[Betsy Posts: 2,318 Status: Offline PICKY EATERS WWW]

Jenna--Yes, I think I agree. I'm ashamed to say there are some books you guys are suggesting that I've never heard of, but now want to look into some of these titles.

Never heard of The Stand, for example.

[Betsy Posts: 2,318 Status: Offline PICKY EATERS WWW]

And LadyS--I totally agree about ALL THE LIGHT. The plot is gripping, and it's so beautifully written.

[HDWestlund Posts: 1,051 Status: Offline writer and bookseller]

One of the great, not-necessarily-enjoyable, but a leader among its era and kind and heartbreakingly eye-opening is PORTRAIT OF A LADY by Henry James. That one has stuck with me, even beyond the Realistic Lit class I read it for.

[HDWestlund Posts: 1,051 Status: Offline writer and bookseller]

Ooh, and then there's the "first" English novel: PAMELA by Richardson. It was written as a serial in a newspaper, but it was one of the first novel-length works in the English language. And it's actually hysterical--though not by the author's intent. Reading that and then THE HISTORY OF TOM JONES by Fielding, who wrote it as a satirical criticism of Richardson's works, can provide days' worth of amusement. I don't think I've laughed so hard at classical literature as I did in that class.

[217mom Posts: 1,192 Status: Offline "Keep the child in view"- Charles Dickens WWW]

Speaking of great, I was just struck by the amazing first sentence in one book by the master of first sentences, Charles Dickens.  Check out the first sentence of BLEAK HOUSE. {Hint: Hemingway did not invent one word sentences.}

Ellen/Betsy, this thread has turned out to be a delight, and it makes me want to read some of the un-read mentioned, also.

[J-Bert Posts: 283 Status: Offline WWW]

Three of my favorites:

The Optimist's Daughter by Eudora Welty
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Peace Like a River by Leif Enger

If short story collections count then:

A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O'Connor
What We Talk About When We Talk About Love by Raymond Carver
Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri

[Arona Posts: 505 Status: Offline The house didn't fall on me. It fell on my sister.]

Hemingway. The word I'd use to describe how I feel about Hemingway rhymes with rate.

Back in the day, I was a Faulkner girl--well, more than a Hemy one, anyway--and someone once wrote something like...the only way to get the taste of Faulkner out of your mouth is to read Hemingway. Oooooh, snap!

Wouldn't a list such as yours fare better with some sort of parameter? Example: three from one era, three from another era, three from another, and one contemporary "favorite" that isn't literary but has blown a lot of minds.

Oooooooh--Chekov! He was a favorite. 

[Marissa Doyle Posts: 3,324 Status: Offline Charles Bewitched: out now! WWW]

Some of my all-time favorites: Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke, Possession by AS Byatt, Howl's Moving Castle by Dianna Wynne Jones.

Kell, are we twins separated at birth? Jonathan Strange is one of my top three books Ever. Love the others as well though I might choose a different DWJ. Archer's Goon or Fire and Hemlock. Or Deep Secret.

[Jayca Posts: 1,759 Status: Offline]

I'm a big Steinbeck fan and none of his have been mentioned yet. My favorite is probably East of Eden, but I also love his lesser known Winter of our Discontent.

[Betsy Posts: 2,318 Status: Offline PICKY EATERS WWW]

I used to be a Faulkner fan too. I loved LIGHT IN AUGUST and THE SOUND AND THE FURY. I haven't read him in years, though.

Never could get into Hemingway, although I liked THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA.

I remember that first paragraph of BLEAK HOUSE, 217. Dickens is an author I personally love, but I still don't think is one of the greats.

[Betsy Posts: 2,318 Status: Offline PICKY EATERS WWW]

I'm sure it would be easier if I'd limited this list, but I wanted as many people as possible to respond. It's interesting that some people are naming classics and others are naming books they really like that aren't necessarily part of the English literature canon. And that's fine. This guy is trying to get up to speed on the great books, but no reason I can't give him two lists.

[Jayca Posts: 1,759 Status: Offline]

Casting my vote for modern works (that I think will become classics, too)...I love Ruta Sepetys' books!

[Christine B. Posts: 450 Status: Offline WWW]

Really interesting to read everyone's responses!

My first instinct was PRIDE AND PREJUDICE.

[JennaWren Posts: 1,850 Status: Offline WWW]

Ooo, Jess, yes, East of Eden is another one that I love!

[LadySlipper Posts: 196 Status: Offline]

Hi Betsy. I see you gave us three to choose from, and yes, I have to think of the classics for the very fact that their longevity speaks to their strengths as a novel. Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice for its social commentary and wit, and, The Count of Monte Cristo still ranks as the best revenge, by Alexander Dumas. I think that fulfills my options for choosing three books. **There are so many favorites**but your parameter was "best ever written" so I'm trying to stay with that. And now, I'm sure I'll think of a dozen more!

