The classics are heralded as must reads but they aren’t for everyone. But even if you aren’t the biggest fan of classics, there are some that you have to read. And only after reading them will you understand why they are celebrated, decades after being released.
Most people first come across a classic novel in high school and that shapes how we view them. For me, the classic novel that got me to fall in love with reading was To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. But it wasn’t the first classic novel that I read. Like many readers, I remember reading Shakespeare and imagined that this is how all classics were.
It always takes one book and one teacher to make you enjoy reading. Only after reading the one book that you read for fun that you appreciate the classics. And then you will see books and classic novels in a different light. Not every classic is going to feel this way but you will end up searching for this feeling and this will fuel your love for reading.
Five Classics That Will Change How You Experience Books
- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
- The Secret History by Donna Tartt
- The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
- The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
- Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
To Kill a Mockingbird
As I mentioned previously, the novel that got me into reading was To Kill a Mockingbird. This is considered one of, if not, the greatest American novel. A big reason why I loved this novel is how Lee decided to tell this story. We are told this story from the lenses of a child and get to see her innocent view of life and how she perceives the things around her even if she doesn’t fully understand them.
The crazy thing about this book is that it was a completely different book when Lee first submitted to her publisher. But after a few revisions, we got this version. Unfortunately, we got to see the original novel titled Go Set a Watchman by Lee and it was a disappointment. I was unable to finish it and a big reason for that was it was unweaving the original novel in a horrible way.
The Secret History
The second novel on this list is the newest book on the list even though it was released in 1992. The Secret History by Donna Tartt is a brilliant novel and even though the big twist is spoiled in the beginning, the novel is still able to capture our attention. Tartt’s storytelling and unraveling the secret in the novel makes this one of the best books you will read.
When a novel starts a whole new subgenre (dark academia), you know that the novel will be good. Tartt’s storytelling is meticulous and it can be overwhelming at times but it all serves a purpose. The novel has a big impact because of everything that transpires and leads to the big twist. This isn’t your typical classic novel and yet it works to a tee and makes this a must read in my opinion.
The Catcher in the Rye
The third novel on the list is an interesting pick because I have seen many people either love or hate this novel. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger is a beautifully written novel that tells of losing your childhood innocence. The one thing I will say is that the book does feel outdated and can be hard for many readers to relate to.
The main themes that the novel tackles are relevant and timeless and when you think about what Salinger is trying to convey in this novel, you appreciate the book more. That does take a lot more effort and if you aren’t focusing on the book, you can miss out the moments that make this a classic.
The Count of Monte Cristo
Coming in fourth is the classic novel The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. It is the oldest novel on our list and was originally released in 1844. The plot is simple and has been used many times but when you first read it in this book, you are cheering for Edmond Dantès as he gets his revenge.
Reading a novel written in the 1800s is a different experience and many novels make it a task with how many authors write their sentences. But that isn’t the case in this novel. Dumas tells you the story and while it a long read, everything serves a purpose. If you wanted a better version of The Great Gatsby, then this is it.
The fifth and final spot on our list goes to Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell. This is a popular dystopian novel that tells of a future where the government spies on its people and monitors their behavior. The novel paints a dark future and as the reader, you try to grasp what is happening in this world that Orwell created.
Even after reading this novel again, it still felt like a fresh read because there is a lot to grasp. This novel would have normally stood out as a great dystopian novel but because some of the elements in the book ended up happening in real life. That helped renew interest in this book and making it a mainstream stay.
Conclusion
To fall in love with reading, you have to find the right books. That is also true when it comes to classic novels. And these are the five classics that will change how you experience books. After reading this books, your standard for books will be higher.
Now, you will try to break novels down and see what messages the author was trying to convey in his book. While these five classics are books that stood out to us, there are hundreds more that you will also love. You will also end up hating some books because you will expect more from books. But ultimately, you will end up reading a bunch of the classics and discovering why there heralded as such.