Please add a summary of each book, so those that are interested can find out a little more. Also, please just add new recommendations and not posts that just say "I agree" and "I like that one too". It will make it a lot easier for everyone to sort through the posts.
Abigail 5/17/06 and Isabelle 10/17/07
"Life's what you make it - so let's make it rock." - Hannah Montana
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Author: Alexandre Dumas
Genre: Classic/Fiction
Summary: This enduringly popular tale of love and revenge in the post-Napoleonic era follows Edmond Dantes as he prepares to captain his own ship and marry his beloved Mercedes. But on his wedding day, he is betrayed by spiteful enemies and arrested on trumped-up charges. Condemned to lifelong imprisonment, he befriends Faria, a priest and fellow inmate with an escape plan. When Faria dies, Edmond escapes alone. Free at last, and incredibly wealthy, Edmond enters society posing as the Count of Monte Cristo to reclaim his lost love and enact a terrible vengeance on his accusers.
A Tree Grows In Brooklyn, Smith
Wuthering Heights, Bronte
Pride and Prejudice, Austen
Cath-22, Heller
Tale of Two Cities, Dickens
Picture of Dorian Gray, Wilde
The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald
To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee
Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck
I Capture the Castle,
The Art of War, Tzu
The Diary of Anne Frank
Their Eyes Were Watching God, Hurston
The Color Purple, Walker
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by Snowgembabygirl on Sep. 17, 2007 at 7:25 PM
TITLE: Jude the Obscure (WOOOOOOW!)
AUTHOR: Thomas Hardy
GENRE: Classic/ 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die
SUMMARY: In 1895 Hardy's final novel, the great tale of Jude The Obscure, sent shockwaves of indignation rolling across Victorian England. Hardy had dared to write frankly about sexuality and to indict the institutions of marriage, education, and religion. But he had, in fact, created a deeply moral work. The stonemason Jude Fawley is a dreamer; his is a tragedy of unfulfilled aims. With his tantalizing cousin Sue Bridehead, the last and most extraordinary of Hardy's heroines, Jude takes on the world--and discovers, tragically, its brutal indifference. The most powerful expression of Hardy's philosophy, and a profound exploration of man's essential loneliness, Jude The Obscure is a great and beautiful book.
TITLE: Tess of the D'Urbervilles
AUTHOR: Thomas Hardy
GENRE: Classic
SUMMARY:
At the time of its publication in 1891, Tess of the d'Urbervilles was scorned by readers for what was then considered its indictment of Victorian society and its unconventional heroine, Tess Durbeyfield. Now considered one of the major classic novels of nineteenth-century literature, Tess is the compelling story of an extraordinary woman and her tragic destiny -- a brilliant, transcendent work of compassion and courage by one of the finest English novelists, Thomas Hardy.
Washington Square Press Enriched Classics presents the world's greatest literature in timeless editions designed for modern readers. Special features include a lively introduction with essential biographical and historical background, critical perspectives, and a unique visual essay composed of authentic period illustrations and photographs that help bring every word to life.
TITLE: Far from the Madding Crowd
AUTHOR: Thomas Hardy
GENRE: Classic
SUMMARY: Hardy's first major novel tells the story of the shepherd Gabriel Oak and his long, patient devotion to the haughty Bathsheba Everdene. Bathsheba's faithless husband is murdered by a neighboring farmer, William Bellwood, who also loves her. At the end of a traumatic series of events, a chastened Bathsheba turns to Gabriel at last, valuing his honesty and integrity. Like Hardy's later novels, this one is characterized by coincidence, melodrama, and a degree of improbability. It also emphasizes the role of natural forces--the earth and the rhythms of rural life--all of which are personified in Gabriel Oak. FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD, like most of Hardy's works, glorifies rural life, which was fast disappearing with the advent of industrialization. His descriptions of the lush English countryside in Dorsetshire, his use of dialect, his appreciation for the honest rustic virtues of hard work, fairness, and independence of mind--all appear here, and the title itself is suggests the superiority of life outside the cities. The novel is also less bleak and unforgiving than the later works, and is remarkable for its insight into the complexities of character, particularly that of the many-faceted Bathsheba. With FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD, published in 1874, Hardy was recognized as a major writer and was able to devote himself exclusively to writing.
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by mortell14 on Oct. 18, 2007 at 1:48 AM
Title: Fahrenheit 451
Author: Ray Bradbury
Genre: Sci-Fi Classic
Brief Summary: In a futuristic world where books have been banned, Guy Montag is a "Salamander"—responsible for burning books. He keeps his own books though and transforms with the help of a free-spirited girl who moves in next door.
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by ChasingSam on Nov. 3, 2007 at 5:09 PMI hope its not mentioned already but my ALL TIME favorite book is TITLE: Gone with the Wind AUTHOR: Margaret Mitchell GENRE: Classic Historical Fiction (Made Into A Movie) SUMMARY: for those who have only seen the movie you should read the book as well its just fantastic:) Gone with the Wind was initially a compelling and entertaining novel. It was the sweeping story of tangled passions and the rare courage of a group of people in Atlanta during the time of Civil War that brought those cinematic scenes to life. The reason the movie became so popular was the strength of its characters--Scarlett O'Hara, Rhett Butler, and Ashley Wilkes--all created here by the deft hand of Margaret Mitchell, in this, her first novel. |
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TITLE: Scarlett: The Sequel to Gone With The Wind
AUTHOR: Alexandra Ripley
GENRE: Classic Historical Fiction
SUMMARY: The timeless tale continues... The most popular and beloved American historical novel ever written, Margaret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind is unparalleled in its portrayal of men and women at once larger than life but as real as ourselves. Now bestselling writer Alexandra Ripley brings us back to Tara and reintroduces us to the characters we remember so well: Rhett, Ashley, Mammy, Suellen, Aunt Pittypat, and, of course, Scarlett. As the classic story, first told over half a century ago, moves forward, the greatest love affair in all fiction is reignited; amidst heartbreak and joy, the endless, consuming passion between Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler reaches its startling culmination. Rich with surprises at every turn and new emotional, breathtaking adventures, Scarlett satisfies our longing to reenter the world of Gone With the Wind, and like its predecessor, Scarlett will find an eternal place in our hearts.
ruth drowning
- mupt02
(Group Owner) on Jun. 21, 2008 at 9:48 AM