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Best Classic Books: Timeless Novels Worth Reading

A classic is a book that readers keep returning to long after it was written. This list gathers the classic novels in our catalog, including romances, gothic tales, adventures and social novels.

Use it to find a first classic, or the next one. Books are ordered by reader interest. Each has a one-line hook and a plain note on what you get.

Best for: Readers who want to start, or continue, with the classics.

Scope: Books in our catalog with this genre.
Order: By reader interest (Open Library want-to-read counts), then newest first. Not a quality ranking.

146 books

1813
Pride and Prejudice
Jane Austen
Classics · Light
Elizabeth Bennet, Mr Darcy and the problem of first impressions
What you get: Witty conversations, a romance worth waiting for and a heroine you cheer for from the first page. It is endlessly rereadable and gives you a happy glow.
Amazon Description
1945
Animal Farm
George Orwell
Classics · Dark
The mistreated animals of Manor Farm rebel against their human owner, hoping to build a fairer society
What you get: A short, clever fable that is quick to read and rich to discuss. You get a memorable story and a fresh view on how societies and leaders work.
Amazon Description
1952
Charlotte’s Web
E. B. White
Classics · Warm
A pig, a spider and the words that save his life
What you get: A warm, beautifully simple story about loyalty and kindness. It leaves you with a lump in your throat and a smile.
Amazon Description
1847
Wuthering Heights
Emily Brontë
Classics · Dark
A wild passion on the Yorkshire moors that destroys two families
What you get: A passionate, wild story set on the Yorkshire moors with characters you will not forget. It is atmospheric, dramatic and gloriously immersive.
Amazon Description
1955
Lolita
Vladimir Nabokov
Classics · Dark
Humbert Humbert addresses the reader as a jury in a memoir about his obsession with a 12-year-old girl
What you get: Dazzling language and a voice that makes you think hard about how stories are told.
Amazon Description
1925
The Great Gatsby
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Classics · Melancholic
Nick Carraway rents a house on Long Island next to the estate of Jay Gatsby, who throws lavish parties
What you get: A shimmering glimpse of the Jazz Age, with parties, longing and some of the most quoted lines in American fiction. Compact and stylish, it rewards a second read.
Amazon Description
1954
Lord of the Flies
William Golding
Classics · Dark
After a plane crash leaves only British schoolboys alive on an island, they try to organize themselves
What you get: A compelling story that is hard to put down and easy to discuss. It sets your mind working on leadership, community and how groups organize themselves.
Amazon Description
1868
Little Women
Louisa May Alcott
Classics · Warm
Four sisters grow up during the American Civil War
What you get: A warm, comforting story of four sisters that feels like coming home. You laugh, you cheer and you come away with a full heart, ready to share it with someone you love.
Amazon Description
1951
The Catcher in the Rye
J. D. Salinger
Classics · Melancholic
Expelled from Pencey Prep, Holden Caulfield spends a few days wandering New York City before Christmas
What you get: A strong, honest voice that pulls you into a few memorable days in New York. It captures the feeling of being young and searching, with humor and heart.
Amazon Description
1897
Dracula
Bram Stoker
Classics · Dark
A Transylvanian count arrives in England
What you get: A classic chiller told through letters and diaries, full of mood and suspense. You get the original vampire story and the pleasure of seeing where the legend began.
Amazon Description
1818
Frankenstein
Mary Shelley
Classics · Dark
A scientist builds a creature and refuses to take responsibility
What you get: A thrilling, atmospheric tale with stormy landscapes, bold ideas and an unforgettable creature. It is the birthplace of modern science fiction, and it still feels fresh.
Amazon Description
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
1865
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
Lewis Carroll
Classics · Light
A girl follows a white rabbit into a world of nonsense
What you get: A burst of imagination and humor, with one curious scene after another. It invites you to relax and enjoy how wonderfully odd things can be.
Amazon Description
1890
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Oscar Wilde
Classics · Dark
A beautiful young man and a portrait that ages for him
What you get: Wit, glamour and an unforgettable magical portrait in a quick, stylish read. Every page is packed with lines worth underlining.
Amazon Description
1851
Moby-Dick
Herman Melville
Classics · Dark
Captain Ahab’s obsessive hunt for a white whale
What you get: A grand voyage on the open sea with a legendary captain and a crew you come to know well. It is a rewarding, ambitious classic with unforgettable language.
