Favorite classic novels

[Pangolin]

Persuasion by Austen - life affirming somehow. And, as ever, FUNNY. And if you've ever loved and lost through general f*** ups (edited to add stars, not sure if that word could offend? better safe etc) , it resonates.
Mansfield Park , Austen, if you don't get why all this period is so focused on marrying well - that gives a clear idea of the context and consequence which means that 18th and 19th C books make more sense. read before P and P to have Mrs Bennet a touch less one dimensional. Also, it makes more sense of the plot of Persuasion, which to our modern minds might not seem to ring true.
Portrait of a Lady - Henry James, because you come out different (well, i did 'ny hoo)
Vanity Fair because its a riot.
David Copperfield, got it all, emotional roller coaster and laugh out loud.
War and Peace, as above, but more so, but less funny.
Middlemarch too, shares elements with Portrait of a Lady, but no Ralph and a little more obvious... (imho, your mileage, etc etc)

Les Mis, grand too, really get a handle of how 'good' looks and feels. Fantastic description of Waterloo.

Oh oh, yes OP Jane Eyre, for a really sharp-witted and dynamic heroine, although there's a bit of coincidence in evolved in a plot turn at one point which demands suspension of disbelief.

Fosco - Woman in White, and his little white mice anyone? - brrrrrrrr rrrr rrrrrr

[Pangolin]

Sorry, yes Wharton, Age of Innocence aaaaand, for once, the film was excellent!! No baddies but so much raw emotion. Like the film with Ingrid Bergman and Leslie Howard, Intermezzo.

[khazaddum]

Originally Posted by 4691mls

You are not alone! I read some other complete Dickens books, but I just could not get beyond the first few chapters of Great Expectations. I caught an old black-and-white movie of it on TV once and didn't get very far with it either.

The climax of the story is quite near the end actually. It was up until the end that i realized it was my favorite book and made a purpose of reading every Dickens book. Give it another try! There's quite a well-crafted twist.

[Gazella]

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

[Gronk]

Originally Posted by khazaddum

The climax of the story is quite near the end actually. It was up until the end that i realized it was my favorite book and made a purpose of reading every Dickens book. Give it another try! There's quite a well-crafted twist.

I will give it another try on your recommendation.

[Grace Elliot]

Most books by Alexandre Dumas - something for my every mood - but especially fond of
The Count of Mounte Cristo
and
The Three Muskateers

[jeremy young]

Dead Souls by Gogol

[Gazella]

Originally Posted by Synamon

No love for Oscar Wilde? The Picture of Dorian Grey is excellent.

I have read some of his work and they're really good but not favorites. However I haven't read this one.