25 Classic Books You Have to Read in Your Lifetime

Noteworthy books you want to have on your bookshelf… and actually read!

I have attached a link to a merchant from whom you can get a copy of your own by simply clicking the accompanying image of each respective book.

1. The Portrait of a lady

Intelligent, beautiful and vivacious, Isabel Archer fascinates and intimidates the elite society of Albany, New York. Fiercely protective of her independence, she travels to England with her aunt to escape a persistent suitor but, upon inheriting a considerable fortune, falls into the sway of the devious Mrs Merle who whisks her off to Italy. There she is seduced by the narcissistic Gilbert Osmond, an art collector who will stop at nothing to possess her, and whose connection to Mrs Merle is shrouded in mystery.

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2. Pride and Prejudice

Author: Jane Austen

Genre: Novel, Romance

First Published: 1813

Pages: 432

Synopsis:

What’s a girl to do? Scatterbrained, social-climbing Mrs. Bennet makes one demand of her five daughters. Marry. Marry well. Marry RICH. But sweet Jane is hopelessly in love with Mr. Bingley, who doesn’t seem to notice. Flighty Lydia wants a man–any man–preferably one in uniform. Kitty just wants to have fun. Shy Mary has her nose in a book. And Elizabeth–brilliant, stubborn, independent Lizzy–refuses the advances of the most “marriageable” man in town–haughty, handsome, wealthy Mr. Darcy. Mrs. Bennet’s in hysterics, Mr. Bennet’s in his study, Lydia’s eloped with a soldier and Jane’s heart may well be broken. Will any of the Bennet girls find true love and fortune?

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3. The Scarlet Letter

Author: Nathaniel Hawthorne

Genre: Novel, Romance, historical fiction, psychological fiction

First Published: 1850

Pages: 288

Synopsis:

The Puritans thought Hester Prynne’s crime was unforgivable. She was convicted, imprisoned–and then forced to wear, forever, a public reminder of her sin. The Scarlet letter. The Letter was unending punishment: it set hester apart from society, it tormented her days and haunted her soul. But the Letter haunted others, as well, its mystery turned Roger Chillingworth from a gentle healer into a man driven by revenge. Its meaning burned into Rev. Arthur Dimsdale’s heart, as deadly as cancer. And its power loomed over the life of Hester’s daughter, the uncontrollable child Pearl. Four people would be destroyed by an entangled web of guilt and secrets unless one of them had the courage–and love–to reveal the truth of–The Scarlet Letter.

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4. Little Women

Author: Louisa May Alcott

Genre: Novel, Fiction, Comedy

First Published: 1868

Pages: 759

Synopsis:

Living in poverty, their father gone to war, the March girls have only their mother–and themselves… Meg’s romantic, energetic, ready to start a family of her own; Beth’s introspective, peaceful, afraid of everything except her dolls and music; Amy’s beautiful, artistic, determined to live among the rich and famous; Jo’s arrogant, hot-tempered, funny, a writer who keeps pet rats and detests being a girl. They love each other, hate each other, fight with, scold, nag, tease, and protect each other, through days of joyous triumph and dark tragedy. For each girl, in her heart, knows she has something more precious than money: Sisters.

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5. To Kill a Mockingbird

Author: Louisa May Alcott

Genre: Novel, Fiction, Comedy

First Published: 1868

Pages: 759

Synopsis:

‘Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ’em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.’ A lawyer’s advice to his children as he defends the real mockingbird of Harper Lee’s classic novel – a black man falsely charged with the rape of a white girl. Through the young eyes of Scout and Jem Finch, Harper Lee explores with exuberant humour the irrationality of adult attitudes to race and class in the Deep South of the 1930s. The conscience of a town steeped in prejudice, violence and hypocrisy is pricked by the stamina of one man’s struggle for justice. But the weight of history will only tolerate so much. To Kill a Mockingbird is a coming-of-age story, an anti-racist novel, a historical drama of the Great Depression and a sublime example of the Southern writing tradition.

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6. Great Expectations

Author: Charles Dickens

Genre: Novel, Fictional Autobiography, Graphic

First Published: 1861

Pages: 544

Synopsis:

Pip is a poor boy, but he has high hopes–great expectations. He doesn’t intend to spend his life in the marshes as a blacksmith’s helper. Someday he is going to move to London and become a gentleman. Indeed, Pip already knows two rich people–Mrs. Havisham, the bitter old woman who lives in a mansion where all the clocks are stopped; and the girl who lives with her, the beautiful Estella…. But all his great hopes and dreams seem dashed the night he is confronted in the marsh by an escaped convict who growls, red-eyed and desperate: “Bring me food, boy! or I’ll eat your heart and liver too….” Is it all over for Pip? Or will this be the beginning of his greatest adventure?

