Which classic book did you enjoy.?

Question

I have read many books that may be considered classic or written by well regarded authors. Many of these I have read ONLY because they are considered classics, a sort of notch on the book shelf. Whilst many such books are academically interesting, dealing with timeless stories and eternal themes very few are actively enjoyable to read in their own right.

So which widely regarded work you have read, did you really enjoy the most?

For my part, and for varying reasons I have ENJOYED:

The Iliad and Odyssey (OK we could debate these as "books")
Tom Jones (still actively funny)
Don Quixote (modern translation makes reading it pleasure)
Keep the Aspidistra flying (1984 and A farm dull to read!)
Crime and punishment (a real page turner for me)

What no Wodehouse fans out there?

Quite a response. Thank you. I have read all your replies and appreciate the effort especially those of you who have elaborated as to why you enjoyed a particular book. Those long lists would also have required considerable effort. Among them I see many old favourites and a few bad memories. Based on your recommendations and a bit of research I have ordered seven new books, from the roughly 107 you listed that I anticipate enjoying. Should I not like them , I know who to hold responsible! Those of you who have recommended a book I enjoy, may never know how grateful I will be so let me say thank you now. Thank you.


With such personal responses, awarding a best answer is fairly meaningless - this type of exchange is simply not about points. That said, in good faith I can’t select any list that includes a Dickens, Bronte or Austin as I regard these authors as a type of torture.

Answer 1

Wow did the guy above me leave much left? Many of the books listed are great books and I do enjoy reading but my choice is
The Brothers Karamazov by Fedor Dostoevsky, covers most if not all of the baser instincts, flaws and even some good characteristics of man. It truly shows the influence of society, religion, and even family as a whole on our existence...yikes got a little deep but had to put my two cents worth in....Alda
If you have not read it, and I bet you have, it is a great read. P.S.
My second favs where the Iliad and Odyssey and yes I consider these "books." Little know read but worth the time is God's Little Acre (I collect books and have the first edition....yep I am braggin')

Answer 2

I did English for my degree and so spent 3 years reading about 5 books a week! My personal favourite is David Copperfield (Dickens) - it is a great insight into another time and place. The characters are also fantastic and 'real'. A more 'modern' classic in my view is A fine balance by rohinton mistry. If you haven't read it, you should! Again, I enjoyed it because it takes you to another place and the characters are stunning. I was sad when it finished both due to the ending and also due to the fact that it was beautiful to read. The only 'classic' that I don't recommend is Catch 22. I can't tell you why, but it just got to the point where I didn't want to turn the page. Its the only book I have not finished! As for the 'ones on the check list'... my hot list is:
Catcher in the rye
Pride and Prejudice
Animal Farm
King Lear (does Shakespeare count?!)
Tender is the night (Fitzgerald)

Answer 3

The Decameron by Boccacio (Canterbury Tales Italian Style)
Gargantua and Pantagruel by Rabelais (Rollicking fun)
Fanny Hill Boswell's London
The Red and the Black Stendhal
Anything by the Marquis de Sade (eg Justine, 90Days of Sodom, etc)
Ferdinand Celine, Franz Kafka, Huysman (Against the Grain)
ETA Hoffmann The Elixir (about LSD before it had even been invented)
The Ordeal of Richard Feverel Meredith
The Scarlet Letter Hawthorne
On Walden Pond Thoreau
Herman Melville
Henry Miller Jack Kerouac, Ken Kesey, Jean Genet, Joseph Conrad
An American Tragedy Theodore Dreiser
Look Homeward Angel Thomas Wolfe
The Electric Kool Acid Test Tom Wolfe
The Pump House Gang Tom Wolfe
Native Son
Cry the Beloved Country
Narayan, V.S Naipaul Virginia Woolf, Iris Murdoch,
The Crying of Lot 49 Thomas Pynchon
Thucidiydes, Herodotus Plutarch's Lives, Ovid Metamorphosis
James Branch Cabell 'Jurgen'
Mark Twain 'A Connecticult Yankee at the Court of King Arthur'
Humphrey Clinker by Tobias Smolett
Tristram Shandy by Laurence Sterne (Possibly the basis for the books of James Joyce)
She Stoops to Conquer by Oliver Goldsmith
Anything by William Wordsworth
Charles Bukowski 'Bar Fly' and Post Office
Vanity Fair by Thackeray Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan
Gulliver's Travels by Swift Arthur Koestler books (Darkness at Noon etc) Vladimir Nabokov (Lolita. the Chess Player) Narayan, The Bhagavad Gita the Upanishads The Cloud of Unknowing Autobiography of a Yogi
Balzac Herman Hesse Knut Hamsen Dostoevksy Gogol Goncharov Isaac Bashevis Singer Malamud Kingsley Amis Martin Amis The Red Badge of Courage The Mill on the Floss Pride and Prejudice
And that is just a very superficial list. Sorry I can't single any book out for solitary praise

Answer 4

I enjoyed reading Jane Eyre as a child,although the language is a tad flowery and Rochester's' dialogue theatrical in parts,I also feel uncomfortable when reading the part when Rochester dresses up as a gypsy in order to gauge Jane's feeling for him I thought that seemed entirely out of character,in the recent BBC adaptation of Jane Eyre they changed that part of the book for the better,and instead,had Rochester employ a Gypsy,he hid behind a screen and listened to what Jane had to say,far more in keeping with his character.
I also enjoyed reading 'Our Mutual Friend' by Charles Dickens,Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier,
and a more modern classic The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood,brilliantly written (it's actually three books rolled into one,sounds complicated but it's well worth it...give it a go)

Answer 5

The Iron Heel by Jack London
The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists by Robert Tressel

Answer 6

I seriously recommend "The War of the Worlds" by HG Wells. Forget the mediocre film starring Mr Cruise, the original novel (written around a hundred years ago) is simply superb.

HG Wells writes with a truly unique style; the book contains unforgettable characters and a racing narrative. And when you've read it, you can ingest a further dose of Martian invaders with the musical (on double CD) - this is ninety minutes of sheer genius!

Answer 7

I went on holiday last September and borrowed some books from my son who is 21.
One day in the life of Ivan Denisovich (oh my God, what a read !!)
Animal Farm (who can deny this classic)
The Master and Margeritta (absolutely brilliant)
Moby Dick - tough read but very enjoyable
Lord of the Flies - hated having to read it in school but because I didn't have to analyse it I thought it one of the best books ever.
In Mattos realm I know detective novel but the first and best.
To kill a mockingbird - not only my favourite film but also my favourite classic.
and of course - Catcher in the rye (read it at 17, read it at 47 still one of the best)
I've been converted to classics since, no more 'who done it's' for me.

Answer 8

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

Answer 9

Gargantua & Pantagruel by Rabelais (Hysterically funny filth)
The Spanish Bawd by Rojas (More filth)
The Golden A*s by Apeleius (Yet more filth)
The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon (The b*tch queen from hell)
The Book of Marjorie Kempe (The only Middle Ages book written by an ordinary person)
Sanskrit Poems (Naughty but nice)
All can be found in Penguin Classics.

Answer 10

Not yet a classic but it will be in years to come:

The pillars of the Earth......by Ken fowlett excellent and compelling reading. It has made such an inpact this book that you can join the Pillars of the Earth soceity worldwide.

Nota lota people know that.