Constant Reader discussion

We are frequently asked what constitutes a "classic" here for Classics Corner. It is hard to define and we've come up with a number of definitions.

Today, I saw this quote on one of my local independent bookstore's website:

A classic is a book that has never finished saying what it has to say.
Italo Calvino

I like that.

That's perfect!

(Side note: I've read some newer books that I'm pretty sure will never become classics because they finished saying what they had to say before I got to the end of the book....)

I hear that sentiment, Lynn. I also feel I have read several books in the Constant Reader company which will evolve to earn their space on the list of books which end with the classic label.

I agree Dottie.

I love that definition. For me, part of what makes a classic endure is that it leaves enough space for us to meet it differently at different points in our lives. The story stays the same, but the reader doesn’t.