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7. Sense and Sensibility

Author: Jane Austen

Genre: Novel, Fictional, Romance

First Published: 1811

Pages: 352

Synopsis:

Elinor Dashwood is affectionate and good-natured–but above all, prudent. She takes pride in her ability to conceal her emotions from others. Her younger sister, Marianne, on the other hand, is everything Elinor is not: impulsive, romantic, and carefree. It’s hard to imagine two sisters who could be more different. But twists of fate will unite Elinor and Marianne in a tangled web of deception that could ruin each of them. Both have decided to marry. Elinor has made a sensible decision and has set her sights on a man she believes will be a good husband and a decent provider. Marianne–swept away by emotion–has lost her heart to a handsome, dashing charmer. Men as different as night and day: but each sister believes she has made the perfect choice. Or has she?

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8. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Author: Robert Louis Stevenson

Genre: Gothic Fiction, Allegory, Horror, Novel

First Published: 1886

Pages: 312

Synopsis:

British lawyer Mr. Utterson had proof. Hyde was a foul, twisted, shrunken creature who had brutally stomped a little girl and beaten an old man to death–for no reason. Hyde left a trail of evil across London; the mere sight of him made stranger violent with fear and disgust… But Hyde was Dr. Jekyll’s sole heir. And that made no sense at all. Henry Jekyll was the kindest, most civil, most respected man in England. What power could a monster like Hyde hold over Jekyll’s soul? Utterson vowed to solve the mystery, and free his friend from Hyde’s clutches…until his hunt led to a horror beyond blackmail, beyond extortion; to a secret so shocking, so sickening, so personal–That the sheer terror of the truth could drive men mad…

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9. Wuthering Heights

Author: Emily Bronte

Genre: Gothic Fiction, Romance, Tragedy, Novel

First Published: 1847

Pages: 384

Synopsis:

The dark, wild gypsy orphan Heathcliff loved only one person on earth, beautiful, willful Cathy Earnshaw. But Cathy’s brother Hindley–the cruel, drunken master of Wuthering Heights–hated and abused the orphan; their rich neighbors at Thrushcross Grange, Edgar Linton and Isabella Linton, reviled the boy. They all conspired to force Heathcliff and Cathy apart, first as playmates, then as lovers, and at last to drive Heathcliff away. Years passed. Heathcliff returned a rich man–and found Cathy had married Edgar. Like a sullen demon, the gypsy vowed to ruin Wuthering Heights and the Grange, to plague his tormentors, to relentlessly hound and ruin the Earnshaws, the Lintons, even their children–until he won back the woman he loved. Which would never be. For Cathy was dead.

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10. A Tale of Two Cities

Author: Charles Dickens

Genre: Historical Fiction, Social Criticism, Novel

First Published: 1859

Pages: 384

Synopsis:

They fled to London, seeking safety, and found each other–Dr. Manette, falsely imprisoned for decades; his daughter, Lucie, whose stunning beauty was matched by her loyalty and grace; and Charles Darnay, who abandoned a royal title he hated to risk being called a traitor in France, a spy in England. Together, their love touched the hearts of even stodgy banker Mr. Lorry and cynical, jaded lawyer Sydney Carton… But in Paris, the fires of revolution exploded in uncontrollable fury. The noble goals of freedom fighters became the crazed bloodbath called the Reign of Terror. And when three exiles returned home on an errand of mercy, they were trapped in a nightmare of mock trials and made rage. Once in Paris, nothing could save Darnay, Lucie, or Manette… Except for a miracle.

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11. Moby Dick

Author: Herman Melville

Genre: Nautical Fiction, Adventure, Novel

First Published: 1851

Pages: 432

Synopsis:

When a wandering sailor looking to be hired onto a whaling ship finds himself on the Pequod, little does he know the dire fate that awaits him and his crewmates. For the ship’s captain, Ahab, is slowly going insane. Having lost a leg in an ill-fated harpoon attack against a fearsome white whale many years before, Ahab vows his revenge against Moby Dick–a vow that has become Ahab’s deadly obsession. After many months at sea, Moby Dick is spotted, and Ahab engages the crew in relentless pursuit. Ahab will stop at nothing to kill the beast…even if it means his own death–and the death of all his crew. Can Ahab be stopped before it is too late? Or will the Pequod–and all its crew–perish in the silent depths of the sea…?

