classics

Pip is a young boy who lives with his older sister since both of his parents died. He is raised in a depressing and abusive manner, but seems to rub it off quite well. He has high hopes of becoming a rich gentleman and living in London, but his dreams are all crushed as his sisters husband (Joe) is only a blacksmith, and Pip by law needs to follow in his steps. This all changes when one of the most unexpected characters sponsors him, and pays for his journey to become a gentleman.

Although this book has some suspenseful and interesting chapters, the bulk of it is quite filler. Since...

Anthem

Ayn Rand

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4

Rated by

Jackie S.

In Anthem, Ayn Rand illustrates how society and individuals suffer under extremist rule. The characters are bound to one another, and assigned specific duties, with the intention of benefiting the collective. After Equality 7-2521 makes a discovery from an ancient time, he begins to work on something that is outside of his designated vocation.

A Room with a View

E.M. Forster

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4

Rated by

Heather B.

I'm a regular reader of classic literature, and I've enjoyed Merchant-Ivory films based on E.M. Forster novels in the past, so I'm not sure why I had the impression that his work was stuffy.

Under the Volcano

Malcolm Lowry

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5

Rated by

Matt C.

British consul, Geoffrey Firmin, is living in Mexico in self-imposed exile, solitary and saturated with liquor. He was once happy, or maybe ne never was. He isn’t sure now that he’s too riddled by alcoholism to even put on his socks. But on this day, The Day of the Dead, 1938, he has a visitor. His wife Yvonne has come to rescue the consul from himself. Maybe she can persuade him to leave Mexico behind and start over with her. Maybe she can salvage their marriage, left in ruins by her string of affairs with Geoffrey’s two best friends – both of whom are there with him in Mexico. They

A boy named Pip lives on the English marshes as an apprentice for a Blacksmith named Joe (his sister's husband). Pip is supposed to be a common boy just like his family, but he gets the opportunity to meet a family of higher class. Pip's ideology of being common changes into shame for his social class, and he is stuck between family and image. He soon has the opportunity to embark on his Great Expectations without knowing who his benefactor is, and is struck by the harsh society of London.

This book starts out very slow and boring, but soon confronts you with many connections that...

True Grit

Charles Portis

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4

Rated by

Helen H.

An instant best-seller when published in 1968, True Grit has also been made into film. Twice. These facts alone should recommend it, and I am here to back it up with a solid vote for a place on your nightstand.

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

0

Rated by

Chris F.

When you get to the end of a book you've loved, there’s a sadness that it’s over. But when I finished Their Eyes Were Watching God I was glad - glad that I had read this again.

The Prince - by Machiavelli

0

Rated by

Magda B.

The Prince - by Machiavelli

Written in 1993, Ernest Gaines’ A Lesson Before Dying takes us back to the 1940s South and young, innocent Jefferson sitting in a Louisiana jail waiting to be executed. His Tante Lou and Godmother Miss Emma are determined that he should die like a man. Their nephew Grant, the one-room school teacher, is sent to teach the despondent prisoner the lessons of life. Gripping, gritty and heartbreaking this novel goes to the depths of the soul yet takes us up to the universal meaning of life.