Amazon Description
1847
Jane Eyre
Charlotte Brontë
Classics · Dark
An orphaned governess meets her mysterious employer
What you get: A passionate, atmospheric story with a heroine whose courage and independence shine. It draws you into the mood of old Thornfield and leaves a lasting impression.
Amazon Description
1911
The Secret Garden
Frances Hodgson Burnett
Classics · Warm
A lonely orphan finds a hidden garden on a Yorkshire estate
What you get: A gentle, hopeful story that feels like fresh air. Watching a garden and the children in it bloom is deeply comforting.
Amazon Description
1859
A Tale of Two Cities
Charles Dickens
Classics · Dark
London and Paris at the time of the French Revolution
What you get: A stirring story of courage and sacrifice set between London and Paris, with one of literature's most famous openings. It rewards you with a powerful, unforgettable finish.
Amazon Description
1815
Emma
Jane Austen
Classics · Light
A clever, wealthy young woman who is certain she knows best in matters of love
What you get: A bright, funny village world full of matchmaking, misunderstandings and affectionate wit. It is a cozy, clever read that ends in a deeply satisfying way.
Amazon Description
1908
Anne of Green Gables
L. M. Montgomery
Classics · Warm
A girl moves to a farm that wanted a boy
What you get: A big dose of coziness and joy, with a chatty, lovable heroine who sees beauty everywhere. It leaves you feeling cheerful and welcome.
Amazon Description
1969
Slaughterhouse-Five
Kurt Vonnegut
Classics · Dark
Billy Pilgrim, an optometrist from Ilium, New York, lives his life out of order, from Dresden to Tralfamadore
What you get: A short, inventive, distinctive story that jumps through time with wit and warmth. It is one of the most original novels of its century and a quick, rewarding read.
Amazon Description
1811
Sense and Sensibility
Jane Austen
Classics · Warm
Two sisters, one sensible and one passionate
What you get: A charming, clever story of love and good sense that keeps you rooting for its heroines.
Amazon Description
1899
Heart of Darkness
Joseph Conrad
Classics · Dark
Charles Marlow recounts his steamboat journey up an African river to find the ivory trader Kurtz
What you get: A concise, haunting story that creates powerful atmosphere and invites you to think.
Amazon Description
1883
Treasure Island
Robert Louis Stevenson
Classics · Light
A boy, a map and a pirate captain named Long John Silver
What you get: Pure adventure fun: a young hero, a charming rogue and the pull of a treasure hunt. It brings back the excitement of reading as a child.
Amazon Description
1961
Catch-22
Joseph Heller
Classics · Dark
Captain Yossarian, a bombardier in 1942-44, checks into a military hospital to avoid flying more missions
What you get: A brilliantly funny, inventive novel that gave a famous phrase to the English language. Clever, absurd and endlessly quotable, it is a joy for lovers of wit.
Amazon Description
1876
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Mark Twain
Classics · Light
A mischievous boy in a Mississippi river town
What you get: A warm, mischievous story of river life, pranks and bold adventure.
Amazon Description
1938
Rebecca
Daphne du Maurier
Classics · Thoughtful
A second Mrs de Winter and the shadow of the first
What you get: A beautifully atmospheric mystery with a grand house, a shadowy past and a narrator you follow with growing suspense. A page-turner with an elegant hold on you.
Amazon Description
1860
Great Expectations
Charles Dickens
Classics · Melancholic
An orphan, a convict and a mysterious fortune
What you get: A richly drawn story with memorable characters, intriguing secrets and a young hero finding his way. Dickens at his most atmospheric, with a touching, well-earned ending.
Amazon Description
Les Misérables
1862
Les Misérables
Victor Hugo
Classics · Epic
An ex-convict’s long escape from a relentless policeman
What you get: A grand, moving epic about mercy and second chances, with characters you take to heart. Reading it is a big, rewarding experience that stays with you.
Amazon Description
1838
Oliver Twist
Charles Dickens
Classics · Melancholic
An orphan boy falls in with a gang of London pickpockets
What you get: An unforgettable story of a boy's courage, with vivid London scenes and memorable villains.
Amazon Description
A Christmas Carol
1843
A Christmas Carol
Charles Dickens
Classics · Warm
A miser is visited by three ghosts on Christmas Eve
What you get: A cozy, magical tale of ghosts and second chances that fills you with holiday spirit. It is the perfect story to enjoy by the fire.
Amazon Description
1903
The Call of the Wild
Jack London
Classics · Tense
Buck, a pampered pet in California, is stolen and sold as a sled dog in the Klondike Gold Rush
What you get: A fast, vivid story of survival and instinct in the snowy north that grabs you immediately.