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12. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Author: Mark Twain

Genre: Novel, Satire, Humour, Adventure, Children’s’ Literature

First Published: 1884

Pages: 358

Synopsis:

Huck runs away from his abusive father and, with his companion, the runaway slave Jim makes a long and frequently interrupted voyage down the Mississippi River on a raft. During the journey, Huck encounters a variety of characters and types in whom the book memorably portrays almost every class living on or along the river. As a result of these experiences, Huck overcomes conventional racial prejudices and learns to respect and love Jim. The book’s pages are dotted with idyllic descriptions of the great river and the surrounding forests, and Huck’s good nature and unconscious humor permeate the whole. But a thread that runs through adventure after adventure is that of human cruelty, which shows itself both in the acts of individuals and in their unthinking acceptance of such institutions as slavery. The natural goodness of Huck is continually contrasted with the effects of a corrupt society.

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13. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Author: Mark Twain

Genre: Novel, Satire, Humour, Adventure, Children’s’ Literature

First Published: 1876

Pages: 270

Synopsis:

Tom Sawyer lives with his Aunt Polly and his half-brother Sid. Tom dirties his clothes in a fight and is made to whitewash the fence the next day as punishment. He cleverly persuades his friends to trade him small treasures for the privilege of doing his work. He then trades the treasures for Sunday School tickets which one normally receives for memorizing verses, redeeming them for a Bible, much to the surprise and bewilderment of the superintendent who thought “it was simply preposterous that this boy had warehoused two thousand sheaves of Scriptural wisdom on his premises—a dozen would strain his capacity, without a doubt.”Tom falls in love with Becky Thatcher, a new girl in town, and persuades her to get “engaged” by kissing him. But their romance collapses when she learns Tom has been “engaged” previously to Amy Lawrence. Shortly after Becky shuns him, he accompanies Huckleberry Finn to the graveyard at night, where they witness the murder of Dr. Robinson.

14. Oliver Twist

Author: Charles Dickens

Genre: Social Novel, Fiction, Young Adult Literature

First Published: 1838

Pages: 234

Synopsis:

Abandoned at an early age, Oliver Twist is forced to live in a dark and dismal London workhouse lorded over by awful Mr. Bumble who cheats the boys of their meager rations! Desperate but determined, Oliver makes his escape. But what he discovers in the harsh streets of London’s underworld makes the workhouse look like a picnic. Penniless and alone, he is lured into a world of crime by the wily Fagin–the nefarious mastermind of a gang of pint-sized pickpockets. Will a life of crime pay off for young Oliver? Or will it earn him a one-way ticket to the gallows?

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15. Gone with the Wind

Author: Margaret Mitchell

Genre: Historical Fiction, Novel

First Published: 1936

Pages: 1037

Synopsis:

A sweeping romantic story about the American Civil War from the point of view of the confederacy. In particular, it is the story of Scarlett O’Hara, a headstrong Southern belle who survives the hardships of the war and afterward manages to establish a successful business by capitalizing on the struggle to rebuild the South. Throughout the book, she is motivated by her unfulfilled love for Ashley Wilkes, an honorable man who is happily married. After a series of marriages and failed relationships with other men, notably the dashing Rhett Butler, she has a change of heart and determines to win Rhett back.

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16. Emma

Author: Jane Austen

Genre: Novel, Romance, comedy

First Published: 1815

Pages: 592

Synopsis:

Austen follows the charming but insensitive Emma Woodhouse as she sets out on an ill-fated career of match-making in the little town of Highbury. Taking the pretty but dreary Harriet Smith as her subject, Emma creates misunderstandings and chaos as she tries to find Harriet a suitor, until she begins to realize it isn’t the lives of others she must try to transform.

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17. Animal Farm

Author: George Orwell

Genre: Novel, Satire, Allegory, Political, Dystopian Fiction

First Published: 1945

Pages: 128

Synopsis:

‘All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others’ When the downtrodden animals of Manor Farm overthrow their master Mr Jones and take over the farm themselves, they imagine it is the beginning of a life of freedom and equality. But gradually a cunning, ruthless élite among them, masterminded by the pigs Napoleon and Snowball, starts to take control. Soon the other animals discover that they are not all as equal as they thought, and find themselves hopelessly ensnared as one form of tyranny is replaced with another.

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18. The Pearl

Author: John Steinbeck

Genre: Novel, Fiction

First Published: 1947

Pages: 96

Synopsis:

When Kino, a poor Indian pearl-diver, finds ‘the Pearl of the world’ he believes that his life will be magically transformed. He will marry Juana and their son Coyotito will be able to attend school. Obsessed by his dreams, Kino is blind to the greed and even violence the pearl arouses in him and his neighbours. Written with lyrical simplicity, The Pearl sets the values of the civilized world against those of the primitive and finds them tragically inadequate.

