22 Classic Novels That Won't Bore You To Death
Fifty Shades versus the book she told you not to worry about.
We asked members of the BuzzFeed Community to tell us which classic novels were actually worth reading. Here's what they said.
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1. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
"It's an underrated novel that's been completely misrepresented by film adaptations and pop culture.
"Yes, it's about an overachieving student who tries to manufacture a human being and creates a gigantic creature instead, but it has so much more to offer than what movies have made it out to be. Ultimately, it's a novel about the pain of loss and displacement, and that's something I think many people can relate to and understand.
"Frankenstein explores a huge range of passionate emotions – anxiety, despair, grief, love, rage, self-pity, self-righteousness – and questions what it means to be human and what your relationship is to the world around you.
"Victor and the Creature battle against each other, but it's their internal struggles and narratives that make the novel so moving and powerful. Shelley's ability to bring these two characters to life (see what I did there?) is astounding, and it's almost impossible not to empathize deeply with both of them." – Adam Cranne
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2. Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
"I took it with me on holiday during the summer as my mother had told me read it. I actually only brought it with me as a backup book, but I ended up reading everything I had, so started this not expecting to enjoy it.
"Oh my god, how wrong I was. I ate up every word and loved every moment. Cried for hours when I finished. It's funny, sad, shocking and uplifting, and also taught me more about the American Civil War than I'd ever known." – Aoife Ní Thuathail
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3. Native Son by Richard Wright
"Native Son is captivating and bone chilling in its portrayal of race and class. I read it while traveling through Greece. Not exactly a natural pairing for the beaches of Santorini, but I couldn’t put it down." – Alma Pudge
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4. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
"I read it as part of my GCSE English 15 years ago and even thinking about it now has a profound effect on me. Before then I don't think I had ever read anything that opened my eyes to so many moral issues. It's as relevant now, if not even more than it was then.
"I've reread this book countless times and every time I find myself caught up in the issues and angry over the extreme racism that was evident in America at that time." – Michelle A White
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5. The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
"It's a disturbing read, but so eye-opening about how immigrants have been treated, how horrifying working conditions were, how life can just grind people down, how women are exploited, the horrors of the meatpacking industry, how children suffer due to economic circumstances... I could go on and on. It's an unblinking look at life in America, especially a portrait of Chicago during that time period." – Elizabeth Gray
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6. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
"I've loved classic lit since I was a kid, but I just recently read it as an adult. I wish I had read it back then. Jane is such a strong heroine, and I really could have used a role model (albeit a fictional one) in a shy and smart woman who stands up for herself and what's right, even when it's hard. (Might I also add not to be afraid of audiobooks or good illustrated adaptations like Manga Classics. They're a good way to ease into classic novels if you're not used to them.)" – Samantha Hoover
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7. Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift
8. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
"It's the only book I have openly wept at. It teaches so much about the goodness of people that everyone writes off, what tenderness and genuine kindness does to people, and how sacrificial love covers wrongs. Not to mention it's a fascinating look at the French Revolution. I could go on and on, but it is just stunning." –
Marissa Kaye Sealock
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9. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
10. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
11. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
"This novel is incredibly underappreciated. It follows the story of an African-American woman who lusts for the perfect relationship even as a young girl. Though things do not follow as she had hoped, she continues to learn way into her forties about life. It was wonderful and changed my perception on the culture of love." – Grace Meinhardt
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12. Middlemarch by George Eliot
"Middlemarch, Middlemarch, Middlemarch! Eliot understands her characters so generously and writes them with such empathy and understanding that you can reread it your whole life and relate to different characters each time.
"It answers questions that still feel so relevant for being written so long ago: How much of yourself should you give up or change for the person you love? How do you balance what you owe your parents with what you want for yourself? What do we owe to the people we love? When your partner is at their lowest, exposed in hypocrisy, how will you react? Every single page moves the plot along, but theres rarely any pulpy action. It's extraordinary." – Caity Blake
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13. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
"I know War and Peace is a predictable answer but I think many/most people neglect ever opening the book because they're wrongly overwhelmed. If you get a good translation of this novel (I suggest Penguin Classics) you'll have no problem reading it whatsoever. It's one of the most human novels you'll ever read, every single character is made vivid and real in your mind. Every time I read a page I'm just completely lost in the words." – Amber Lyons
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14. My Antonia by Willa Cather
"On the surface, it's a novel about a boy and a girl growing up together in Nebraska. But it's modernism, so it's so much more than that. Antonia is a beautiful character, a female immigrant who challenges every expectation placed upon her.
"Cather uses Antonia to comment on sexuality/gender expectations of women, racial/ethnic biases against immigrants at the time, and the social hierarchy/class distinctions of those immigrants amongst white landowners. All three of those combine into a social critique of women's roles and treatment of minorities.
"It's a beautiful story, it's so relevant right now, and everyone should read it. It's not a difficult read. It changed the course of my college career, and it helped me become a better person through its depiction of immigrants and women. And to top it all off, Cather was a great writer, and it's just a beautiful novel." – Anna Burton
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15. In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust
16. Le Liaisons Dangereuses by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos
"Scandalously sexual, particularly for its time, it essentially details a game of conquests between two completely awful members of the French aristocracy. It's in equal parts funny and horrifying throughout." – Danielle Tara Topaz
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17. The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer
"The Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale are so underrated. The Prologue is the most interesting part as it is essentially just the main character (the Wife of Bath) talking about her five marriages.
"Her character is unlike any other character (of the time period). It is so ahead of its time in regards to her witty, blunt character and the way she challenges the expectations of women and the teachings of the church and at the time. It can be a challenging read as it is all in Middle English but there are plenty of translated versions available." – Saudah Badat
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18. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
"I have only finished reading it and I can truly claim that at least this one classic piece of literature won't put you off or make you think it's boring or incomprehensible at all!
"It is so beautifully written with an easy flow to it. You'll get to know about the African-American communities in the States, it will make you think about religion. It's absolutely packed with strong, powerful female characters with character development and includes LGBT characters. You'll get through those 250+ pages without knowing!! Seriously, read it!" – Ishita Bordhan
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19. The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
"I first read this as a teenager, because my best friend and I were obsessed with Kiefer Sutherland and watched every film he was in that we could get our hands on. (The local Blockbuster staff soon grew to recognise us.)
"Anyway, I decided to read the novel itself, and went into it expecting a dry, boring 'classic'. Instead, I found one of the funniest, cleverest, most entertaining books I’ve ever read, and it remains one of my favourites to this day." – Zoë Arquette
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20. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
"So many levels to encourage a meaty book group discussion. The bias between the culture of north and south, master vs man, the struggle people have with religion and doubt, what makes a man, a Victorian woman finding her place, immigrant workers, strikes and unions, working conditions. I could go on and on. Read it, then watch the brilliant TV adaptation." – Maria Kanno
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21. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
"Very dark, and rather confusing until you get used to the style. After a while, you just acknowledge that the sequencing is arbitrary and chaotic, as the characters are realizing that war is arbitrary and chaotic too and no one cares if they live or die. Great satire, and its style and characters make it a compelling, memorable read." – Josh Boeschen
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22. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
"Every woman should read Pride and Prejudice. People assume because the genre is romance, the book will be boring and trashy. It is actually political satire and has some very funny moments.
"It also it shows strong female characters who work for their own interests and not just the interests of others, something that was not a very common theme during Jane Austen's time.
"It is a look at the ladies culture of the time and it is brilliant – in fact, I would highly recommend all of her novels." – Julie Ann Klehr
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