Amazon Description
1869
War and Peace
Leo Tolstoy
Classics · Epic
Five Russian families in the age of Napoleon
What you get: A vast, deeply human story that lets you live inside another era. It is wise, vivid and richly rewarding for those who love big novels.
Amazon Description
1920
Women in Love
D. H. Lawrence
Classics · Dark
Sisters Ursula and Gudrun Brangwen meet Rupert Birkin and Gerald Crich, and the four form attachments
What you get: Intense, lyrical scenes that give you plenty to think about love and freedom.
Amazon Description
1922
Ulysses
James Joyce
Classics · Thoughtful
Three Dubliners live one ordinary day, 16 June 1904, in eighteen episodes that loosely echo the Odyssey
What you get: A playful, inventive journey through one day that rewards patient readers with humor and beauty.
Amazon Description
1957
On the Road
Jack Kerouac
Classics · Light
After a divorce, Sal Paradise meets Dean Moriarty and begins travelling across the United States with him
What you get: The rush of the open road, spontaneous friendships and the spirit of adventure.
Amazon Description
1911
Peter Pan
J. M. Barrie
Classics · Warm
The boy who would not grow up and the Darling children
What you get: A beautifully told adventure about imagination, friendship and the wish to stay young. It is playful, bittersweet and full of wonder.
Amazon Description
1925
Mrs Dalloway
Virginia Woolf
Classics · Thoughtful
A single day in the life of an upper-class London woman
What you get: Flowing, gorgeous prose that lets you feel the rhythm of a day in London.
Amazon Description
1929
A Farewell to Arms
Ernest Hemingway
Classics · Melancholic
Frederic Henry, an American ambulance officer in the Italian army, falls in love with an English nurse
What you get: A tender, sorrowful love story with vivid scenes and a voice that feels honest.
Amazon Description
1927
To the Lighthouse
Virginia Woolf
Classics · Thoughtful
The Ramsays' summer at a seaside house on the Isle of Skye, built around a planned trip to a lighthouse
What you get: Luminous prose that helps you notice the beauty in everyday moments and the passing of time.
Amazon Description
1926
The Sun Also Rises
Ernest Hemingway
Classics · Melancholic
A group of American and British expatriates travels from Paris to Pamplona for the San Fermín festival
What you get: A stylish, wistful story with vivid scenes of travel, friendship and longing.
Amazon Description
1857
Madame Bovary
Gustave Flaubert
Classics · Melancholic
A doctor’s wife looks for romance and finds debt
What you get: A masterful, psychologically sharp portrait that remains startlingly modern.
Amazon Description
1894
The Jungle Book
Rudyard Kipling
Classics · Warm
A boy raised by wolves in the Indian jungle
What you get: A vivid, charming collection of tales with a loyal boy and animal friends. It is full of adventure, wisdom and the feel of the wild.
Amazon Description
1905
A Little Princess
Frances Hodgson Burnett
Classics · Warm
A rich girl falls to servitude at a boarding school
What you get: A comforting story of a girl who stays kind and creative whatever happens.
Amazon Description
1877
Black Beauty
Anna Sewell
Classics · Melancholic
A horse tells the story of his life
What you get: A warm, touching story that teaches kindness and makes you care about animals.
Amazon Description
1907
The Secret Agent
Joseph Conrad
Classics · Tense
Adolf Verloc, a police informant and agent for a foreign embassy, is pressured to stage a bombing in London
What you get: A sharp, atmospheric thriller that is also a witty study of people.
Amazon Description
1849
David Copperfield
Charles Dickens
Classics · Melancholic
A boy’s journey from orphan to writer
What you get: A rich, funny and moving story with unforgettable characters and a hero you cheer for.
Amazon Description
1953
Go Tell It on the Mountain
James Baldwin
Classics · Thoughtful
On his fourteenth birthday, John Grimes faces his strict preacher stepfather and his Harlem storefront church
What you get: Rich, musical prose and deep feeling that bring a boy's search for himself to life.
Amazon Description
1934
Tender Is the Night
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Classics · Melancholic
Dick and Nicole Diver, a glamorous couple on the French Riviera, draw a young actress into their circle
What you get: Gorgeous prose and a glittering Riviera setting that make a story of love and ambition shine.
Amazon Description
1874
Far from the Madding Crowd
Thomas Hardy
Classics · Melancholic
A farmer, a shepherd and a sergeant love the same woman
What you get: A beautiful, absorbing story of love and independence with lovely countryside scenes.
