwise. The story explores heartbreak in two sisters with clashing personalities and their own journeys to accepting the other’s way of processing grief and heartache. Oh, and features two love stories throughout. An excellent story with some very solid takeaways.
The Professor by Charlotte Bronte
This book is good, but not her best. It’s eerily similar to her other book, Villette. Both long haul romantic reads that are solid and very 1800ish. Unfortunately it’s fairly forgettable. It’s pretty long. If you’re not into classics and they are a bit of a drag for you, it wouldn’t be my first recommendation, but if you are thriving in the classics, I would say it’s a satisfying and fair read.
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
Wow. This book was not what I expected. Apparently it is often a required text for high schoolers? Which surprised me at first, but I absolutely see why after reading it now. It has a lot of language, as well as some elements of alcohol, prostitution, and suicide. Frankly, it was just such an accurate representation of a high school boy’s brain that it was a little uncomfortable to fit into at first. However, the whole book kind of feels like a hug and a mentor to the parts of yourself that feel annoyed by the world. The teenage angst is real, endearing, and unfortunately in some ways, relatable (even as a 29 year old grown woman). hah. I recommend this book, but it is unique and a little tumbly.
Emma by Jane Austen
She’s clever, cute, oblivious, and full of shenanigans. Follow Emma as she attempts to be matchmaker for her new friend, Harriet, and fails miserably on almost every account. There are a few love triangles in this fun read, and our keen, handsome Mr. Knightley makes it all the more interesting as you try to discern the true feelings and motives of all the characters throughout. The writing is of course fantastic. Jane Austen never disappoints.
Persuasion by Jane Austen
One of my favorite things about reading the classics is witnessing the way women challenged faulty social structures and prejudice through story during their time periods. Jane Austen brilliantly challenges the social hierarchies and all of the expectations therein regarding engagement and love that so pervasively existed during her time. This work of hers follows Anne Elliot as she grapples with the confrontation of her former betrothed, Captain Wentworth, a man whom she broke off her engagement with on grounds of prudence and social status, when he returns from service and back into her social circle. Anne battles her strong emotions and draw to him as she painfully watches young and eligible women shoot their shot. It’s such a good read, folks.
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
I find myself thinking about this book often. Hemingway uses his distinct, clear, and frank writing style to tell an epic fishing tale of an old man and a monster fish. It has themes of honor, perseverance, and humility. It’s also very short for a classic! If you’re looking for a place to start, this is an easy check off. A short, strong story that I highly recommend reading!
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
This book is a masterpiece. Jane Eyre is an orphan with a tumultuous childhood, who lands a job as a governess at Mr. Rochester’s estate. Love ensues, and of course so does all the chaos. Themes of forgiveness, morality, determination, and integrity are all throughout this beautifully written book. Worth the read. It’s a good one.
The Tenent of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte
Anne Bronte went hard in the paint with this book. It was so controversial during its debut, shaking the ground with the reality of domestic abuse and challenging the social structures in place. It also happens to be my favorite book of the Bronte sisters. It is so heart wrenching, challenging, and of course, well-written. Follow the mysterious unraveling of the story of the new tenent of Wildfell Hall, a beautiful young widow and her son. There are tender themes of forgiveness, morality, and new beginnings. 100% recommend.
Shirley by Charlotte Bronte
This book has stuck with me. There is a melancholy throughout with a practice of self-sacrifice for the perceived preference of others that has given me further insight on my own, almost subconscious, practice of this. Caroline, our beloved heroine is in love with the distanced Robert, and a dear friend to the beautiful and lively, Shirley, Robert’s equal and apparent “perfect” match. It’s a love story of love-sick-puppies, and it’s incredibly depicted, well-written, and slightly woeful. In my opinion, Charlotte Bronte nailed this one. I love a book that teaches me something about myself without telling me directly.
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Is there a greater, more classic Christmas read than Little Women? I think not. Cozy up with this one during the Winter season, it just emanates alllll the cozy and timeless feels. Jo March is our strong heroine, who is fierce, determined, and so compassionately protective. We follow her and her three sisters as they navigate the ups and downs of being young women. Love, marriage, sickness, grief, happiness, finances, and the real survival it took to either snag a husband or make a living as a (little) woman in the 1860’s.
The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy
If November was a book, it would be this one. Staged on a Egdon heath, a moody and barren moor in Wessex, southwestern England, we closely follow four characters, their poor choices, and the relational dramatics that follow. There is romance, love, trickery, and humanity through this somewhat volatile story. It’s one of the books where you painfully watch the characters fall into their misconceptions and assumptions, all to their detriment. It felt like Hardy matched the feeling of the heath to the feeling of the story, which made it immersive and kind of seasonal. So well-written, so interesting, and so informative to how personalities, engagement, and assumption can change the course for someone, for better or for worse. Also, one of my favorite characters ever to be written, the reddelman, made this book a 10/10 for me.
Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
Thomas Hardy paints a story with incredible depth in the context of beautiful, rural England. As good as it was, I wanted to like this book more. I just couldn’t connect to the characters. They were too… unlikeable. hah. I also can’t help but be peeved at how Mr. Hardy tends to portrait women. It comes with the time period of the piece, but still eats at me a bit. In this rather morbid novel, we follow the stories of three men who all become entangled with infatuation over Miss Bathsheba Everdene, our beautiful, vain, and proud heroine. Miss Everdene is continually chasing attention and fleeing from it all within the same breath. As she becomes a renown shepherdess after inheriting her Uncle’s farm in the small village of Weatherbury, her beauty precedes her and she becomes Queen of the Corn, perhaps to her detriment. This tragic story with themes of vanity, carelessness, obsession, love, responsibility, constantness, and prejudice is a classic through and through. 7/10 for me, folks.