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19. Robinson Crusoe

Author: Daniel Defoe

Genre: Novel, Historical Fiction, Adventure

First Published: 1719

Pages: 352

Synopsis:

After surviving a terrible shipwreck, Robinson Crusoe discovers he is the only human on an island far from any shipping routes or rescue. At first he is devastated, but slowly, with patience and imagination, he transforms his dismal island into a tropical paradise. For twenty-four years he lives with no human companionship – until one fateful day, when he discovers he is not alone…

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20. Gulliver’s Travels

Author: Jonathan Swift

Genre: Novel, Fantasy Fiction, Adventure, Satire, Children’s Literature

First Published: 1726

Pages: 448

Synopsis:

In the strange countries of Lilliput, Brobdingnag, Laputa, and the land of the Houyhnhnms, Gulliver meets some extraordinary people and remarkable creatures. From a race of miniature folk to some surprisingly gentle giants and wise horses, Gulliver sees society from many different perspectives. Back in England life seems very ordinary after all his experiences, but Gulliver’s fantastic adventures change his views on human behaviour forever.

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21. Jane Eyre

Author: Charlotte Bronte

Genre: Novel, Romance, Gothic Fiction, Victorian, Social Criticism

First Published: 1847

Pages: 512

Synopsis:

Penniless, orphaned, locked away in a prison-like boarding school, Jane Eyre has one chance for happiness: in the great mansion of Thornfield, as governess to a little French girl, the adopted ward of an eccentric millionaire… Edward Rochester is troubled, cynical, moody–but funny, brilliant, giving, and sensitive; little Adele is a delight; Thornfield has all the beauty Jane could ever want. Life should be perfect… But Jane Eyre and her decades-older employer are falling desperately in love– And Thornfield holds a living horror that can, with no warning, destroy Edward, Jane, Adele… A murderous secret ready to devour Jane Eyre’s dreams, hopes–even her life.

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22. The Raven

Author: Edgar Allan Poe

Genre: Poetry, Lyrical, Horror

First Published: 1845

Pages: 28

Synopsis:

On a stormy December midnight, a grieving student is visited by a raven who speaks but one word, “Nevermore.” As the student laments his lost love Lenore, the raven’s insistent repetition of the word becomes an increasingly harrowing response to the student’s own fears and longing.

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23. The Great Gatsby

Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald

Genre: Novel, Fiction, Tragedy

First Published: 1925

Pages: 192

Synopsis:

The Great Gatsby lives mysteriously in a luxurious Long Island mansion, playing lavish host to hundreds of people. And yet no one seems to know him or how he became so rich. He is rumoured to be everything from a German spy to a war hero. People clamour for invitations to his wild parties. But Jay Gatsby doesn’t heed them. He cares for one person alone – Daisy Buchanan, the woman he has waited for all his life. Little does he know that his infatuation will lead to tragedy and end in murder.

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24. The Handmaid’s Tale

Author: Margaret Atwood

Genre: Novel, Science Fiction, Tragedy, Feminist, Dystopian

First Published: 1985

Pages: 325

Synopsis:

Set in the near future, it describes life in what was once the United States and is now called the Republic of Gilead, a monotheocracy that has reacted to social unrest and a sharply declining birthrate by reverting to, and going beyond, the repressive intolerance of the original Puritans. The regime takes the Book of Genesis absolutely at its word, with bizarre consequences for the women and men in its population. The story is told through the eyes of Offred, one of the unfortunate Handmaids under the new social order. In condensed but eloquent prose, by turns cool-eyed, tender, despairing, passionate, and wry, she reveals to us the dark corners behind the establishment’s calm facade, as certain tendencies now in existence are carried to their logical conclusions. The Handmaid’s Tale is funny, unexpected, horrifying, and altogether convincing. It is at once scathing satire, dire warning, and a tour de force.

25. The Secret Garden

Author: Frances Hodgson Burnett

Genre: Fiction, Children’s Literature

First Published: 1911

Pages: 288

Synopsis:

May is sullen and ugly. Orphaned, unloved and left alone, she has no reason to live. Colin is twisted and dying. Crippled, vicious, rejected by his own family, he has no hope to live. But Dickon is strange and wild. He sleeps on the moors, calls animals to him, and speaks the language of flowers–all he knows is how to live. And a bird of early spring leads them all to a mystery. A walled garden filled with ghosts of love and loss. Only Mary can unlock the garden’s hidden door. Only Dickon can find the green pulse within the dead land. And only Colin can summon forth an ancient power that might give two lost children the strength to survive… They thought the power in the secret garden was magic. It was.

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