Amazon Description
1898
The Turn of the Screw
Henry James
Classics · Dark
A governess and two children, and the ghosts who may haunt them
What you get: A short, subtle story that leaves you guessing and talking about it.
Amazon Description
1945
Stuart Little
E. B. White
Classics · Warm
A mouse born to a human family
What you get: A small, charming adventure full of imagination and warmth.
Amazon Description
1943
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Betty Smith
Classics · Warm
A girl grows up in a Brooklyn tenement
What you get: A heartfelt, hopeful story of a girl and her family, rich with city life and feeling.
Amazon Description
1909
Anne of Avonlea
L. M. Montgomery
Classics · Warm
Anne becomes a teacher
What you get: Warm, funny and cozy, with more of the Avonlea charm.
Amazon Description
1908
A Room with a View
E. M. Forster
Classics · Light
Lucy Honeychurch travels through Italy with her chaperone, where the unconventional Emerson family unsettles her expectations
What you get: A sunny, witty love story that makes you smile and long for travel.
Amazon Description
Three Men in a Boat
1889
Three Men in a Boat
Jerome K. Jerome
Classics · Light
Three friends, a dog and a boat on the Thames
What you get: Light, witty and delightful, a perfect cure for a gloomy mood.
Amazon Description
1926
The Blue Castle
L. M. Montgomery
Classics · Warm
A shy woman who decides to live a little
What you get: A delightful, heartwarming story about a woman who finally lives for herself.
Amazon Description
1934
Tropic of Cancer
Henry Miller
Classics · Dark
Henry Miller narrates his life as a struggling writer among Paris bohemians in the early 1930s
What you get: A raw, energetic voice and a vivid sense of life on the edge.
Amazon Description
1924
A Passage to India
E. M. Forster
Classics · Thoughtful
Adela Quested and Mrs. Moore travel to Chandrapore, India, where Adela is considering marrying Mrs. Moore's son
What you get: A beautifully observed story that explores misunderstanding and connection against a vivid backdrop.
Amazon Description
1929
The Sound and the Fury
William Faulkner
Classics · Dark
The decline of the Compson family, told by three brothers and then by their servant Dilsey
What you get: An immersive, powerful novel that rewards your attention with unforgettable voices.
Amazon Description
1940
Native Son
Richard Wright
Classics · Tense
Bigger Thomas, 20, lives with his family in one Chicago room and takes a job with a wealthy white family
What you get: A fast, intense story that makes you think about society and responsibility long after you finish.
Amazon Description
1916
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
James Joyce
Classics · Thoughtful
Stephen Dedalus grows up in Dublin and at a Jesuit school, questioning the Catholic and Irish rules around him
What you get: A vivid, inventive story of growing up and breaking free, written in language that grows with its hero.
Amazon Description
1764
The Castle of Otranto
Horace Walpole
Classics · Dark
The first Gothic novel, with a giant helmet falling from the sky
What you get: A short, strange, fun classic that launched a genre.
Amazon Description
1930
As I Lay Dying
William Faulkner
Classics · Dark
The Bundren family carries their mother's body by wagon to Jefferson, where she wanted to be buried
What you get: A vivid chorus of voices telling one family's strange and moving journey, full of dark humor.
Amazon Description
1915
Of Human Bondage
W. Somerset Maugham
Classics · Melancholic
Orphaned and club-footed, Philip Carey searches for direction through art, medicine and troubled relationships
What you get: A wise, deeply human story of a young man finding his way, full of feeling and insight.
Amazon Description
1917
Anne’s House of Dreams
L. M. Montgomery
Classics · Warm
Newly married, Anne finds a first home
What you get: Tender and warm, with a seaside setting and a sense of home.
Amazon Description
1905
The House of Mirth
Edith Wharton
Classics · Melancholic
Lily Bart, a 29-year-old socialite with no fortune, seeks a wealthy husband to secure her future
What you get: A beautifully told, moving story of a woman in a glittering world, full of sharp observation.
Amazon Description
1936
Anne of Windy Poplars
L. M. Montgomery
Classics · Warm
Anne’s letters from Windy Poplars
What you get: A gentle, charming read full of humor and friendly neighbors.
Amazon Description
1959
A Separate Peace
John Knowles
Classics · Melancholic
A friendship at a New England boarding school
What you get: A concise, powerful story about youth and loyalty that stays with you.
Amazon Description
1948
I Capture the Castle
Dodie Smith
Classics · Warm
A young woman writes in a crumbling castle
What you get: A charming, funny and tender story with a heroine who writes her way through life.
