EVERYONE Has Read This but Me - The Catch-Up Book Club discussion

If you wanted to convince someone that classics are awesome, which ones would you suggest to them?

I feel the books would need to be relatable to a wide audience, not use dialogue that is too outdated, and not spend too much time veering from the plot to go into too much detail on things that are not crucial to the story.

I'll post my own list later after giving it some thought.

1984 and The Count of Monte Cristo are the two most enjoyable classics I have ever stumbled upon. And this is coming from someone who doesn't like classics :P

I couldn't agree more with The Count of Monte Cristo. I think many are intimated by the year it was written and it's size, but it's very accessible. All of Alexandre Dumas' books are.

I second 1984, unless you really just don't like science fiction.

Also, The Hobbit, Oliver Twist and Pride and Prejudice. They are all quite accessible. Though they has "classic language," they easily to follow/comprehend.

I could not get into P&P, but I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Emma.

I'd recommend Animal Farm over 1984; it's much easier.

Slaughterhouse-Five and Fahrenheit 451 Easy to read and short. I read each one in a day.

A Christmas Carol makes for a wonderful intro. to Dickens. Short, familiar, but so much more clever than most movies.

Jules Verne wrote great books, but I'll go with Around the world in 80 days.

I agree with Dumas too, but I prefer The Three Musketeers.

I'm using our -1970 rule here. I would suggest this list:

The Little Prince
Animal Farm
Catcher In the Rye
The Old Man and the Sea
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
On the Road

Y'all are helping me decide which classics to read this summer. :) I haven't read Fahrenheit 451, Slaughtehouse-Five, or The Count of Monte Cristo, all of which are on my to-read list! I do like classics, but I figured opinions on best classics to entice people would provide some insight as to the most gripping/bearable ones and the must reads! It's fun hearing everyone's opinions on which books could convince a reader to love classics!

I too think The Count of Monte Cristo is fantastic. Also, The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath is a good one to read and I even think Jane Eyre would be good to start with.

I agree that
Pride and Prejudice
The Little Prince
and Slaughterhouse-Five
are the best introductions to classics.

I almost listed The Bell Jar! I loved Jane Eyre, but I think it's because I've been a nanny for 4 different families so I could somewhat relate after working with one family who treated me like an employee lower than them instead of like family, as it should be when caring for someone's children. I feel a beginner might get bored with that one though, might not be the best to convince them to read others. Same with Little Women and Pride and Prejudice... great books, but you have to pull through to the end to really appreciate them since they have a tendency to drag at times.

A Christmas Carolis indeed wonderful for a beginning. And then proceed to Great Expectations - perhaps Dickens' best and thoroughly enjoyable. Don't be tricked by those silly cinematic adaptations, the book IS amazing.

Mainak, the movie portrayal is def what has kept me away from the book!

O I forgot about Slaughterhouse-Five! That book was easy and interesting, for sure.

Also: The Crucible.

I almost want to say The Canterbury Tales except they can be tedious reading if you prefer classics to have accessible language.

The Master and Margarita

This is my favourite book of all time. Any genre, any era. You can read incredibly deeply into it, or just take it at face value as an incredibly insane story. It's genius.

Just looked up The Master and Margarita, it sounds like a super if read! Definitely going to check that out!

The Importance of Being Earnest. It really isn't a novel (its a play), but it is so funny and a quick read.

I also suggest Rebecca. Maybe I'm alone in this, but this is one of the classics that didn't feel like I was reading a classic. The creepy mystery of the late wife sucked me in.

Also, The Hobbit and The Chronicles of Narnia

I would agree with Animal Farm. It's short and simple, but long on symbolism. Good novel for Young Adults who want to read a classic.

I did base my list on easy reads that don't require too much struggle or tough language. If I were to make suggestions to someone who wanted more than that they would be:

Frankenstein
Jane Eyre
Th Jungle
The Grapes of Wrath

Another good one is Of Mice and Men- short, easy to read, but a complex story about friendship and sacrifice.

Of Mice and Men.
So sad. :(

Christine wrote: "Of Mice and Men.
So sad. :("

It's tragic, but only bad stories are sad.

I also think Frankenstein and Dracula would be good ones since both are written through journal entires rather than long chapters and it would let a new classics reader get to know Romantic/Victorian characters more easily.

Ying Ying wrote: "I agree that
Pride and Prejudice
The Little Prince
and Slaughterhouse-Five
are the best introductions to classics."

