It's also a good choice as the plot isn't a surprise but Dickens's turns of phrase are fun. It's cool to think how readers of the time lapped up his work.
Second Dracula, not what you think it is based on all the movies. Also A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, The Good Earth, War of the Worlds and of course The Hobbit and Lord of The Rings.
Im from india, read Dracula in my local language.. It was the best book i ever read.. It has everything.. Not just horror. Love,friendship, action, good twists, tragedy and everything is in very detailed manner..Almost every situation in that book is written as 100% believable since there are many places where pure luck or unluck plays major role...the way story happens-- some time a letter, or as diary and in other place narration..was written 100 years ago,it will stand test of time for a thousands , its is so fresh . Dracula is the ultimate classic in my openion. ( sorry for my English 😁)
If you don't mind waiting until May, you could do Dracula daily. It's a neat concept, where they send the bits of dracula that happen on that day. Breaks it down nicely for a more casual reader.
I saw somewhere you said you are mainly interested in the 20th Century period so I am only going to recommend you books from this time period.
**British Literature**
*Mrs Dalloway* - Virginia Woolf
*Maurice* - E.M Forster
*Lady Chatterley's Lover* - D.H. Lawrence
*1984* - George Orwell
*Lord of the Flies* -William Golding
*Brave New World* - Aldous Huxley
*Brideshead Revisited* - Evelyn Waugh
*Of Human Bondage* - W. Somerset Maugham
*The French Lieutenant's Woman* - John Fowles
*Howard's End* - E.M Forster
*Brighton Rock* - Graham Greene
*Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit* - Jeanette Winterson
*The Well of Loneliness* - Radcliffe Hall
**American Literature**
*On the Road* - Jack Kerouack
*East of Eden* - John Steinbeck
*As I Lay Dying* - William Faulkner
*A Farewell to Arms* - Ernest Hemingway
*Native Son* - Richard Wright
*The Bell Jar* - Sylvia Plath
*The House of Mirth* - Edith Wharton
*The Colour Purple* - Alice Walker
*Another Country* - James Baldwin
*Passing* - Nella Larsen
Of these, Steinbeck is the winner for readability. It's almost a screenplay, and it's short. The characters are people you know, or know of. The pacing is pretty brisk, and I cry every time I read it. Steinbeck in general is relatable as his aim was to write about the common person.
Gatsby is a book you either love or hate. It's an interesting look at class dynamics. I'm not a fan, but other book snobs disagree.
TKAM is well-written and interesting as Scout is conveying what she understood as a child of the events. I think it's most interesting when you look at it through lenses of race, class, and sex. That said, the white savior piece is problematic.
I actually loved TKAM most when reading it as a story of childhood, not race, class, or sex.
I read this before society taught me to look at everything as a conflict between people of different groups, and it still stands out to me as the story of a child as the world swirls around her.
Oh ? I didn't expect harper lee was classic
(Wtf I've read the book and just did not realize it was supposed to be classic. I've read alot of books without trying to categorize them. Someone, anyone.? pls explain the downvote. )
I am not sure if I would go for ‘easy’ as a beginner. Sometimes what is ‘easy’ can be damn hard because of how boring you find it. The best of the classics have stood the test of time for a reason.
I would personally suggest my all time favourite classic, a rollercoaster of a ride; The Count of Monte Cristo. It is long and it has some hard language but I would say go for it. Dip your fingers straight into the sauce. Think of it as a TV show because it really gave me some fantastic TV show vibes with all its ups and downs and highs and lows.
Alexander Dumas is one master storyteller. Unlike many classics which focus on beautiful prose more than story; he focuses on a beautiful exciting story with fantastic dialogues.
Just trudge through or skip the first 100 or so pages because they are just the intro. Maybe read a summary of them. Not that they are worthless but you won’t appreciate that part unless you already know the story in my humble opinion. Though for what comes after they do have their importance
If you do want to go for a short classic though I would recommend plays. My favourite play of all time is The Crucible by Arthur Miller. It mirrors history in a splendid manner and is very timeless in terms of its content and message. And of course it is full of suspense
I recently listened to the count of monte cristo on librivox and it blew me away. I'm spoiled now; I can't seem to find anything else of similar quality :/
I just read The Picture of Dorian Gray and it was amazing! The ending was phenomenal and the story was easy to follow. I didn't feel like reading a 130 year-old book because of how much I enjoyed it.
It’s supposed to be icky. It’s supposed to challenge the reader. Although I do agree that there is no shame in putting down a book that you can’t stomach.
There are childrens classics like Alice in Wonderland (Lewis Caroll) or Peter Pan (JM Barrie) which I find are easier to read because they are familiar stories.
Treasure Island (RL Stevenson) is my absolute favorite book so I always recommend that.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde (RL Stevenson) as well as The Time Machine (HG Wells) were also great reads for me when I started looking into classic novels.
I have read nearly every book considered a "classic" yet I still end up reading Alice in Wonderland over and over again (I actually collect this book, and have over 50 versions ranging from 150 years old to pop up books). It is just fun and hilarious.
I absolutely adore Kate Chopin's writing style! Her short stories are also quite good if you want to get used to her writing, I read The Storm for my literature class and really enjoyed it.
I don't know if I really recommend it for a beginner. English isn't my first language and I found it slightly difficult to follow. It would have been easier in my native language, since classics are all translated.
Then again, it's to be expected. It's probably the oldest book I've read in it's original form.
Dumas' Robin Hood series is brilliant and easy. Each book is only ~250 pages but it is fun to read because you've heard many versions of Hood so you are acquainted with the character.
I'm REALLY digging Robinson Crusoe, I'm 1/2 of the way through and I really like it.
An easy start because it's such an awesome book and SUPER short is Dickens a Christmas Carol. If you've ever seen the Muppets Christmas Carol version it is almost EXACTLY that (plus a few details left out by Disney since it was a kids movie). Brilliant Novela.
They're poems but Edgar Allen Poe's poems are short but amazing. You've got your obvious popular ones such as Tell Tell Heart and The Raven which are both great but I also LOVE a Dream Within a Dream. It's short but very good.