Amazon Description
Anne of the Island
1915
Anne of the Island
L. M. Montgomery
Classics · Warm
Anne goes to college
What you get: A bright, affectionate story of growing up and finding your place.
Amazon Description
1901
Kim
Rudyard Kipling
Classics · Warm
Kim, an orphaned Irish boy in British India, travels with an elderly Tibetan lama in search of a legendary river
What you get: A colorful, lively adventure full of vivid scenes, friendship and the thrill of the road.
Amazon Description
1940
The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter
Carson McCullers
Classics · Melancholic
When his deaf friend is sent away, John Singer lodges with the Kellys and the town gathers around him
What you get: A quietly moving story that makes you feel for each character and understand their longing for connection.
Amazon Description
1939
Finnegans Wake
James Joyce
Classics · Thoughtful
A rumour about the Dublin publican HCE and his family runs through seventeen chapters written in a dream-language
What you get: A daring, musical book that invites you to enjoy sound and play.
Amazon Description
1925
An American Tragedy
Theodore Dreiser
Classics · Tense
Clyde Griffiths, raised by poor missionary parents, takes a bellhop job at a prestigious Kansas City hotel
What you get: A gripping, sweeping story that keeps you turning pages and thinking about society.
Amazon Description
1851
Cranford
Elizabeth Gaskell
Classics · Warm
Two women in a small town
What you get: A warm, gently humorous story that feels like tea with good friends.
Amazon Description
Les Liaisons dangereuses
1782
Les Liaisons dangereuses
Pierre Choderlos de Laclos
Classics · Dark
Two aristocrats who play games of seduction
What you get: A delicious, clever story told in letters, full of intrigue and style.
Amazon Description
1945
Brideshead Revisited
Evelyn Waugh
Classics · Warm
An army captain camped near the mansion of Brideshead recalls his Oxford friendship with Sebastian Flyte
What you get: A lush, wistful story about youth and a family you will not forget.
Amazon Description
1910
Howards End
E. M. Forster
Classics · Thoughtful
Three families, the Wilcoxes, Schlegels and Basts, cross paths in Edwardian England across class lines
What you get: An elegant, humane story about how people from different worlds can find each other.
Amazon Description
1900
Lord Jim
Joseph Conrad
Classics · Thoughtful
A young British seaman abandons a distressed passenger ship and spends years trying to live down the public censure
What you get: A rich, atmospheric story about courage and honor that holds you.
Amazon Description
1913
Sons and Lovers
D. H. Lawrence
Classics · Melancholic
Gertrude, a refined woman, marries a rough miner, and her affection turns toward her sons
What you get: A heartfelt, beautifully observed story of family, love and growing up.
Amazon Description
1932
Light in August
William Faulkner
Classics · Dark
A pregnant young woman travels to Jefferson, Mississippi, searching for the father of her child
What you get: Deeply felt, beautifully written portraits of people in a small Southern town.
Amazon Description
1854
North and South
Elizabeth Gaskell
Classics · Melancholic
A clergyman’s daughter moves to a northern mill town
What you get: A satisfying, emotional story with a heroine of spirit and a slow-burning romance.
Amazon Description
1961
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
Muriel Spark
Classics · Thoughtful
A charismatic teacher at an Edinburgh girls' school takes six ten-year-old pupils under her wing in the 1930s
What you get: A brilliant, funny and sharp little novel with a teacher you will not forget.
Amazon Description
1961
A House for Mr Biswas
V. S. Naipaul
Classics · Warm
Mohun Biswas marries into the powerful Tulsi family in Trinidad and becomes determined to own a house of his own
What you get: A richly told story of a man's dream of having a home of his own.
Amazon Description
1939
Anne of Ingleside
L. M. Montgomery
Classics · Warm
Anne’s life as a mother
What you get: A warm, cozy story of family life.
Amazon Description
1903
The Ambassadors
Henry James
Classics · Thoughtful
Lambert Strether goes to Paris to bring home the son of his fiancée, the widowed Mrs. Newsome
What you get: A refined, thoughtful story that rewards slow reading.
Amazon Description
1949
The Sheltering Sky
Paul Bowles
Classics · Dark
Port and Kit Moresby of New York travel to the North African desert hoping to resolve their marriage's problems
What you get: A hypnotic, vivid journey through the desert that draws you into another world.
Amazon Description
1794
The Mysteries of Udolpho
Ann Radcliffe
Classics · Dark
A young woman, a castle and a veil that hides a secret
What you get: A long, lush adventure with misty castles and secrets.