I read The Little Prince a couple of weeks ago. I agree a great beginners classic. I finished it within two hours, and it really makes you think. Just make sure you get a print or e-book copy with the drawings included. I first tried the story with the audio-book version I found at the library because the name sounded familiar. The drawings are an integral part of the story. I was lost when the audio-book started to describe the art. I am glad I decided to find the book.

Anne of Green Gables
Persuasion
To Kill a Mockingbird
In Cold Blood

STEPHEN wrote: It's tragic, but only bad stories are sad."

😂😂😂

Tessie wrote: "The Importance of Being Earnest. It really isn't a novel (its a play), but it is so funny and a quick read.
..."

Oh yes! Esp. for ppl who already can manage / are interested in the shenanigans of British society, like P&P fans who are still leery of other classics or of plays.

Speaking of plays, don't miss Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw. (The inspiration for My Fair Lady). Or if you want his intelligence but aren't into all those rules of class and intrigues of society, his Major Barbara tweaks them.... And, of course, they're both witty and fun.

Oh! Don't forget Sherwood Anderson's Winesburg, Ohio! Especially you-all who like tragic and/or sad etc. The brilliance of this short book is that it is enlightening even for ppl with weaker stomachs and more vulnerable spirits, like me.

I think anything by E.M. Forster is a safe bet. They all make fun of the British hierarchy in a very tongue in cheek kind of way. Some are more serious than others, but are all accessible.
A Room with a View, A Passage to India, Howards End, Maurice, Where Angels Fear to Tread (my personal favorite).

Christine wrote: "STEPHEN wrote: It's tragic, but only bad stories are sad."

"Poorly written stories are depressing.

STEPHEN wrote: "Christine wrote: "STEPHEN wrote: It's tragic, but only bad stories are sad."

"Poorly written stories are depressing." But thanks for the reference to The Big Lebowski.

STEPHEN wrote: "Christine wrote: "STEPHEN wrote: It's tragic, but only bad stories are sad."

"Poorly written stories are depressing."

That's what I assumed you meant. But tx for clarifying. And I agree.

FlowerTaisen wrote: The drawings are an integral part of the story. I was lost when the audio-book started to describe the art. I am glad I decided to find the book. ."

FlowerTaisen, you are right! The drawings are an integral part of the experience, and once you see them, you never forget them again; at least, the first picture... which often comes to my memory :-)

Sarah wrote: "I feel a beginner might get bored with that one though, might not be the best to convince them to read others. Same with Little Women and Pride and Prejudice...."

Sarah, while the books you listed can all be a bit slow at times, Jane Eyre is a bit dark. Hence, while I would highly recommend Pride and Prejudice, I wouldn't recommend Jane Eyre as a starter. I am unsure that it would appeal to all tastes; it certainly didn't appeal mine when I read it... or perhaps I need to give it a second chance.

Excellent point, Ying Ying!

Ying Ying wrote: "I agree that
...
and Slaughterhouse-Five
are the best introductions to classics."

I just bought this. Because almost all my friends on here have it in their 'read' section, and I'd never even heard of it. How embarrassing.

Lee wrote:
I just bought this. Because almost all my friends on here have it in their 'read' s..."

Haha, social pressure is sometimes very effective :D Hopefully it can also help you discover some great gems! Hope you enjoy, Lee.

Sarah wrote: "Excellent point, Ying Ying!"

Thank you, Sarah! :-)

Little Women is probably my absolute favorite.

But I think Animal Farm or The Little Prince are much less intimating for those trying to ease into classics. Both are very short and intriguing.

The great gatsby is one of my favorite books! i generally do not enjoy reading classics either but I loved this book.

Christine wrote: "STEPHEN wrote: It's tragic, but only bad stories are sad."

"

Your Big Lebowski reference tho...

I would recommend Little Women, Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyer, To Kill a Mocking Bird or Oliver Twist.

And the Secret Garden ... another one of my favorites

Actually, as I think about this more, a lot of the more accessible classics are those meant for younger readers. The Secret Garden like Ranmali said and also Black Beauty, Treasure Island, any by Mark Twain and the same for any by Jules Verne.

Oliver Twist is heartwarming and Little Women is splendid.

I would probably recommend a good short story The Gift of the Magi or A Modest Proposal.

Otherwise, I would agree with the Mark Twain or Alexandre Dumas suggestions, both are easy to get into. It would really depend on their preferences, though.

I think part of liking a classic is liking the genre too. If you hate sci-fi, you will hate Fahrenheight 451 and 1984. If you hate fantasy, you will despise Mistborn. Etc,

A Modest proposal is an aquifer taste that one could despise to it core or loved beyond measure. I would argue that when recommending a classic, find out first what genre a reader prefers.