Jump to content

Menu

If you could recommend one classic book...


Epicurean
 Share

Recommended Posts

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut (master of ironic understatement & razor-sharp satire presenting profound observations on the impact of war)
 

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (perfectly-crafted novella; must have been the ultimate surprise ending when first published)
 

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (a trek into the depths of darkness of the human heart & soul)
 

A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway (beautiful sketches of Paris cafe/writing life; best-selling again in France after the terror attacks as it celebrates the best of Paris cafe society; includes a wonderful & hilarious tale of a road trip he took w/ F. Scott Fitzgerald when they didn't know each other very well)
 

The Ways of White Folks by Langston Hughes (written about 80 years ago but still acidly sharp & on-target about race, people, & society)
 

The Razor's Edge by W. Somerset Maugham (wonderful observations of people & just a nice book through & through)

 

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (the epitome of the Jazz Age)
 

Dracula (over 400 pages) by Bram Stoker (the classic horror story)
 

The Count of Monte Cristo (definitely over 400 pages) by Alexandre Dumas (the ultimate revenge tale)
 

Sunjata by Bamba Suso & Banna Kanute (could make for interesting discussion of oral vs. written storytelling because this version contains two written versions of the oral history told by griots re: the beginnings of the Malian empire)

 

A couple of modern classics:

 

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro (pitch-perfect story)

 

No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy (from the landscape to the interior lives of men -- spare & brutal; hard & beautifully-crafted)

Edited by Stacia
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...