Amazon Description
1948
The Naked and the Dead
Norman Mailer
Classics · Tense
An American reconnaissance platoon fights on a fictional South Pacific island during World War II
What you get: An absorbing, realistic story of a platoon.
Amazon Description
1947
Under the Volcano
Malcolm Lowry
Classics · Dark
On the Day of the Dead in 1938, an alcoholic British consul in Mexico is rejoined by his wife
What you get: A vivid, atmospheric day in a tropical town, written with great intensity.
Amazon Description
1921
Rilla of Ingleside
L. M. Montgomery
Classics · Melancholic
Anne’s youngest daughter in the First World War
What you get: A heartfelt, hopeful story of a girl growing up.
Amazon Description
1904
Nostromo
Joseph Conrad
Classics · Epic
In the South American republic of Costaguana, a silver mine's wealth fuels revolutions, and a longshoreman guards its silver
What you get: An epic, vivid story with a rich cast and a strong sense of place.
Amazon Description
1915
The Rainbow
D. H. Lawrence
Classics · Thoughtful
Three generations of the Brangwen family in the Erewash Valley, as industry spreads across the country
What you get: Lyrical, deeply felt writing that follows a family through changing times.
Amazon Description
1905
The Gift of the Magi
O. Henry
Classics · Warm
A poor young couple each sacrifice a treasure to buy a gift
What you get: A beautiful little story you can read in minutes, full of warmth and an ending that lingers.
Amazon Description
1928
Point Counter Point
Aldous Huxley
Classics · Thoughtful
Interlinked storylines follow writer Philip Quarles, painter John Bidlake and their circle, structured like musical counterpoint
What you get: A lively, clever book that gives a sparkling look at an era.
Amazon Description
1938
Scoop
Evelyn Waugh
Classics · Light
William Boot, who writes nature notes, is mistaken for a novelist and sent abroad as a foreign correspondent
What you get: Laugh-out-loud satire that is a pleasure from the first page.
Amazon Description
1948
The Heart of the Matter
Graham Greene
Classics · Dark
Major Scobie, a police officer in a wartime West African colony, faces a moral crisis
What you get: A moving, tightly written story about conscience and compassion.
Amazon Description
1919
Winesburg, Ohio
Sherwood Anderson
Classics · Melancholic
Twenty-two linked stories about the people of a small Ohio town and the young reporter George Willard
What you get: Tender, simple stories that show the hidden lives of neighbors.
Amazon Description
1908
The Old Wives' Tale
Arnold Bennett
Classics · Warm
Constance and Sophia Baines grow up in their family's shop in Bursley, then take very different paths
What you get: A rich, steady portrait of lives across decades.
Amazon Description
1959
Henderson the Rain King
Saul Bellow
Classics · Light
Eugene Henderson, rich and restless, travels to Africa to find out what an inner voice keeps saying it wants
What you get: A lively, inventive and big-hearted journey.
Amazon Description
1957
The Alexandria Quartet
Lawrence Durrell
Classics · Thoughtful
Four novels set in Alexandria, Egypt, before and during the Second World War, seen from different points of view
What you get: A shimmering four-part portrait of a city seen from different angles.
Amazon Description
A Christmas Memory
1956
A Christmas Memory
Truman Capote
Classics · Warm
A boy and his elderly cousin bake fruitcakes
What you get: A heartwarming, nostalgic story that you can read in one sitting.
Amazon Description
1956
Seize the Day
Saul Bellow
Classics · Melancholic
One day in New York in the life of a man who is running out of options
What you get: A concentrated, moving novella you can read in one sitting.
Amazon Description
1955
The Ginger Man
J. P. Donleavy
Classics · Light
Sebastian Dangerfield, an American student at Trinity College, Dublin, pursues drink and women in post-war Dublin
What you get: A rowdy, vivid and witty adventure.
Amazon Description
1954
Bonjour Tristesse
Françoise Sagan
Classics · Melancholic
A teenager and her father spend a summer on the French Riviera, and everything changes
What you get: A sun-drenched, sophisticated story you can finish in one sitting.
Amazon Description
1952
Excellent Women
Barbara Pym
Classics · Warm
A spinster, her neighbours and the church
What you get: Quiet, witty observation and a heroine you will quickly love.
Amazon Description
1951
A Dance to the Music of Time
Anthony Powell
Classics · Thoughtful
Nicholas Jenkins narrates twelve volumes about his life and the people he meets, from youth to postwar change
What you get: A rich, funny and gently ironic series of novels you can live in.