[koozoo Posts: 95 Status: Offline Writing=Breathing! WWW]

Impossible question.  :umm All depends upon taste.

It's the same as asking us to name the best children's picture book. 

As for favorite novels....To Kill A Mockingbird was masterly. As was Lord of The Rings. And so many others.

Children's novels....The Phantom Tollbooth & The Little Prince. Both without a wasted word.

[LadySlipper Posts: 196 Status: Offline]

In replying to your question, Betsy, I've read Ulysses, (best? no); Huck Finn (culturally interesting; not best) War and Peace (an excellent historic commentary on Russia and at times both, annoying and brilliant--not best; Don Quixote is superb, but sags in the middle.

[LadySlipper Posts: 196 Status: Offline]

...and if you're going Russian--don't forget Solzhenitsyn's Gulag Archipelago. I wouldn't call it Summer Reading but it's quite good. And then, there's 1984 by Orwell, and Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. So maybe "best" is like the Westminster Kennel: Best In...(lay down category).

[LadySlipper Posts: 196 Status: Offline]

HDWestland--Portrait of a Lady is one of James' best. It's subtle but catches you in the end. Also--TURNING OF THE SCREW for the best, all-time, ghost story...because what really happened????

[koozoo Posts: 95 Status: Offline Writing=Breathing! WWW]

...and if you're going Russian--don't forget Solzhenitsyn's Gulag Archipelago. I wouldn't call it Summer Reading but it's quite good. And then, there's 1984 by Orwell, and Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. So maybe "best" is like the Westminster Kennel: Best In...(lay down category).

Oh YES YES YES to Orwell & Huxley!! Perfect novels. Animal Farm too. This thread is impossible.

[LadySlipper Posts: 196 Status: Offline]

Arona: Chekov is brilliant. And funny, though it's not American-style humor. But Masha..."I'm in mourning for my life," is really quite funny in a dark comedy sort of way. (The Seagull).

[LadySlipper Posts: 196 Status: Offline]

Betsy, we do have to give Dickins' A Tale of Two Cities. Another to consider is non-fiction. Your male-friend might like The Guns of August, by historian Barbara W. Tuchman. It's brilliant. (1914, WWI).

[AnneB Posts: 3,213 Status: Offline]

Moby-Dick. Moby-Dick. Moby-Dick.

[Vonna Posts: 1,864 Status: Offline Keeping to the sunny side of the street WWW]

If we are going back to ancient literature, the list should include the 16th century Chinese novel Journey to the West attributed to Wu Cheng'en. (Also known more recently as Monkey from Arthur Waley's abridged translation--this is the version I read.)

[Marissa Doyle Posts: 3,324 Status: Offline Charles Bewitched: out now! WWW]

Anne, I grew up one town over from New Bedford and worked in the Whaling Museum there, and I still haven't read Moby-Dick. 

[Betsy Posts: 2,318 Status: Offline PICKY EATERS WWW]

Well, I have to limit the list somewhat--it's already a pretty broad category as a number of you have noted. So, no nonfiction (at least on this thread) and no children's books or we really will go crazy as every one of us has strong feelings about that. 

Besides, my friend's an adult.

So now I have a pretty good list. Lots of people named books I'd forgotten about. Plus lots of new (to me) books that I want to read myself.

Thanks, everyone. Much appreciated.

[Pons Posts: 2,454 Status: Offline]

Emma
Tess of the D'urbervilles
Mark Twain's short stories (especially The Man Who Corrupted Hadleyburg)
A Christmas Carol (This little book is a masterpiece. If you've only seen the play and think it's all about Tiny Tim, then you really need to read the book.)
The Great Gatsby or F. Scott Fitzgerald's short stories
Wuthering Heights
The Dickens of your choice

[Pons Posts: 2,454 Status: Offline]

Oh dear, the books keep coming.

Dandelion Wine
The Turn of the Screw

[Vijaya Posts: 6,951 Status: Offline BEAUTY WWW]

LOL Pons. It's a great thread, Betsy! I've not read some of these and would enjoy sinking my teeth into something rich and classic.

Here's another for your friend: Iliad and it's sequel: Odyssey

Vijaya

[Ree Posts: 330 Status: Offline No Boxes WWW]

I can't say what is the best of all time, but books that riveted me and made me think/feel anew:

The Book Thief
The Great Gatsby
Madame Bovary
The Bell Jar
Wuthering Heights
War and Peace

On the teen side:
The Outsiders

For the middle grader in all of us:
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

Ree