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"To realize one's destiny is a person's only obligation."—from The Alchemist
The Alchemist tells the story of Santiago, the young Andalusian shepherd who dreams of buried treasure in Egypt and embarks upon a challenging journey to find it. With all the simplicity and symbolic richness of a fable, Coelho's novel is both a hunt for buried treasure and a spiritual quest, with a hero who overcomes trials along the way with
...In this masterful tale from Henry James, an American student living in Switzerland serves as the lens through which James explores one of his most frequently revisited themes: the various ways that Americans react to European culture. In this story, the student encounters two different American families and contrasts their diverging views of continental life.
This intriguing tale from American literary master Henry James delves into the age-old issue of whether beauty is a universal value or a matter of subjective perception. A well-born society woman makes sure that she always has a homely female companion by her side so that her own beauty will seem more striking in comparison. However, her plan is derailed when her latest companion is hailed as a beauty by everyone in her social circle.
What does it mean to be popular? Is it a mark of good character, or merely a sign that you're well-regarded among an influential group of elites? The hero in Booth Tarkington's tale The Conquest of Canaan has achieved a strange kind of popularity—he's seen as a prince among those who are down on their luck, but to the upper classes and the powerful, he might as well be invisible. Will Joe Loudon be able to channel his limited influence
...6) Lolita
“The conjunction of a sense of humor with a sense of horror [results in] satire of a very special kind.”—The New Yorker
One of The Atlantic’s...
7) The Inferno
The narrator of The Inferno—ostensibly August Strindberg himself—has not had an easy recent past, and a move to Paris is not helping. As his mania overtakes his ability to function in the society of artists, writers, scientists and philosophers he’d like to be part of, he turns to more unconventional methods to help make sense of his world.
Written in diary
...When Mr. Tempest dies, the family fortune and estate pass to his son, John, whom everyone except John himself knows to be illegitimate. Colonel Tempest, his spendthrift son Archie, and his beautiful daughter Diana find themselves cut off, and Colonel Tempest is bitterly resentful.
One night, in a drunken stupor, he agrees to a bet, by which he will pay 10,000 if he should ever succeed to the Tempest estate. By the time he realizes that
What is free will? Is redemption possible? Can logic help us answer moral questions? Renowned Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky tackles all of these topics and many more in this remarkable novel, widely regarded as one of the classic masterpieces of literature. Follow the Karamazov family through the travails that transpire after the murder of their father, and expand your intellectual horizons with a work that celebrated thinkers such as Einstein,
...Daniel Defoe wrote Moll Flanders in 1722, after the highly successful Robinson Crusoe. Defoe's political work was ceasing at the time, though his experience with the Whigs shines through in the novel. The full title of the novel gives a brief overview of its contents:
The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders, Etc. Who Was Born In Newgate, and During a Life of Continu'd Variety For Threescore Years, Besides Her
...Swindlers, confidence men, hustlers, scam artists—they've been around as long as human civilization has existed, and who could possibly be more adept at carrying off a scam than a troupe of actors? In Frank Barrett's A Set of Rogues, a grizzled group of grifters are driven by greed to get involved in a series of nefarious plots and schemes. If you're in the mood to root for the bad guys, give this tumultuous tale a try.
Stubborn and set in her ways, Jane Field has a somewhat antagonistic relationship with her daughter Lois, who is coming into her own and developing distinct ideas and values. When it comes to light that Lois has fallen in love, all hell breaks lose. Will Jane ever be able to salvage the mother-daughter bond?
13) Beyond
One of the most prolific and respected authors of the early twentieth century, John Galsworthy was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1932. Although not as well-known as the five novels that comprise his enduringly popular Forsyte Saga, Beyond displays Galsworthy's fiction-writing prowess at its best.
14) The Last Tenant
This entertaining novel from Benjamin Farjeon deftly combines elements of Victorian supernatural fiction, light humor, and satire of British middle-class pretensions. The mad dash to secure respectable real estate leads to unintended consequences for one London couple.
Wylder's Hand is a novel from Gothic and mystery writer Sheridan Le Fanu. "There was a little fair-haired child playing on the ground before the steps as I whirled by. The old rector had long passed away; the shorts, gaiters, and smile -- a phantom; and nature, who had gathered in the past, was providing for the future. The pretty mill-road, running up through Redman's Dell, dank and dark with tall romantic trees, was left behind in another
...Settle in for the literary ride of your life with this thrill-a-minute sensation novel from beloved Victorian-era writer Mary Elizabeth Braddon. Teetering on the brink of poverty, widower John Marchmont decides to wed again. But what starts out as a fairly straightforward attempt to find a suitable wife soon devolves into a maelstrom of madness, tragedy, family drama, and romantic entanglements.
Irish writer James Owen Hannay wrote under the pen name "George A. Birmingham," in part to keep his literary career distinct from his work as a clergyman. This delightful romp presents a charming account of a summer beach vacation in Ireland—and a grudging friendship that unexpectedly blossoms into something more.
Although Jane Austen is best known for novels such as Pride and Prejudice that deal with romantic entanglements and class conflicts, she was also a skilled essayist and humor writer. In Love and Freindship (sic), Austen sends up the epistolary novels that were popular in her day, as well as skewering some of the satire-worthy ideas about love and marriage that were common in the era.
19) Satan's Diary
What would happen if Satan came to earth in human form in order to lure helpless innocents to do his bidding—and found himself outdone at every turn by the inherent greed and depravity of humankind? That's the deliciously dark premise at the heart of Russian writer Leonid Andreyev's brilliant satire Satan's Diary. It's an engaging and surprisingly thought-provoking read that's well worth your time.
Originally published in serialized form, Ragged Dick is the type of heartwarming young-adult novel for which Horatio Alger is well-known. The story follows the adventures of the eponymous Dick, a young shoe polisher who overcomes his low circumstances and rises through the ranks of society by dint of his diligence, persistence, and general good cheer.
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