I love fresh new books as much as the next reader, but a few years ago I started getting the feeling that by focusing too heavily on the shiny and new, I was missing out on some really satisfying reading experiences.
Whether it’s a Capital-C Classic (like The Odyssey) or a modern classic (A Tree Grows in Brooklyn), it’s true that books that have stood the test of time are often worth reading. I would never turn over my entire reading life to classics because a) my taste in books is too eclectic to be satisfied with all-classics-all-the-time, and b) because it’s important to me to read authors with a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences that are not well represented in the books often tapped as “classics”.
To craft a well-balanced reading life, I decided to start picking a few classics to tackle each summer. The long days and lingering heat of late summer feel just right for being transported into another place and time. I’ve been reading classics in the summer for about four years now, and I can say with confidence this works really well: After devouring a stack of beach reads, reading a classic is a welcome slowing of the pace.
Here are a few of the classics I’ve read in the last several summers:
The Odyssey by Homer, translated by Emily Wilson
If you’ve never read The Odyssey, I strongly recommend trying out the Emily Wilson translation. This is the first time Homer’s epic has been translated by a woman, and the language is crisp, modern, and gorgeous. This is a compelling adventure story with a surprisingly page-turning narrative. Prefer audio? Claire Danes narrates the Audible audiobook!
North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this novel of a woman’s awakening sense of social justice in an industrial mill town in the North of England. Gaskell’s Victorian heroine, Margaret Hale, feels strikingly modern, and while I wouldn’t call this fast-paced, I did find the story interesting and engaging from start to finish.
Pride and Prejudice, Persuasion, and Emma by Jane Austen
After somehow making it to adulthood without reading a single Austen novel, I decided this had to be remedied! I started with P&P, moved on to Persuasion, and just read Emma this year.
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
I tackled this brick of a book (608 dense pages!) last summer. While reading, I found myself making lots of notes in the margin, discussing elements with my husband over beers on the patio, and felt very gratified that I took the time to read this Steinbeck masterwork. But…while I appreciated it, this was not a book that I loved.
It actually infuriated me, to be quite honest. When I (finally) turned the last page, I found myself wishing for a perfect pairing (hint, hint Novel Pairings Podcast) that would give me a window onto this same place and time, but from a different cultural and/or gender perspective.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn was my summer 2020 classic pick, and it immediately shot to the top of my forever-favorites list. This is a coming-of-age novel centered on Francie Nolan and her family in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, during the period leading up to and during World War I. As soon as I closed the book I was tempted to start right over again from the beginning!
I’d love to hear: What is your favorite classic? And which classic is at the top of your TBR?
