Reviews by Tag: classics

Teen Review
North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

North and South

By Elizabeth Gaskell
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Z. Ahmed
Jul 26, 2024

North and South is a Victorian-era novel that blends social life with romance. The story begins with Margaret Hale, a young woman from the rural South of England. Margaret has to move when her father, a clergyman, leaves the Church of England. The family moves to the industrial town of Milton in the North. In Milton, Margaret discovers a very different way of life. She's shocked by the harsh working conditions in the cotton mills and the divide between the wealthy mill owners and poor workers.

Teen Review
Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

The Scarlet Letter

By Nathaniel Hawthorne
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Anonymous
Oct 25, 2022

In the historical fiction novel The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne tells the legend of

the scarlet letter, a story of three Puritans' path toward penance for their sins. The story starts

with the main character, Hester Prynne, suffering a great ignominy before the entirety of Boston

after becoming pregnant with a child that was not her husband. Due to Hester moving to Boston

ahead of her husband, everyone thinks he is dead, so instead of being killed, she's forced to

Teen Review
The Pearl by John Steinbeck

The Pearl

By John Steinbeck
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Anonymous
Oct 25, 2022

In the historical fiction novella The Pearl, John Steinbeck details the destructiveness of

human greed through the view of an uneducated native Mexican after Spain colonized Mexic.

Before the native, Kino, discovered “the greatest pearl in the world”(Steinbeck 20), he lived what

seemed to be a fulfilling life; he had a faithful wife, a beautiful child, a reliable older brother, and

a way of life: pearl gathering. This life surrounded him with the pleasant “Song of the

Teen Review
The Giver by Lois Lowry

The Giver

By Lois Lowry
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Eva K.
Jun 14, 2022

The Giver is a thriller dystopian society novel. While reading this book you never know what to expect and it keeps you thinking on every page that you turn. One reason that I really enjoyed this book was because of the overall concept. It takes you into a whole new world that you would never expect and it shows you new realities that can help broaden your imagination.

Teen Review
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

The Catcher in the Rye

By J.D. Salinger
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by
Colin K.
Jun 1, 2022

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger describes two days in a sixteen-year-old teenager named Holden Caufield. But Holden Caufield does not live a normal teenage life as he does not have a healthy relationship with his parents or with anyone for that matter. As a result, he is an outcast with no desire to succeed in his education, causing him to get expelled from prep school and journey hopelessly across New York.

Teen Review
The Giver by Lois Lowry

The Giver

By Lois Lowry
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by
Sophie G.
Jun 1, 2022

The Giver by Lois Lowry tells the story of Jonas, a boy who lives in a utopian society called the Community where “Sameness” is implemented in order to keep everything fair and prevent sadness. Concepts like color are gone in order to create equality. At the Ceremony of Twelve, where a child’s role in the Community is assigned, Jonas is chosen to receive special training from the Giver, who holds the only memories of the past.

Teen Review
Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller

Death of a Salesman

By Arthur Miller
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Anonymous
Dec 13, 2021

Death of a Salesman, by Arthur Miller, can fit into the Tragedy/Drama/Fiction genres.  Willy Loman returns back home, while listening to a sweet flute. He realizes that he is a failure, as a father and a husband. Willy’s sons, Happy and Biff, are not successful, and Willy's career is falling. Biff, who constantly argues with his father, has nothing to say to him, even after coming back to his hometown. However, after one incident, everything changes.

Teen Review
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Great Gatsby

By F. Scott Fitzgerald
Star Rating
★★★

Rated by
Emily N.
Dec 7, 2021

A story that takes place in New York City in the 1920’s of the narrator, Nick Carraway, as he befriends the wealthy and mysterious Jay Gatsby and helps him try and reunite with his former girlfriend. Surprisingly, I really enjoyed this book. On the surface level, it is a very simple and straightforward read. Only 9 chapters, easy to follow, not a very complicated vocabulary. But what I enjoyed about this story was how there were so many aspects with hidden, deeper meanings. This is what really made the story worth reading for me.

Teen Review
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

The Picture of Dorian Gray

By Oscar Wilde
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by
Emily N.
Dec 7, 2021

After moving to London, Dorian Gray befriends an artist named Basil Hallward who paints him a portrait. After living with the painting, Dorian soon agonizes over the fact that he will be aging while the painting of himself will stay youthful forever. Dorian will go to great lengths to prevent himself from becoming a different man than the one in the painting.

Teen Review

To Kill a Mockingbird

By Harper Lee
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Anonymous
Oct 19, 2021

Citizens of Maycomb are racists and prejudiced. They judge each other by how they look, speak, or what gender they are. After Atticus Finch is asked to defend Tom Robinson, a colored man who is accused of raping a woman, his children learn true lessons, some being that people in Maycomb side with others over others. Essentially, this story depicts a young girl coming-of-age, who is raised into a society where people are not as innocent compared to others. It is up to her father to teach her real life lessons and behaviors.

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