A Little Life, To Kill a Mockingbird and A Gentleman in Moscow; no other book describes the gut wrenching live long affects of serious trauma like A Little Life, Amor Towles had me thinking I was living in the Metropol and To Kill A Mockingbird is a jewel.
Charlotte's Web, because really, Charlotte, Wilbur and the inimitable Templeton. Enough said. (personal note - I used to say that my lifetime favorite books were Lord of the Rings and Charlotte's Web. I would now add War and Peace to that list). Thanks, John, for sending this.
It's interesting to see what's left out - it really doesn't cover all 125 years - but doesn't that indicate that it's very difficult to maintain such importance/influence/relevance/recognition for such a long period of time. And important for what reason and to whom? I went with those that had a significant social impact, but even that impact can be fleeting. Which had the greatest esthetic impact would be a different list (and the candidates seem to skew more towards the former rather than the latter).
To Kill a Mockingbird, Handmaid’s Tale, Grapes of Wrath. Each one for being a great work of art, but also for having major social impact.
Thanks for the recommendation, looking forward to it!
My votes:
1) Beloved because magical realism has never been so powerful.
2) The Handmaid’s Tale for that scene where all the bank accounts are frozen.
3) Infinite Jest for the embarrassing proselytizing to all your friends, “I know, I know, but once you hit page 450 it really flies!”
A Little Life, To Kill a Mockingbird and A Gentleman in Moscow; no other book describes the gut wrenching live long affects of serious trauma like A Little Life, Amor Towles had me thinking I was living in the Metropol and To Kill A Mockingbird is a jewel.
Charlotte's Web, because really, Charlotte, Wilbur and the inimitable Templeton. Enough said. (personal note - I used to say that my lifetime favorite books were Lord of the Rings and Charlotte's Web. I would now add War and Peace to that list). Thanks, John, for sending this.
Very hard to choose just one. Lonesome Dove is an all time favorite. A Fine Balance was my 2nd choice.
It's interesting to see what's left out - it really doesn't cover all 125 years - but doesn't that indicate that it's very difficult to maintain such importance/influence/relevance/recognition for such a long period of time. And important for what reason and to whom? I went with those that had a significant social impact, but even that impact can be fleeting. Which had the greatest esthetic impact would be a different list (and the candidates seem to skew more towards the former rather than the latter).