Amazon Description
1950
Some Tame Gazelle
Barbara Pym
Classics · Warm
Two sisters in a quiet English village
What you get: A gentle, funny story about two sisters and their small world.
Amazon Description
1947
The Pearl
John Steinbeck
Classics · Dark
A poor pearl diver finds a pearl that is worth a fortune
What you get: A compact, moving story you can read in an evening and think about for much longer.
Amazon Description
1945
Loving
Henry Green
Classics · Light
With their employers away, the servants of an Irish country house pursue their own rivalries during the Second World War
What you get: A clever, charming novel told largely in conversation.
Amazon Description
1940
Darkness at Noon
Arthur Koestler
Classics · Tense
An Old Bolshevik is arrested in the night by the secret police during the Great Purge of 1938
What you get: A tense, concentrated story that gets you thinking about truth and loyalty.
Amazon Description
1940
Christmas at Cold Comfort Farm
Stella Gibbons
Classics · Light
A comic Christmas at the Starkadder farm
What you get: A short, funny, festive visit with a quirky family.
Amazon Description
1939
The Day of the Locust
Nathanael West
Classics · Dark
Artist Tod Hackett comes to 1930s Hollywood to work as a set designer and befriends a group of hangers-on
What you get: A vivid, concentrated portrait of dreams and disappointment.
Amazon Description
1938
The Death of the Heart
Elizabeth Bowen
Classics · Melancholic
After her mother's death, sixteen-year-old Portia Quayne moves to London to live with her half-brother and his wife
What you get: A beautifully observed novel of feeling and manners.
Amazon Description
1937
U.S.A.
John Dos Passos
Classics · Thoughtful
Twelve characters, newsreels and biographies map the United States before, during and after World War I
What you get: A bold, original mix of stories, headlines and portraits.
Amazon Description
1935
Studs Lonigan
James T. Farrell
Classics · Dark
Studs Lonigan, a tough teenager on Chicago's South Side, is worn down by the spiritual poverty around him
What you get: A powerful, absorbing portrait of a young man in Chicago.
Amazon Description
1934
Appointment in Samarra
John O'Hara
Classics · Tense
Julian English, a car dealer in Gibbsville, undermines his own life over three days with impulsive acts
What you get: A taut, well-made novel with vivid portraits.
Amazon Description
1934
A Handful of Dust
Evelyn Waugh
Classics · Dark
Tony Last's marriage collapses when his wife takes a lover, and he joins an expedition to the Brazilian jungle
What you get: A brilliantly dry and funny novel with a surprising final turn.
Amazon Description
Goodbye, Mr. Chips
1933
Goodbye, Mr. Chips
James Hilton
Classics · Warm
A schoolmaster’s life at an English boarding school
What you get: A gentle, moving portrait of a life of quiet devotion that leaves you smiling.
Amazon Description
1932
Tobacco Road
Erskine Caldwell
Classics · Dark
The Lester family, poor Georgia sharecroppers, stay on their land while living conditions steadily worsen
What you get: A vivid, bold portrait that stays in your mind.
Amazon Description
1932
Christmas Pudding
Nancy Mitford
Classics · Light
A comic country-house novel
What you get: A light, funny holiday-season romp in the country.
Amazon Description
1932
Cold Comfort Farm
Stella Gibbons
Classics · Light
A sophisticated young woman takes over a gloomy farm
What you get: Sparkling country comedy that will cheer you up.
Amazon Description
1929
A High Wind in Jamaica
Richard Hughes
Classics · Dark
After a hurricane destroys their Jamaican home, seven children set out for England on a ship seized by pirates
What you get: A vivid, unconventional adventure that surprises you.
Amazon Description
1924
Parade's End
Ford Madox Ford
Classics · Thoughtful
Christopher Tietjens, a government statistician, lives through marriage, love and the First World War in four novels
What you get: A rich, absorbing set of novels about a man and the world changing around him.
Amazon Description
1922
Siddhartha
Hermann Hesse
Classics · Thoughtful
A young man in ancient India leaves home to look for peace and meaning
What you get: A calm, beautiful story that invites you to slow down and think about your own path.
Amazon Description
1920
Main Street
Sinclair Lewis
Classics · Light
Carol Kennicott marries a doctor and moves to his small hometown, Gopher Prairie, intending to reshape it
What you get: A funny, sharp and affectionate look at small-town life and a heroine who wants more.
