10 Must-Read Classics

The Great Gatsby (F Scott Fitzgerald)

The characters in this novel are not particularly likeable, but Gatsby has beautiful shirts, the parties make you feel that you are not living life to the fullest and Daisy’s voice is full of money. The novel is a sharp, dazzling and clean look at the excesses of the Jazz Age and the corruption of the American Dream.

The Catcher in the Rye (J D Salinger)

Holden Caulfield is an eccentric, sarcastic and jaded young man. His narrative voice is honest as he details his expulsion from Pencey Prep that sees him go rogue as he embarks on a bizarre adventure. This enduring novel has become synonymous with an adolescent icon who represents teenage anguish and rebellion. It deals with complex issues and will prompt re-reads at different stages of each reader’s life.

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (Lewis Carroll)

Whimsical, imaginative, quirky and evergreen are some words to describe this tale about a determined and resourceful young lady named Alice who is pushed out of her comfort zone in the most extreme way – in a place called Wonderland. After some initial weeping, she goes on to encounter Mad Hatters waxing lyrical about why ravens are like writing desks and a talking cat with a crazy smile – definitely “Midnight’s must-read classics” worthy.

The Lord of the Flies (William Golding)

This novel is a terrifying exploration of what happens when ‘civilised’ little boys embrace the id component of their personalities and abandon the precarious constraints society has placed on them after being stranded on a seemingly Edenic island following a plane crash. There are no adults. There is a large shell that makes a noise and, ominously, sticks sharpened at both ends.

The Bell Jar (Sylvia Plath)

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath is a semi-autobiographical novel that follows the life of Esther Greenwood, a young woman in the 1950s who experiences a mental breakdown while she is an intern at a New York City magazine. This novel is a haunting and poignant exploration of mental illness and the stifling constraints placed on women in the mid-20th century. Plath’s portrayal of Esther’s descent into the ‘bell jar’ of depression is both gripping and heart-wrenching. An essential read for any fan of Plath’s poetry.

The Wind in the Willows (Kenneth Grahame)

These heart-warming animal tales are the epitome of the word ‘cosy’ and will evoke much tea-drinking and longings to gaze at the rain through a window. The exploits of Mr Toad, Badger, Mole and Rat will inspire any reader (old or young) to be more adventurous, responsible, kind and generous.

Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)

Haunting. Moody. Intense. These are all words. They are also words that describe the atmosphere and plot of this gothic masterpiece that will draw the reader into the desolate moors of Yorkshire, England. The novel tells the tragic and tumultuous love story between Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff. It explores themes of revenge, obsession, and the destructive nature of unchecked passion. Reading it will inspire you to wear a scarf in the wind.

Wide Sargasso Sea (Jean Rhys)

Remember the mad woman in the attic who set fire to things in Emily Brontë’s Jane Eyre? (Perhaps give it a read if you haven’t – there you go, another classic, gratis). Well, in Rhys’ Wide Sargasso Sea, the reader is treated to a prequel of sorts, where Antoinette Conway (or Bertha, as she is known in Jane Eyre) is the main character in a feminist telling of her catastrophic marriage to Mr Rochester who is about as appealing as Birkenstock.

In Cold Blood (Truman Capote)

The truest of true crime, this novel will have you gripped – a death grip, if you will. Based on the true events of the senseless murders of four members of the Clutter family in Holcomb, Kansas, Capote’s fictionalised account of this macabre story will have you thinking about this novel / family / crime for the rest of your life. For real.

The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)

The Handmaid’s Tale is a dystopian novel set in the theocratic society of Gilead, where women’s rights have been severely restricted, and a rigid class system is in place. The story follows Offred, a Handmaid whose sole purpose is to bear children for the ruling class. Atwood’s writing is devilishly incisive and lyrical. She creates a vivid and unsettling world where the subjugation of women is taken to its extreme. This novel is powerful, relevant and has a cool Latin phrase you could get a tattoo of.