What's a must read classic. I like Harper Lee, Steinbeck, Orwell and Twain...any suggestions?

Question

It's a gift and I'm looking for something with a deep meaning and good character development...

Answer 1

Great book with great characters, "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers. Amazingly, this is considered an American classic and she wrote it in her teens.

Totally different, but absolutely fantastic, "All Quiet on the Western Front" by Erich Maria Remarque(I might be slightly off on the author's name, but any bookstore will know it).

An old classic that has somewhat fallen by the wayside is Vicent Blasco Ibanez' "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse". Phenomenal character development. Follows an immigrant family in France(particularly the father, son, and son's lover) prior to and through World War I. Great book worth the searching. Was turned into a movie in the 50's. Most of it takes place in a very romantic(in the classic sense of the word) Paris. Superb setting. Characters evolve realistically.

Answer 2

Brothers Karamazov Dostoevsky
Count of Monte Cristo Dumas
Three Musketeers Dumas
The Idiot Dostoevsky
I personally think that Dune is a must read, others might disagree.
The Last of the Mohicans, The Deerslayer, and Pathfinder Cooper
The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings Tolkein
For Whom The Bell Tolls and A Farewell to Arms Hemingway
Vonnegut's stuff
The Parable of the Sower
The Halloween Tree and Something Wicked This Way Comes Bradbury

Answer 3

The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer-Mark Twain

To Kill A Mocking Bird- Harper Lee

Answer 4

The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck
The Razor's Edge, Somerset Maughm
On The Road,Jack Kerouac
Catch-22, Joseph Heller
A Prayer for Owen Meany, John Irving
The Call of the Wild, Jack London

Answer 5

Most of the so-called classics are tragedies.They always make me depressed at the end.However I'll name the few classics i loved.

Count of Montecristo by Alexander Dumas.The hero is Edmond Dantés, a young French sailor who, falsely accused of treason, is arrested on his wedding day and imprisoned in the island fortress of Château d'If. After staging a dramatic escape he sets out to discover the fabulous treasure of Monte Cristo and catch up with his enemies. A novel of enormous tension and excitement, Monte Cristo is also a tale of obsession and revenge, with Dantés, believing himself to be an `Angel of Providence', pursuing his vengeance to the bitter end before realizing that he himself is a victim of fate.The author did a great job describing the emotions of the prisoner.Disbelief,denial,self pity,madness,apathy and finally hope.For God's sake don't see any of the movies based on the book.They don't do justice to the book.

The three musketeers by Alexander Dumas.The three musketeers have become symbols for the spirit of youth, daring, and comradeship. The action takes place in the 1620s at the court of Louis XIII, where the musketeers, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, with their companion, the headstrong d'Artagnan, are engaged in a battle against Richelieu, the King's minister, and the beautiful, unscrupulous spy, Milady. Behind the flashing blades and bravura, in this first adventure of the Musketeers, Dumas explores the eternal conflict between good and evil.Be warned.This book does not have a happy ending.The heroine dies at the end.

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.In Dickens' tale of Ebenezer Scrooge, an old miser is shown his past, his present, and if he does not change, his future.The first ghost reminds him how he once enjoyed life's pleasures. The second ghost shows Scrooge his current deplorable state. The final ghost foretells the likely outcome of his skinflint ways.

Answer 6

Pride and Prejudice is a great classic. And while I don't know that the meaning is necessarily deep and mystical, I think the characters are truly memorable. Jane Austen wrote one of the best love stories of all time when she created the characters of Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy. The story is timeless.

To Kill A Mockingbird is another great choice. This novel does deal with meaning of life issues.

If I were to choose on the beauty of language...I would choose Their Eyes Were Watching God. Zora Neale Hurston had an incredible way with words.

Answer 7

Jane Austen! and try Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston , Little Women, Madame Bovary, Fried Green Tomatoes, Frankenstein, The Great Gatsby

Answer 8

Animal Farm By George Orwell is awesome.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Emma by Jane Austen

Answer 9

I REALLY enjoyed "Of Mice and Men" by Steinbeck. His characters were so real and the story so touching I cried my eyes out at the end when something happened to one of the characters! :) He has a really amazing way with language, esp. when he's describing nature scenes that appear at the beginning of every chapter, and which introduce the mood of that chapter. It includes realistic issues that were present at the time it was written (1930s), like racism, sexism, and timeless themes like friendship, companionship, loneliness... etc. It's a pretty short book (106 pages) and I HIGHLY recommend it!
(If you've already read it, there was a movie of the same name based on it, starring Gary Sinise and John Malcovich. That was pretty good also.)

Answer 10

Can't say that it's necessarily a classic, but if you like Orwell, you might try This Perfect Day by Ira Levin, or Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A Heinlien. Two of my stalwarts. (anything by Heinlein, in fact. Best sci-fi author that ever lived).