The Diary of a Nobody is so unassuming a work that even its author, George Grossmith, seemed unaware that he had produced a masterpiece. For more than a century this wonderfully comic portrayal of suburban life and values has remained in print, a source of delight to generations of readers, and a major literary influence, much imitated but never equalled. If you don’t recognise yourself at some point in The Diary you are probably less than human. If you can read it without laughing aloud you have no sense of humour.
Tag: Classic
The French Lieutenant’s Woman by John Fowles
Charles Smithson, a respectable engaged man, meets Sarah Woodruff as she stands on the Cobb at Lyme Regis, staring out to sea. Charles falls in love, but Sarah is a disgraced woman, and their romance will defy all the stifling conventions of the Victorian age. Widely acclaimed since publication, this is the best-love of John Fowles' novels.
All quiet on the Western front by Erich Maria Remarque
About the book This story is told by a young soldier in the trenches of Flanders during the First World War. Through his eyes we see the realities of war. Incidents are vividly described, but there is no sense of adventure, only the feeling of youth betrayed. Reviewed by The Page Turners Everyone should read… Continue reading All quiet on the Western front by Erich Maria Remarque
The Old wives tale by Arnold Bennett
About the book First published in 1908, 'The Old Wives' Tale' affirms the integrity of ordinary lives as it tells the story of the Baines sisters - shy, retiring Constance and defiant, romantic Sophia - over the course of nearly half a century. Reviewed by Book Friends Although we were daunted by the size of… Continue reading The Old wives tale by Arnold Bennett
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
To Kill a Mockingbird is a coming-of-age story, an anti-racist novel, a historical drama of the Great Depression and a sublime example of the Southern writing tradition.
The Water Babies by Charles Kingsley
The story follows Tom in his land-life as a climbing boy for a chimney-sweep and in his after-life as a water-baby.
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
Wuthering Heights is a wild, passionate story of the intense and almost demonic love between Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff, a foundling adopted by Catherine's father. Classic English Literature.
The Odyssey by Homer
The epic tale of Odysseus and his ten-year journey home after the Trojan war forms one of the earliest and greatest works of Western literature.
Travels with my Aunt by Graham Greene
The novel follows the travels of Henry Pulling, a retired bank manager, and his eccentric Aunt Augusta as they find their way across Europe, and eventually even further afield. Aunt Augusta pulls Henry away from his quiet suburban existence into a world of adventure, crime and the highly unconventional details of her past.
Ruth by Elizabeth Gaskell
In writing Ruth, Elizabeth Gaskell daringly confronted prevailing views about sin and illegitimacy with her compassionate and honest portrait of a 'fallen woman'.