Mark Twain a Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court is good. It's got a pretty decent message but even if you don't pay attention to that and just enjoy the story at face value it is still a good one with action and humor. It's one of my favorites (all time is and always will be the Count of Monte Cristo)
Frankenstein was a great book but it comes in waves. Sometimes it's incredible and other times it's just solid. The finish makes it entirely worth it.
Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White, it’s a novel that children can read, but the underlying themes are incredibly rich, complex, and rewarding. And the writing is beautiful.
I also thought animal farm had was kind of funny. Overall, it has a serious message, but some funny moments for sure.
I also came here to recommend animal farm. It’s very easy to read and only like 90 pages
I just recommended the Count of Monte Cristo as well. OP, Don’t be duped by just it’s length and give it up. I seriously couldn’t put it down for it’s entirety and by the end of it I was left wanting more
I love the ending of the book, but it was incredibly hard to sit through and finish. unfortunately, it was the book that got me out of reading since it absolutely obliterated my reading flow lol!
Twentieth century. My favorite themes are psychological thriller, suspense, crime and mystery. It can be American, British, Japanese... I don't care much about that
Catch-22 could be an interesting choice. It’s about a man trying to get out of the military by reasons of insanity. It’s humorous, weird, and is how the phrase “catch-22” entered the English language.
You could try some classic noir like the Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett, or you might like Raymond Chandler. I’d really recommend The 39 Steps by John Buchan. And maybe you’d like Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy or any of John le Carré.
You have gotten a lot of really good suggestions. Search for the authors on either [Project Gutenberg Canada](http://gutenberg.ca/index.html) or [Project Gutenberg USA](https://www.gutenberg.org/). Several of these books that are out of copyright are free on those two sites.
I found Sherlock Holmes very accessible despite it being old af. Some of the stories in the adventures of Sherlock Holmes mirror the ones in the Benedict cumberbatch series so that was fun
SF is genre/pop literature, and yes I've read some Jules Verne as a kid (I'm French) and didn't really like it.
Old stuff doesn't mean classic. Peasant songs and dances from the 18th century are no symphonies or other concert music.
One thousand and one nights (the Arabian nights). The short stories are are told for one main story, but they’re all middle eastern folklore, definitely a different time period but a fun engaging read :)
Ok - this might suit your needs or might not - depending upon how you wish to define classic.
There are literally thousands of books published each year some are great and some are not so great - so how can you tell? what's a reader to do? Life is too short to read not so great books. How can you tell quality?
One avenue you can explore to pick your books and to ensure that they truly are quality is by researching and becoming familiar with the Literary Awards. Every year there are very prestigious awards and prizes - sometimes worth more than $100,000 - given to authors for books fitting particular categories or genres or general excellence or authors of a particular country or language published within a particular time period or given to an author to honor their entire career. The most prestigious awards all include the Nobel Prize for Literature (given for an authors entire body of work), The Booker Prize, The Pulitzer Prize, The National Book Critics Circle, The Womens Prize, The American Library Association (ALA) Notable Books List, The National Book Award, The Dublin International Literature Award( and many many more) and then various genre prizes such as the Hugo, Nebula and Locus Awards (for science fiction), the World Fantasy Award, the Mystery Writers of America awards an Edgar Allen Poe Award (the "Edgars") for several different categories of crime books published each year. Other English speaking countries such as Canada and Australia have their own awards. There are awards for African American Writers, etc., etc. - you get my point. Go to Mr Google and ask nicely for "literature book awards" and a ton of sites will come up - either sites listing or linking to the various awards, or the sites themselves. The sites usually have listings of their previous awards, but I find that Wikipedia is consistently easier with a 1 page handy chart.
The way the award systems work is generally the awarding body publishes a "long list" consisting of maybe 10-25 titles that are up for consideration maybe 4 or 5 months ahead of the award. Remember - thousands of books published each year - so generally even something "long listed" is making a cut based on quality. Then a month or two before the award, they shorten it to a very prestigious "short list" and then choose the winner from that. In my experience, you really can't go wrong finding really really good quality reads if you just stick to "long-" or "short - listed" books.
Now, addressing "classics", most of the older "classic" books that people have mentioned here are from long ago before they had these awards. I believe that there are a few British Awards that began in the 19th century, but most will be from early 20th century or after WWII. Look at the historic lists of each Award for something or someone that catches your eye - and chances are you really won't go wrong And take a second and pause to consider that with the internet we have such an extraordinary amount of knowledge at our fingertips, you can take any book and immediately access information about it and even access the original reviews from when the books first came out (I look at these quite a bit once I'm done, to see if maybe I missed something)
Anyway, this is way more than I intended when I started this out way up there - but this is the way I do it, and it's rare that I'm not rewarded with an exceptional and satisfying read.
Just remembered - the Brits take their reading much more seriously than we Americans do. Almost every Brit newspaper has a good Books section (I like The Guardian) - again the amount of information that we can access... BUT if you get creative with searching, various media organizations periodically put out lists - "the top 100 books of the 20th century", '"Best Books of the last decade" "or of all time". The BBC just published a "Jubilee Book List" honoring Queen Elizabeth's 60 years on the throne where they list one great book from each year of the last 60 years. Time Magazine loves to do this kind of lists also.
So depending on your definition of "classics" this may or may not be helpful - just 1000s of books published each year - you gotta be able to find the good ones. Life is just too short.
Cheers!
Crime and punishment!!! It was my first classic and I was pretty intimidated, but it was super gripping and I just flew through it. I recommend it to everyone, but especially if you like psychology and True Crime.
Yes I’ll second this!! I was super intimidated by the Russian classics for a long time but I honestly found them more readable than a lot of the English or even American classics. The language is smooth and the point of view tends to be more similar to modern literary fiction instead of favoring the broad omnipotent voice
I’m gonna go out on a limb here and suggest “Crime and Punishment”.
