There are a lot of novels out there and choosing which to read isn’t always easy. But there are classics that we believe that everyone should read at least once. That is why made a list of 26 classic novels that you should read. Keep reading to find out which books made our list!
We know that not everyone is a fan of classic novels. But that doesn’t mean that all of them should be avoided. As you read more books, you realize how influential some of these classic books are. We know for a fact that once you start reading these classic novels, you won’t be able to put them down. You can see our full list below!
26 Classic Novels That You Should Read
- The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
- The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
- Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
- Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
- The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien
- Dracula by Bram Stoker
- Lord of the Flies by William Golding
- Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
- Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
- The Time Machine by H. G. Wells
- One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
- Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
- Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
- The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
- Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
- Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
- The Color Purple by Alice Walker
- The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
- Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
- Ulysses by James Joyce
- The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton
- A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
- Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
- East of Eden by John Steinbeck
Must Read Classic Novels
These are classic novels that should be read by everyone. Novels like The Catcher in the Rye and Jane Eyre are hallmark world of literature that have a huge following even today. These novels are well written and have become the face of classic novels.
If you think that classic novels can’t be scary, then you are in for a surprise. Frankenstein and Dracula are two horror novels that also made our list. The writing is great and has aged well over the decades.
Conclusion
That wraps up our list of the 26 classic novels that you should read. How many of these classics have you read? What classic novels should we include in our future list? Let us know in the comments below!
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Since Little Women is listed twice, how about adding Gone With the Wind?
Gone with the Wind, should definitely be at the top of the list but unfortunately, everyone is afraid to mention it because people who have never read it associate it with “whitewashing” slavery. It wasn’t about slavery. It was a love story that happened to have taken place before, during and after the civil war. And, in fact, although it was the only book ever written by Margaret Mitchell, it was very accurate historically and culturally. If you haven’t read it, you are missing out!
Well-said! 👍🏻
GTWTW is a white person’s view of the horrible institution of slavery. Hence, it is a whitewash of this shameful chapter of American history. This novel sympathizes with the confederacy. It is a well written novel but does not belong at the top of any list of great books.
True. The book was more about how the South was changed by the Civil War than any celebration of slavery.
Also, how is The Lord Of The Rings listed as a book, when it is a trilogy?
Finally, if they felt a need to choose a black author to prove their diversity, Alice Walker is a weak choice. Frederick Douglass, Zora Neale Hurston, and Chinua Achebe are better choices.
These are all worthwhile I think so some could be juxtaposed on a larger list and stilll be there but would like to see the leatherstocking tales and a personal favorite THE MASTER AND MARGARITA on a list.
Again no Native American literature was represented. N. Scott Momaday received the Pulitzer Prize for House Made Of Dawn.
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand may just be the most read book after the bible. Liberals are unwilling to acknowledge this.
How could you possibly include Confederacy of Dunces on this list? I know it’s a book lots are including on theses lists, buts it is impossibly silly to do so.
Agreed! Can that one, add a Steinbeck and both The Day of the Jackal – Frederick Forsyth and All The Light We Cannot See – Anthony Doeer
You have little women on there twice…. So it should be 25 classic novels
I would have added Les Miserables and eliminated East of Eden. The Grapes of Wrath is a better Steinbeck work.
That’s funny because I literally just finished les Miserables….
True, but sometimes AI finds it difficult to keep track of long lists. Process = I) choose a niche: Lit. 2)Popular format: list. 3. Generate 26 results. Time invested: about 100 seconds.
“The Fountainhead” by Ayn Rand. Please separate your opinion of the author from your evaluation of this brilliant novel.
Well, it’s clear including a range of genres and books of the twentieth century was an overarching goal. So, I will read the adventure, fantasy and horror classics that I was never attracted to. Still, it’s a glaring flaw to include Little Women while excluding Middlemarch.
With the advent of movies it’s taken a lot away from reading these classics because it spoilt the romance and adventure withe the Hollywood gimmicks.
I’ve read several of these. They ranged from boring to excruciating, with special shout-outs to Lord of the Rings, which I didn’t like but which ruined my enjoyment of the movie, and Ulysses. I haven’t read that one, but Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man was pure garbage, and by far the worst book I’ve ever had the misfortune of being forced to read!
Choice of best classics can vary depending on how we choose of compile them. I read many books that are considered classics…and while it is possible to exclude War and Peace by Tolstoy from a list due to some valid argument after you have read it…but until you have given it an honest effort to read this book, it is my opinion that it should be on every classic list. To me it is like leaving a description of an steam engine out when describing the Industrial Revolution.
To not have Atlas Shrugged devalues you whole list’s credibility with your bias.
I agree. It is better to be well read, than to be addicted to TV and the internet for entertainment. Books, books and more books. Oh yes.
And music too. Less TV more books, less internet more music. Thanks.
The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy is better than half of those books listed.
I read Catcher in the Rye when I was in my 60’s. Don’t get it.Some of the others I read in Junior/Senior high.
Fahrenheit 451
This list is highly prejudiced. Re-think your choices.
Add to the 26:
Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Brave New Eorld
Freedom llll
Though not a prolific writer, I believe John Knowles ‘A Separate Peace’ is a must read. The flowing writing style alone should have given reason for inclusion but the story is also a classic.
I am a former English teacher and had my Junior students read “A Separate Peace” for many semesters. Regards to Stanchilds2014 for mentioning it.
How about a book written in this century.
Not sure anything written in the last 25 years by and actual human being can be judged as a classic yet – just my thoughts.
Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth would be a great addition to the list as well