Amazon Description
1919
Rainbow Valley
L. M. Montgomery
Classics · Warm
The children of Ingleside and the manse
What you get: A bright, funny, heartfelt story of friendship and imagination.
Amazon Description
1915
The Good Soldier
Ford Madox Ford
Classics · Melancholic
Two wealthy couples, one English and one American, meet at a German spa and keep coming back for years
What you get: A brilliant, twisty story of two couples that grips from page to page.
Amazon Description
1911
Zuleika Dobson
Max Beerbohm
Classics · Light
A glamorous young performer arrives at Oxford, where her grandfather is Warden of Judas College
What you get: A delicious, stylish comedy about love and Oxford.
Amazon Description
1911
Ethan Frome
Edith Wharton
Classics · Melancholic
A farmer in a bleak Massachusetts winter is drawn to his wife's young cousin
What you get: A concentrated, haunting story with beautiful, stark scenery.
Amazon Description
1904
The Golden Bowl
Henry James
Classics · Thoughtful
An impoverished Italian prince in London is about to marry Maggie Verver, a rich American, and meets Charlotte Stant again
What you get: A rich, intricate novel for lovers of fine writing.
Amazon Description
1903
The Way of All Flesh
Samuel Butler
Classics · Thoughtful
Ernest Pontifex grows up in an oppressive Victorian home, in a book left unpublished until Butler's death
What you get: A witty, honest story that still feels fresh and sharp.
Amazon Description
1902
The Wings of the Dove
Henry James
Classics · Melancholic
Kate and Merton are engaged but poor, and Milly Theale, a rich American heiress, arrives in London
What you get: A subtle, beautifully told drama about friendship and desire.
Amazon Description
1900
Sister Carrie
Theodore Dreiser
Classics · Thoughtful
Eighteen-year-old Carrie Meeber leaves rural Wisconsin in 1889 to live with her sister in Chicago
What you get: A vivid, absorbing portrait of a young woman making her way in Chicago and New York.
Amazon Description
1886
Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
Robert Louis Stevenson
Classics · Dark
A respectable doctor and his violent double
What you get: A quick, atmospheric read that raises big questions about who we are.
Amazon Description
1883
Pinocchio
Carlo Collodi
Classics · Light
A wooden puppet who dreams of becoming a real boy
What you get: A funny, charming and surprising story of a puppet becoming a real boy.
Amazon Description
1878
Anna Karenina
Leo Tolstoy
Classics · Melancholic
A married Russian aristocrat falls in love and loses everything
What you get: A rich, absorbing story with characters so real you feel you have met them. Its portrait of love and daily life in old Russia is vivid, and the story stays with you.
Amazon Description
1872
Around the World in Eighty Days
Jules Verne
Classics · Light
A gentleman wagers he can circle the globe in eighty days
What you get: A brisk, charming adventure with plenty of humor and a delightful pair of travelers.
Amazon Description
1864
Wives and Daughters
Elizabeth Gaskell
Classics · Warm
A stepmother, a stepdaughter and a country town
What you get: A comforting, richly human story with charming characters.
Amazon Description
1861
Silas Marner
George Eliot
Classics · Warm
A weaver, a stolen fortune and a child who appears
What you get: A short, heartwarming story about a lonely man and an unexpected gift.
Amazon Description
1857
Barchester Towers
Anthony Trollope
Classics · Light
A bishop’s wife and a church fight
What you get: A funny, charming comedy of manners with memorable characters.
Amazon Description
1855
The Warden
Anthony Trollope
Classics · Warm
A churchman, a charity and a scandal
What you get: A short, gentle, thoughtful story with a lovable hero.
Amazon Description
Villette
1853
Villette
Charlotte Brontë
Classics · Melancholic
A shy teacher in a Belgian school
What you get: A moving, absorbing story of independence and feeling in a foreign city.
Amazon Description
1845
The Cricket on the Hearth
Charles Dickens
Classics · Warm
A toy maker, a cricket and a household’s hidden kindness
What you get: A cheerful, warm tale perfect for a winter evening.
Amazon Description
The Hunchback of Notre-Dame
1831
The Hunchback of Notre-Dame
Victor Hugo
Classics · Dark
The bell-ringer of Paris and the gypsy dancer he loves
What you get: A sweeping, passionate story with unforgettable characters and a cathedral at its heart.
Amazon Description
1759
Candide
Voltaire
Classics · Light
Voltaire's satire follows a naive young man on a string of misadventures
What you get: A quick, funny, fast-moving tale with sharp ideas.
Amazon Description