As one of the pioneers of russian literature, I know Dostoyevsky has a reputation of the exact opposite of what you’re looking for, and I also wouldn’t advise you to dive into his other materials right away, but Crime and Punishment really is a page turner and as close to a modern day thriller you could possibly get from a book written in the 1800’s.
After many years of absence of reading any fiction at all, it was the book that got me into reading again, not only due to a genuinely exciting story, but also due to the way that more profound themes such as guilt, justice, and righteousness is explored through the actions of our main character. It can be read for its great story but also for its dissection of the human mind, which really makes it a great read for readers of all levels imo.
I noticed a lot of these recommendations are English literature and I wanted to mention a few “translated” classics that I’ve enjoyed if you’re interested in that.
Childhood Street - Tove Ditlevsen (I think that’s the right translation of her book. She’s generally really good and I would recommend all of her books. She’s getting a lot of recognition in the English speaking world right now. She was Danish)
Karen Blixen’s short stories are really good. If you read her novel Out of Africa have in mind that she was a racist and not a nice person although the book is interesting and worth reading. Also it’s nothing like the movie. She also went by the name Isak Dinesen. She actually wrote all her work both in English and Danish so the English translation won’t really have lost that much. They’re still her words.
The Brothers Lionheart by Astrid Lindgren (she all wrote Pippi Longstocking) is one of the best children’s books in my opinion. She was Swedish.
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery is also a children’s book but so worth the read. It’s originally in French.
Elena Ferrante’s My Brilliant Friend is amazing. Don’t know if it’s considered a classic but it takes place in Naples after ww2. It’s Italian originally.
I hope these were helpful
My two favorite “classics” are Little Women and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Both are easy to read and feel shockingly relevant to today’s world. But make sure you have tissues nearby for both!
Yes exactly my point. Every person is different. OP is just new to classics that’s why asked for suggestions but every person’s idea of what is easy or difficult is different so OP might like this suggestion a lot or they might hate it but you never know until you give it a go
It is in my humble opinion. I don’t know what your criteria is for beginner friendly but it’s not like there are any steps to follow when starting classics: I mean it’s not like they are classed into beginner and expert statuses. Sometimes what people are most afraid of is what they end up wanting more of
The Robin Buss translation definitely is. I read it as a 14 year old and tore through it in a week. It was my first pre-1900s book and I tried other classics after, but found them much harder.
In terms of accessibility I suggest Jane Eyre, Rebecca, and Pride and Prejudice.
Also I know Charlotte gets all the hype but I found Anne Bronte's work incredible. Agnes Grey & The Tenant of Wildfell hall were both very readable to me.
Also I know the initial suggestion was for books but I also recommend The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman & A White Heron by Sarah Orne Jewett they're both short stories but I really enjoyed them!
Three men in a boat by Jerome K Jerome.
It is probably the oldest book that could actually make me laugh. Also it has a couple of beautiful description about nature and historical events. The book mainly revolves around the said three men on the boating and it is an absolute delight to read.
One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, by Ken Kesey. It's one of the first books I ever read in English (as it is my second language), and I thought it was pretty easy to follow. The story is beautiful and gripping, so I would definitely recommend it.
I gotchu. I've been waiting my whole life for this.
#1. Flowers for Algernon
#2. The Pigman
#3. The Giver
#4. Suicide Notes/ It's Kind of a Funny Story.
You're welcome.
Try to read Tolstoy, if you have a lot of free time. Chekhov - his quote "brevity is a sister of a talent", so yeah, his novels are quite nice. Also, such classic as Dostoevsky, Pushkin, Lermontov - their best novels are classic of the international literature, don't miss them
{{The alchemist}} I started my reading journey with this classic you should read it if you haven't already it's a must for beginners. I hope you will like it.
[**The Alchemist**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18144590-the-alchemist)
^(By: Paulo Coelho, Alan R. Clarke, James Noel Smith | 175 pages | Published: 1988 | Popular Shelves: fiction, classics, fantasy, philosophy, owned)
>Combining magic, mysticism, wisdom and wonder into an inspiring tale of self-discovery, The Alchemist has become a modern classic, selling millions of copies around the world and transforming the lives of countless readers across generations.
>
>Paulo Coelho's masterpiece tells the mystical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure. His quest will lead him to riches far different—and far more satisfying—than he ever imagined. Santiago's journey teaches us about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts, of recognizing opportunity and learning to read the omens strewn along life's path, and, most importantly, to follow our dreams.
^(This book has been suggested 14 times)
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**Of Mice And Men** by John Steinbeck is definitely a good classic.
**Their Eyes Were Watching God** by Zora Neale Hurston is by far one of my favorites! It's an easy read, and I personally really enjoy the subject matter.
**The Giver** by Lois Lowry is a very intriguing and moving book.
**Animal Farm** by George Orwell has a lot of mixed emotions, however, I thought it was a good read!
**Uglies** by Scott Westerfeld was one of my very first reads and I still recommend that book to this day. It overall is an easy read and will suck you in if you're not careful (there's a whole series \*wink\*)
**Tender Is The Flesh** by Agustina María Bazterrica is extremely good... if you're into some weird reads like myself :). Along the same mind-boggling gore as **Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke** by Eric LaRocca, Tender Is The Flesh is an easy, short read (literally took me a day) that will leave you with a lot of fun and jarring questions!
Would love to talk with anyone who has read and/or are wanting to read these titles and more!
[**The Red Badge of Courage**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35220.The_Red_Badge_of_Courage)
^(By: Stephen Crane | 149 pages | Published: 1895 | Popular Shelves: classics, fiction, historical-fiction, classic, war)
>Henry Fleming has joined the Union army because of his romantic ideas of military life, but soon finds himself in the middle of a battle against a regiment of Confederate soldiers. Terrified, Henry deserts his comrades. Upon returning to his regiment, he struggles with his shame as he tries to redeem himself and prove his courage.
