The Stranger by Albert Camus (123 pages)I've read the ones in bold print. Some of these are old enough to be in the public domain and available online.
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (166 pages)
The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (55 pages)
Silas Marner by George Eliot (160 pages)
The Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (96 pages)
Passing by Nella Larsen (102 pages)
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (180 pages)
The Awakening by Kate Chopin (128 pages)
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (72 pages)
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen (182 pages)
The Turn of the Screw by Henry James (96 pages)
O Pioneers! by Willa Cather (128 pages)
The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler (144 pages)
Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton (77 pages:)
The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (128 pages)
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (64 pages)
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (180 pages)
War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells (160 pages)
Billy Budd, Sailor by Herman Melville (160 pages)
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (80 pages)
The Pearl by John Steinbeck (96 pages)
Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote (160 pages)
Animal Farm by George Orwell (140 pages)
Saturday, June 17, 2017
Short Classic Books
Huffington Post has a list of classic books that are so short you have no excuse not to read them:
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I've read a few of these.Last summer I finally read the Willa Cather 'O Pioneers' and I just loved it. I think maybe some rereads is in order of a few of these. A good but short read is always nice after you've read a long book that took longer than you expected.
ReplyDeleteShort novels are a treat, aren't they. Sometimes I think authors aim to make their books longer for the sake of it when some careful editing might serve them better.
DeleteI remember reading Animal Farm and War of the Worlds in high school. For some reason, they didn't seem short back then. Perhaps it was because I knew there would be a grade attached to them. There's a big difference between reading for pleasure and reading for a grade. However, I always enjoyed both because they had such great visual imagery.
ReplyDeleteThe purpose of the read can affect how we see a book, can't it! It's been a while since I last read the 2 you mention, but like you I remember those images :)
DeleteThe Old Man and the Sea by Hemmingway is one of my favorite short novels. Years ago authors were often paid by the word, encouraging longer works.
ReplyDeleteYes, I'm pointing a finger at Dickens there lol. These days, I think some authors won't bend to an editor and think those doorstop books are better just because they're so long. I have book 5 of the Dark Tower by my bed right now. Wow!
DeleteI've read about 80% of what you have--LOL! Interesting list. :)
ReplyDeleteNow I'm wondering if I should seek the others out. I'm thinking not, given how many books I have here I haven't read yet. As they say: so many books, so little time lol
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