10 Classic Literature Novels For Beginners
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It is a truth universally acknowledged that the world of classic literature can be intimidating. I will be one of the first to admit so — but also one of the first to encourage you to dive right in anyway.
If you are anything like myself, perhaps you have attempted a particular classic novel (more than once) and “failed.” Perhaps you didn’t understand it, were forced to read it for educational purposes, and/or you simply didn’t enjoy it.
Great minds have argued for centuries about what makes a classic, well, classic. And it is of my humble opinion that the timelessness of a novel will shine through in both the language and the lasting impression it leaves the reader with.
The written word is a vast mine of which there really is no end — and a book can take your mind and heart places you may have never encountered otherwise. Reading is one of the most powerful ways one’s inner world is fed. Were it not for the temporary escapism that the blessed novel provides those of us with hungry souls, many of us would starve.
So where does a hungry soul start? My wish for you is that this humble list provides a springboard; a bit of a bridge, if you will, between the modern novel and the timeless pieces avid readers often dream to tackle.
So before you attempt Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina and become lost in a sea of Russian surnames (which, I do not recommend when you are 7 months pregnant), consider these older, somewhat wiser novels that you won’t likely find on a classic literature list, but will most certainly enrich your soul and expand your reading capacity anyway.
With these books, you will learn new words and develop an appetite for old-world literature, all while easily falling in love with the story you’re reading. From timeless children’s classics to novels published in the thick of World War II, here are 10 beloved books that have prepared me to take on lengthier and mightier works.
01 | Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
While it’s often accepted as a romance, I would consider this late 1930s literary gem to be a gothic anti-romance of sorts. You’ll be transported to a seaside estate in the wilds of Cornwall, in which our nameless narrator is woefully unprepared to run the mansion after she hastily marries the dark, mysterious — and recently widowed — Maxim de Winter. The power of place, mystery, and suspense make this hauntingly beautiful novel one that’s hard to put down. Rest assured, Manderley will linger in your mind long after you’ve left.
02 | The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien
If you’ve always been intrigued by the vast world of Tolkien’s fantasy but the thought of traipsing through the trilogy of The Lord of the Rings feels a bit too daunting, start with the homely hobbit named Bilbo Baggins. While this one is technically a children’s book, it is rich enough for adults to enjoy too. You’ll journey to the Lonely Mountain, brave a treasure-hoarding dragon, and learn just exactly how that mysterious magic ring made its way into the sunny Shire anyway. (And whenever you do attempt the trilogy or The Silmarillion, you will, at the very least, have learned a small fraction of the lore behind Tolkien’s masterpieces.)
03 | I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
No matter how hard I try I cannot recall how I stumbled upon this enchanting coming of age novel — but I suspect I found it around the petulant age of the 17-year-old narrator Cassandra Mortmain. Living in a crumbling castle in mid-1930s England with her peculiar but lovable family, the witty narrator takes refuge in pen and paper. Grappling with poverty, a first love, and all the eccentricities that one might imagine comes with living in a defunct castle, this book will have you weeping for the narrator’s plight one moment and howling with laughter at her keen observations the next. I don’t know if there’s a narrator I love more than Cassandra.
04 | Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
Before diving into the (rightfully) renowned Pride and Prejudice, I invite you to explore one of Austen’s earlier works. A parody of what was the present day gothic novel in the late 1770s, Northanger Abbey assumes the reader is familiar with the popular novels at the time, in which heightened emotionalism and dark, exotic settings are all the rage. Consequently, the reader must know right away that satire is present. In the novel’s unlikely heroine of Catherine Morland, we slowly learn how fiction can unconsciously shape how we read real life. Austen encourages readers to enjoy fiction for what it is, be mindful of what we read, and find the value in “the common feelings of common life.”
05 | The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald
A true fairy tale in every sense of the word, this enchanting story is for both the young and the young at heart. There is a theological richness within these pages that will surprise you, however. You’ll follow the brave-hearted Curdie through deep mines crawling with unsightly goblins, as well as an invisible thread that guides Princess Irene on an important rescue mission. Wisdom, courage, and faith in what we cannot see are the themes that carry this tale. This is a book that will rekindle your imagination and nourish your heart.
06 | Silas Marner by George Eliot
If you have the masterpiece of Middlemarch on your “to be read” list, may I suggest a shorter, but no less richer, work by the pen-named Mary Ann Evans. In this mysterious yet wholesome story, a 19th-century countryside weaver returns home one day to find his hoarded gold gone — and through a series of unlikely events, he acquires treasure of an entirely different sort. A lonely outcast slowly regains faith when he comes to know love, redemption, and family in this story.
07 | The Castle on the Hill by Elizabeth Goudge
The world of Goudge is a rich one, reader. And while there are several of this author’s novels I’d recommend to anyone looking to read beyond modern fiction, I can’t let you miss out on the distinct charm and the approachable depth of this particular book. You’ll step into a family’s small castle home in a rural pocket of England in 1940 as summer steadily turns to fall and meet an array of seemingly unrelated characters. A pair of anxious children, a Jewish street violinist, and a displaced spinster all unexpectedly find themselves intersecting at the Birley family’s castle. Grappling with fear, grief, faith, and humanity itself, they’ve all lost their way “in the pattern” and must fight to believe that all is not lost, even when much is.
08 | A Room With A View by E. M. Forster
When Lucy Honeychurch travels to Italy with her older cousin, she finds herself wrestling with the social norms and customs of Edwardian-era England. With the acquaintance of new friends, she is faced with the opportunity to know her own mind and make decisions about love, social class, honesty, and marriage. This short, coming-of-age novel will help acclimate you to a long-lost style of writing only classic literature can showcase.
09 | The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim
When life becomes unbearably gray, four unlikely women take to the sea on the cusp of spring for a holiday in an Italian castle. (By now, you’ve noticed I am quite partial to a humble castle. And honestly is there anything dreamier than a Mediterranean castle getaway?) This lovely little novel proves that sometimes a change of scenery is just what one needs. The power of beauty and its ability to heal even the hardest of hearts springs forth in this whimsical work. By the end of the book, you will have been a bit transformed yourself, and even the most unlikeable characters will have steadily developed the ability to charm you.
10 | Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Reader, we’re rounding out this list with a widely accepted classic after all. And it’s because this lovely little novel is just as approachable as the ahead-of-their-time March sisters themselves. From childhood castles in the air to marriage proposals and all the domestic drama that comes with them, this spirited tale juxtaposes the joys and sorrows of life beautifully. Love, poverty, forgiveness, family, grief, personal growth, sacrifice… it is all here — and I can’t wait to read this one again.