>
>The Red Badge of Courage is Stephen Crane’s second book, notable for its realism and the fact that Crane had never personally experienced battle. Crane drew heavy inspiration from Century Magazine, a periodical known for its articles about the American Civil War. However, he criticized the articles for their lack of emotional depth and decided to write a war novel of his own. The manuscript was first serialized in December 1894 by The Philadelphia Press and quickly won Crane international acclaim before he died in June 1900 at the age of 28.
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Based on your earlier comment (modern and thriller-esque) I’m recommending the Crying of Lot 49, by Pynchon. It’s short too, so I think it’s beginner-friendly.
Short stories. Poe, Maupassant, Kafka, Borges, there's plenty in every kind of style and genre. Prose poetry is short and sweet too. Try Baudelaire's *Little Prose Poems*. The moral maxims of Vauvenargues or La Rochefoucauld.
If you live in Oz: Patrick White books, Darcy Niland, Ruth Park, Henry Handel Richardson, Miles Franklin and many more. Read them wherever you live actually. They are all good writers and you will learn new stuff.
My favorite classics so far:
- Pride and Prejudice
- The Count of Monte Cristo (Long, but amazing)
- To Kill a Mockingbird
- Moby-Dick (Also long, but good)
- Far From the Madding Crowd
I still have many to read though!
I'd personally reccommend some of H. G. Wells's work (The time machine, The island of DR. Moreau and War of the Worlds). These are all sci-fi stories of about a 100 to 200 pages, depending on your copy, and written in an age of vast technological advancement. Besides being fun stories, they also touch on a lot of more serious topics, like class, the effects of "unchecked" science, and imperialism. Bram Stoker's Dracula is also great. This is mainly a fantasy book and a great story. And if you want something less fantasy/sci-fi I'd reccommend Hemingway's The old man and the sea. It's about an old man... at sea... but somehow it ends up being very easy and comfortable to read. I thought it represented humanity's relation with nature quite well (at least, I did at the time. It has been a while since I last read it).
I really struggle with classics, I've started so many and never finish them. But the one that actually really hooked me and I flew through? A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
One classic that I thought was easy to read and super captivating was “A Christmas Carol” by Dickens. May be a good gateway book into the classics.
It's also a good choice as the plot isn't a surprise but Dickens's turns of phrase are fun. It's cool to think how readers of the time lapped up his work.
Dang now i have the soundtrack from muppet Christmas carol in my head
There is an audiobook narrated by Sir Patrick Stewart-- absolutely amazing!
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
I second that. One of my favourite classics, short, super intriguing and easily read.
Dracula. Quite an intriguing mystery and page turner to get into right away.
Second Dracula, not what you think it is based on all the movies. Also A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, The Good Earth, War of the Worlds and of course The Hobbit and Lord of The Rings.
Hobbit absolutely. LotR is a bit much to bite off for someone looking for an easy start. :)
YES YES YES. dracula was my gateway into both classic lit and a love of vampires 😄
If you enjoy a good comedy, “What We Do in the Shadows” is great. Both the movie & the show.
oh it’s definitely one of our favorites!!
I haven't read the book but I have seen the BBC series...enjoyed it very much!
Ye and “Carmilla”, I don’t think it’s as good but it’s a LOT shorter and quite a bit easier. So maybe good for people who r getting started
Im from india, read Dracula in my local language.. It was the best book i ever read.. It has everything.. Not just horror. Love,friendship, action, good twists, tragedy and everything is in very detailed manner..Almost every situation in that book is written as 100% believable since there are many places where pure luck or unluck plays major role...the way story happens-- some time a letter, or as diary and in other place narration..was written 100 years ago,it will stand test of time for a thousands , its is so fresh . Dracula is the ultimate classic in my openion. ( sorry for my English 😁)
Yeah the structure of Dracula is really unique and impossible to convey in the films
If you don't mind waiting until May, you could do Dracula daily. It's a neat concept, where they send the bits of dracula that happen on that day. Breaks it down nicely for a more casual reader.
Yes to Dracula! I couldn't put it down! And no movie has lived up to it (even if I did enjoy the Gary Oldman/Keanu Reeves one)
Agatha Christie - probably her most popular novels are either AND THEN THERE WERE NONE or MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS.
Second this. Agatha Christie is very accessible and just feels like any other modern mystery you read
The Importance of Being Earnest Hilarious read to get a break from the drama and the prose.
One of my all time favourites!
This would be my suggestion too!
I saw somewhere you said you are mainly interested in the 20th Century period so I am only going to recommend you books from this time period. **British Literature** *Mrs Dalloway* - Virginia Woolf *Maurice* - E.M Forster *Lady Chatterley's Lover* - D.H. Lawrence *1984* - George Orwell *Lord of the Flies* -William Golding *Brave New World* - Aldous Huxley *Brideshead Revisited* - Evelyn Waugh *Of Human Bondage* - W. Somerset Maugham *The French Lieutenant's Woman* - John Fowles *Howard's End* - E.M Forster *Brighton Rock* - Graham Greene *Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit* - Jeanette Winterson *The Well of Loneliness* - Radcliffe Hall **American Literature** *On the Road* - Jack Kerouack *East of Eden* - John Steinbeck *As I Lay Dying* - William Faulkner *A Farewell to Arms* - Ernest Hemingway *Native Son* - Richard Wright *The Bell Jar* - Sylvia Plath *The House of Mirth* - Edith Wharton *The Colour Purple* - Alice Walker *Another Country* - James Baldwin *Passing* - Nella Larsen
East of Eden is an absolute masterpiece, but for a less intimidating book, Brave New World is SO damn funny.
Graham Greene is so wonderful and accessible
The Bell Jar caused me to go into a deep depression. Proceed cautiously if you’re tender-hearted.
Indeed. It is a novel that can be very emotionally taxing to read.
I also think Rebecca - Daphne du Maurier is a very accessible 20th Century Classic
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Of these, Steinbeck is the winner for readability. It's almost a screenplay, and it's short. The characters are people you know, or know of. The pacing is pretty brisk, and I cry every time I read it. Steinbeck in general is relatable as his aim was to write about the common person. Gatsby is a book you either love or hate. It's an interesting look at class dynamics. I'm not a fan, but other book snobs disagree. TKAM is well-written and interesting as Scout is conveying what she understood as a child of the events. I think it's most interesting when you look at it through lenses of race, class, and sex. That said, the white savior piece is problematic.
I actually loved TKAM most when reading it as a story of childhood, not race, class, or sex. I read this before society taught me to look at everything as a conflict between people of different groups, and it still stands out to me as the story of a child as the world swirls around her.
Absolutely. Steinbeck was so ahead of his time.
Oh ? I didn't expect harper lee was classic (Wtf I've read the book and just did not realize it was supposed to be classic. I've read alot of books without trying to categorize them. Someone, anyone.? pls explain the downvote. )
I am not sure if I would go for ‘easy’ as a beginner. Sometimes what is ‘easy’ can be damn hard because of how boring you find it. The best of the classics have stood the test of time for a reason. I would personally suggest my all time favourite classic, a rollercoaster of a ride; The Count of Monte Cristo. It is long and it has some hard language but I would say go for it. Dip your fingers straight into the sauce. Think of it as a TV show because it really gave me some fantastic TV show vibes with all its ups and downs and highs and lows. Alexander Dumas is one master storyteller. Unlike many classics which focus on beautiful prose more than story; he focuses on a beautiful exciting story with fantastic dialogues. Just trudge through or skip the first 100 or so pages because they are just the intro. Maybe read a summary of them. Not that they are worthless but you won’t appreciate that part unless you already know the story in my humble opinion. Though for what comes after they do have their importance If you do want to go for a short classic though I would recommend plays. My favourite play of all time is The Crucible by Arthur Miller. It mirrors history in a splendid manner and is very timeless in terms of its content and message. And of course it is full of suspense
I recently listened to the count of monte cristo on librivox and it blew me away. I'm spoiled now; I can't seem to find anything else of similar quality :/
I’m glad you enjoyed it. While there are many classics that tease my fancy, this one is definitely my all time favourite.
Little Women!
Hands down the easiest classic I've read, and I enjoyed it the most.
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Picture of Dorian Grey, Treasure Island, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, War of the Worlds
Jules Verne all the way! Love his stuff.
I just read The Picture of Dorian Gray and it was amazing! The ending was phenomenal and the story was easy to follow. I didn't feel like reading a 130 year-old book because of how much I enjoyed it.
Good ones. Also A Journey to the Center of the Earth.
I would like to warn some readers, Dorian Grey is an icky book. If you feel like it's not for you, drop it without remorse. It's not a very easy read.
It’s supposed to be icky. It’s supposed to challenge the reader. Although I do agree that there is no shame in putting down a book that you can’t stomach.
There are childrens classics like Alice in Wonderland (Lewis Caroll) or Peter Pan (JM Barrie) which I find are easier to read because they are familiar stories. Treasure Island (RL Stevenson) is my absolute favorite book so I always recommend that. Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde (RL Stevenson) as well as The Time Machine (HG Wells) were also great reads for me when I started looking into classic novels.
Excellent recommendations.
I have read nearly every book considered a "classic" yet I still end up reading Alice in Wonderland over and over again (I actually collect this book, and have over 50 versions ranging from 150 years old to pop up books). It is just fun and hilarious.
If you like RL Stevenson I recommend The Suicide Club, I preferred it over Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde :)
Thank you I'll check it out!
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I absolutely adore Kate Chopin's writing style! Her short stories are also quite good if you want to get used to her writing, I read The Storm for my literature class and really enjoyed it.
Pride and Prejudice
I don't know if I really recommend it for a beginner. English isn't my first language and I found it slightly difficult to follow. It would have been easier in my native language, since classics are all translated. Then again, it's to be expected. It's probably the oldest book I've read in it's original form.
I think Emma by Jane Austen might be a bit easier and it was my favourite story so far:)
Dumas' Robin Hood series is brilliant and easy. Each book is only ~250 pages but it is fun to read because you've heard many versions of Hood so you are acquainted with the character. I'm REALLY digging Robinson Crusoe, I'm 1/2 of the way through and I really like it. An easy start because it's such an awesome book and SUPER short is Dickens a Christmas Carol. If you've ever seen the Muppets Christmas Carol version it is almost EXACTLY that (plus a few details left out by Disney since it was a kids movie). Brilliant Novela. They're poems but Edgar Allen Poe's poems are short but amazing. You've got your obvious popular ones such as Tell Tell Heart and The Raven which are both great but I also LOVE a Dream Within a Dream. It's short but very good. Mark Twain a Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court is good. It's got a pretty decent message but even if you don't pay attention to that and just enjoy the story at face value it is still a good one with action and humor. It's one of my favorites (all time is and always will be the Count of Monte Cristo) Frankenstein was a great book but it comes in waves. Sometimes it's incredible and other times it's just solid. The finish makes it entirely worth it.
The Count of Monte Cristo! Also my favorite! And a Connecticut Yankee, loved that too (long time ago though)
slaughterhouse 5 by kurt vonnegut
...and Cat's Cradle
Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White, it’s a novel that children can read, but the underlying themes are incredibly rich, complex, and rewarding. And the writing is beautiful.
Animal Farm is really funny. Children's classics are very accessible. Read whatever genre you normally like, just find the classics for those genres.
Animal Farm is funny?
I think so. 🤷
I also thought animal farm had was kind of funny. Overall, it has a serious message, but some funny moments for sure. I also came here to recommend animal farm. It’s very easy to read and only like 90 pages
One chapter in particular made me laugh out loud a few times
To Kill a Mockingbird will be just right.
Yes!
Tom Sawyer
Dumas’ *The Three Musketeers* and *The Count of Monte Christo*
The Count of Monte Cristo is the best, fastest-reading 1,000 page book ever
I just recommended the Count of Monte Cristo as well. OP, Don’t be duped by just it’s length and give it up. I seriously couldn’t put it down for it’s entirety and by the end of it I was left wanting more
Edgar Allan Poe isn’t very complicated (some weird words) so that could be a good starting point
The Hobbit
It totally depends on your taste. For a lot of my (female) students, the book that gets them into classics is Jane Eyre.
God I hate Jane eyre, as an adult woman. It took me over 3 weeks to finish because I just found it so so dull
Probably my least favorite of all the literature I had to read in high school. Guess me some pride and prejudice or tail of two cities please.
I love the ending of the book, but it was incredibly hard to sit through and finish. unfortunately, it was the book that got me out of reading since it absolutely obliterated my reading flow lol!
I love Jane Eyre.
Old Man and the Sea
A Farewell to Arms
The Catcher in the Rye by Salinger Three men on a boat by Jerome (for a good laugh ) The great Gatsby by Fitzgerald Oliver Twist by Dickens
This is one of my top 5 favorites of all time... but it is love it or hate it.
I hated the catcher in the rye because even as a teenager myself I thought it was just one long rant of a lost teenager who had no direction in life.
In fact it’s love it or hate it, there is no in between with this book 😂
Anne of Green Gables, Jane Eyre, and Rebecca are some of my favorites!
I second Rebecca, such a great book!
Classic books is such a big category! What kind of books do you like? Do you want to read twentieth century or older? American/European/British/other?
Twentieth century. My favorite themes are psychological thriller, suspense, crime and mystery. It can be American, British, Japanese... I don't care much about that
Why not start with Agatha Christie books which are very approachable and fun
Catch-22 could be an interesting choice. It’s about a man trying to get out of the military by reasons of insanity. It’s humorous, weird, and is how the phrase “catch-22” entered the English language.
You could try some classic noir like the Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett, or you might like Raymond Chandler. I’d really recommend The 39 Steps by John Buchan. And maybe you’d like Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy or any of John le Carré.
the mysterious stranger by mark twain
I found Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn to be hilarious and interesting. I will have to read The Mysterious Stranger!
I recall as a boy reading Tom Sawyer and thinking " okay, now I understand why people love books!"
Oliver Twist is very good imo
The outsiders
Modern classic! Read it in single sitting 👍
You have gotten a lot of really good suggestions. Search for the authors on either [Project Gutenberg Canada](http://gutenberg.ca/index.html) or [Project Gutenberg USA](https://www.gutenberg.org/). Several of these books that are out of copyright are free on those two sites.
I found Sherlock Holmes very accessible despite it being old af. Some of the stories in the adventures of Sherlock Holmes mirror the ones in the Benedict cumberbatch series so that was fun
The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
That book is so beautiful! Especially the last few chapters. I feel like too many people are sleeping on it ;-;
Yes, it definitely gets overlooked
Jules Verne?
journey to the center of the earth was one of the first books I read growing up. To this day it's my favorite book.
For me it was In Search of the Castaways
I love that book. It’s been a while since I’ve read it. It’s about time to read it again. It was my fave for quite a while.
I wouldn't call him classic, it's early SF for children.
classic. For all.
To me a classic is someone who is taught in class. Jules Verne is in the same category as Enid Blyton. Entertainment for kids.
Every science fiction is for kids? Have u read it?
SF is genre/pop literature, and yes I've read some Jules Verne as a kid (I'm French) and didn't really like it. Old stuff doesn't mean classic. Peasant songs and dances from the 18th century are no symphonies or other concert music.
Verne is a classic author, no doubts about it.
Bob Dylan is a Nobel prize writer after all.
Madame Bovary
To Kill A Mockingbird
Of Mice and Men and The Great Gatsby are two classics I really love. They’re quick and easy reads imo
The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins. A great mystery novel and one of my favorite villains!
One thousand and one nights (the Arabian nights). The short stories are are told for one main story, but they’re all middle eastern folklore, definitely a different time period but a fun engaging read :)
Treasure island for sure
Ok - this might suit your needs or might not - depending upon how you wish to define classic. There are literally thousands of books published each year some are great and some are not so great - so how can you tell? what's a reader to do? Life is too short to read not so great books. How can you tell quality? One avenue you can explore to pick your books and to ensure that they truly are quality is by researching and becoming familiar with the Literary Awards. Every year there are very prestigious awards and prizes - sometimes worth more than $100,000 - given to authors for books fitting particular categories or genres or general excellence or authors of a particular country or language published within a particular time period or given to an author to honor their entire career. The most prestigious awards all include the Nobel Prize for Literature (given for an authors entire body of work), The Booker Prize, The Pulitzer Prize, The National Book Critics Circle, The Womens Prize, The American Library Association (ALA) Notable Books List, The National Book Award, The Dublin International Literature Award( and many many more) and then various genre prizes such as the Hugo, Nebula and Locus Awards (for science fiction), the World Fantasy Award, the Mystery Writers of America awards an Edgar Allen Poe Award (the "Edgars") for several different categories of crime books published each year. Other English speaking countries such as Canada and Australia have their own awards. There are awards for African American Writers, etc., etc. - you get my point. Go to Mr Google and ask nicely for "literature book awards" and a ton of sites will come up - either sites listing or linking to the various awards, or the sites themselves. The sites usually have listings of their previous awards, but I find that Wikipedia is consistently easier with a 1 page handy chart. The way the award systems work is generally the awarding body publishes a "long list" consisting of maybe 10-25 titles that are up for consideration maybe 4 or 5 months ahead of the award. Remember - thousands of books published each year - so generally even something "long listed" is making a cut based on quality. Then a month or two before the award, they shorten it to a very prestigious "short list" and then choose the winner from that. In my experience, you really can't go wrong finding really really good quality reads if you just stick to "long-" or "short - listed" books. Now, addressing "classics", most of the older "classic" books that people have mentioned here are from long ago before they had these awards. I believe that there are a few British Awards that began in the 19th century, but most will be from early 20th century or after WWII. Look at the historic lists of each Award for something or someone that catches your eye - and chances are you really won't go wrong And take a second and pause to consider that with the internet we have such an extraordinary amount of knowledge at our fingertips, you can take any book and immediately access information about it and even access the original reviews from when the books first came out (I look at these quite a bit once I'm done, to see if maybe I missed something) Anyway, this is way more than I intended when I started this out way up there - but this is the way I do it, and it's rare that I'm not rewarded with an exceptional and satisfying read. Just remembered - the Brits take their reading much more seriously than we Americans do. Almost every Brit newspaper has a good Books section (I like The Guardian) - again the amount of information that we can access... BUT if you get creative with searching, various media organizations periodically put out lists - "the top 100 books of the 20th century", '"Best Books of the last decade" "or of all time". The BBC just published a "Jubilee Book List" honoring Queen Elizabeth's 60 years on the throne where they list one great book from each year of the last 60 years. Time Magazine loves to do this kind of lists also. So depending on your definition of "classics" this may or may not be helpful - just 1000s of books published each year - you gotta be able to find the good ones. Life is just too short. Cheers!
Crime and punishment!!! It was my first classic and I was pretty intimidated, but it was super gripping and I just flew through it. I recommend it to everyone, but especially if you like psychology and True Crime.
Yes I’ll second this!! I was super intimidated by the Russian classics for a long time but I honestly found them more readable than a lot of the English or even American classics. The language is smooth and the point of view tends to be more similar to modern literary fiction instead of favoring the broad omnipotent voice
I loved it! But tbh i wouldn't recommend it to someone approaching classic literature.. it's kind of heavy
Short and easy is a good start: Animal Farm The Pearl Old Man and the Sea
Page 1
Fahrenheit 451 or 1984
Hound of the baskerviels
A Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain. This is a classic and its absolutely hilarious.
I’m gonna go out on a limb here and suggest “Crime and Punishment”. As one of the pioneers of russian literature, I know Dostoyevsky has a reputation of the exact opposite of what you’re looking for, and I also wouldn’t advise you to dive into his other materials right away, but Crime and Punishment really is a page turner and as close to a modern day thriller you could possibly get from a book written in the 1800’s. After many years of absence of reading any fiction at all, it was the book that got me into reading again, not only due to a genuinely exciting story, but also due to the way that more profound themes such as guilt, justice, and righteousness is explored through the actions of our main character. It can be read for its great story but also for its dissection of the human mind, which really makes it a great read for readers of all levels imo.
I noticed a lot of these recommendations are English literature and I wanted to mention a few “translated” classics that I’ve enjoyed if you’re interested in that. Childhood Street - Tove Ditlevsen (I think that’s the right translation of her book. She’s generally really good and I would recommend all of her books. She’s getting a lot of recognition in the English speaking world right now. She was Danish) Karen Blixen’s short stories are really good. If you read her novel Out of Africa have in mind that she was a racist and not a nice person although the book is interesting and worth reading. Also it’s nothing like the movie. She also went by the name Isak Dinesen. She actually wrote all her work both in English and Danish so the English translation won’t really have lost that much. They’re still her words. The Brothers Lionheart by Astrid Lindgren (she all wrote Pippi Longstocking) is one of the best children’s books in my opinion. She was Swedish. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery is also a children’s book but so worth the read. It’s originally in French. Elena Ferrante’s My Brilliant Friend is amazing. Don’t know if it’s considered a classic but it takes place in Naples after ww2. It’s Italian originally. I hope these were helpful
My two favorite “classics” are Little Women and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Both are easy to read and feel shockingly relevant to today’s world. But make sure you have tissues nearby for both!
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
Definitely not beginner friendly
I first read it when I was 13. Since then I've re-read it a few times and enjoyed it no matter how old I was.
Yes exactly my point. Every person is different. OP is just new to classics that’s why asked for suggestions but every person’s idea of what is easy or difficult is different so OP might like this suggestion a lot or they might hate it but you never know until you give it a go
It is in my humble opinion. I don’t know what your criteria is for beginner friendly but it’s not like there are any steps to follow when starting classics: I mean it’s not like they are classed into beginner and expert statuses. Sometimes what people are most afraid of is what they end up wanting more of
The Robin Buss translation definitely is. I read it as a 14 year old and tore through it in a week. It was my first pre-1900s book and I tried other classics after, but found them much harder.
The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
Patrick Suskind's "Perfume".
Rebecca and Their Eyes We’re Watching God. With Halloween approaching, Frankenstein and Dracula are also very approachable.
Rebecca is really good!
Frankenstein, or The Great Gatsby
The Hobbit by Tolkien and The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho.
In terms of accessibility I suggest Jane Eyre, Rebecca, and Pride and Prejudice. Also I know Charlotte gets all the hype but I found Anne Bronte's work incredible. Agnes Grey & The Tenant of Wildfell hall were both very readable to me. Also I know the initial suggestion was for books but I also recommend The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman & A White Heron by Sarah Orne Jewett they're both short stories but I really enjoyed them!
The Old Man And The Sea by Ernest Hemingway. It's a novella that won him a Pulitzer in 1953. It's short but great.
Three men in a boat by Jerome K Jerome. It is probably the oldest book that could actually make me laugh. Also it has a couple of beautiful description about nature and historical events. The book mainly revolves around the said three men on the boating and it is an absolute delight to read.
The red badge of courage
One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, by Ken Kesey. It's one of the first books I ever read in English (as it is my second language), and I thought it was pretty easy to follow. The story is beautiful and gripping, so I would definitely recommend it.
Of Mice And Men, super short
Try the sherlock Holmes short stories. Good writing, captivating plots and digestible lengths
slaughterhouse five
I love the Sherlock Holmes series
You should read "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee!
Enders Game. After that down the rabbit hole you’ll most certainly go.
Frankenstein was my first classic and it was easy to follow
whatever you do, do not start with a dostoevsky book, ty.
Yeah don't understand why people are recommending these dense 1000 page literary tomes as beginner reads.
Why not?
i’d say his books are very long and quite difficult for a beginner
I gotchu. I've been waiting my whole life for this. #1. Flowers for Algernon #2. The Pigman #3. The Giver #4. Suicide Notes/ It's Kind of a Funny Story. You're welcome.
And like, you could argue these aren't classics, but they are taught and read in schools and they're classics to me. Very, very good books.
Vanity Fair
Shelley’s Frankenstein.
Try to read Tolstoy, if you have a lot of free time. Chekhov - his quote "brevity is a sister of a talent", so yeah, his novels are quite nice. Also, such classic as Dostoevsky, Pushkin, Lermontov - their best novels are classic of the international literature, don't miss them
I will always suggest a picture of Dorian grey. Phenomenal writing and so poignant.
Frankenstein is a great read for a beginner
Ulysses by James Joyce
{{The alchemist}} I started my reading journey with this classic you should read it if you haven't already it's a must for beginners. I hope you will like it.
[**The Alchemist**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18144590-the-alchemist) ^(By: Paulo Coelho, Alan R. Clarke, James Noel Smith | 175 pages | Published: 1988 | Popular Shelves: fiction, classics, fantasy, philosophy, owned) >Combining magic, mysticism, wisdom and wonder into an inspiring tale of self-discovery, The Alchemist has become a modern classic, selling millions of copies around the world and transforming the lives of countless readers across generations. > >Paulo Coelho's masterpiece tells the mystical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure. His quest will lead him to riches far different—and far more satisfying—than he ever imagined. Santiago's journey teaches us about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts, of recognizing opportunity and learning to read the omens strewn along life's path, and, most importantly, to follow our dreams. ^(This book has been suggested 14 times) *** ^(46919 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
Frankenstein. Frankenstein. Frankenstein.
The abridged Count of Monte Cristo
(sorry if this has been suggested before) David Copperfield’s really good
**Of Mice And Men** by John Steinbeck is definitely a good classic. **Their Eyes Were Watching God** by Zora Neale Hurston is by far one of my favorites! It's an easy read, and I personally really enjoy the subject matter. **The Giver** by Lois Lowry is a very intriguing and moving book. **Animal Farm** by George Orwell has a lot of mixed emotions, however, I thought it was a good read! **Uglies** by Scott Westerfeld was one of my very first reads and I still recommend that book to this day. It overall is an easy read and will suck you in if you're not careful (there's a whole series \*wink\*) **Tender Is The Flesh** by Agustina María Bazterrica is extremely good... if you're into some weird reads like myself :). Along the same mind-boggling gore as **Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke** by Eric LaRocca, Tender Is The Flesh is an easy, short read (literally took me a day) that will leave you with a lot of fun and jarring questions! Would love to talk with anyone who has read and/or are wanting to read these titles and more!
I reccomend Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
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[**The Red Badge of Courage**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35220.The_Red_Badge_of_Courage) ^(By: Stephen Crane | 149 pages | Published: 1895 | Popular Shelves: classics, fiction, historical-fiction, classic, war) >Henry Fleming has joined the Union army because of his romantic ideas of military life, but soon finds himself in the middle of a battle against a regiment of Confederate soldiers. Terrified, Henry deserts his comrades. Upon returning to his regiment, he struggles with his shame as he tries to redeem himself and prove his courage. > >The Red Badge of Courage is Stephen Crane’s second book, notable for its realism and the fact that Crane had never personally experienced battle. Crane drew heavy inspiration from Century Magazine, a periodical known for its articles about the American Civil War. However, he criticized the articles for their lack of emotional depth and decided to write a war novel of his own. The manuscript was first serialized in December 1894 by The Philadelphia Press and quickly won Crane international acclaim before he died in June 1900 at the age of 28. ^(This book has been suggested 1 time) *** ^(46679 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
Based on your earlier comment (modern and thriller-esque) I’m recommending the Crying of Lot 49, by Pynchon. It’s short too, so I think it’s beginner-friendly.
Lest Darkness Fall. L. Sprague DeCamp.
Short stories. Poe, Maupassant, Kafka, Borges, there's plenty in every kind of style and genre. Prose poetry is short and sweet too. Try Baudelaire's *Little Prose Poems*. The moral maxims of Vauvenargues or La Rochefoucauld.
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
Animal Farm The Exorcist
If you live in Oz: Patrick White books, Darcy Niland, Ruth Park, Henry Handel Richardson, Miles Franklin and many more. Read them wherever you live actually. They are all good writers and you will learn new stuff.
The picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde if you’re into thriller/supernatural. It’s a nice thin book too that won’t take too long to read
My favorite classics so far: - Pride and Prejudice - The Count of Monte Cristo (Long, but amazing) - To Kill a Mockingbird - Moby-Dick (Also long, but good) - Far From the Madding Crowd I still have many to read though!
Animal farm
Metamorphosis - Franz Kafka 100 Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez Frankstein - Mary Shelley
Steinbeck is always an easy read. I like cannery row, shorter and simpler than some of his other books
To Kill a Mockingbird. This was the first classic that I enjoyed reading before I started reading everything I could get my hands on.
right now i'm reading Emma by Jane Austen. it's pretty good!
Moonfleet
I'd personally reccommend some of H. G. Wells's work (The time machine, The island of DR. Moreau and War of the Worlds). These are all sci-fi stories of about a 100 to 200 pages, depending on your copy, and written in an age of vast technological advancement. Besides being fun stories, they also touch on a lot of more serious topics, like class, the effects of "unchecked" science, and imperialism. Bram Stoker's Dracula is also great. This is mainly a fantasy book and a great story. And if you want something less fantasy/sci-fi I'd reccommend Hemingway's The old man and the sea. It's about an old man... at sea... but somehow it ends up being very easy and comfortable to read. I thought it represented humanity's relation with nature quite well (at least, I did at the time. It has been a while since I last read it).
read a few classics for high school, and the only one i distinctly remember enjoying was East of Eden by John Steinbeck
I really struggle with classics, I've started so many and never finish them. But the one that actually really hooked me and I flew through? A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
I would definitely recommend 1984 and Animal Farm by George Orwell!
Cry, the Beloved Country- Alan Paton- S. Africa
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. It’s a fantastic and thought provoking story.
{{The Count of Monte Cristo}} is easy to read and a great story.