With the recent resurgence of the vampire in popular culture True Blood, Twilight it's an ideal time to discover, or rediscover, the inspiration for them all. Dracula is a genuinely frightening novel. The story is told in a series of letters and diary entries which build on each other, tell the events from different viewpoints and build the tension. Scenes like the wreck of the Demeter and its aftermath, the fate of Lucy, and the search for Dracula's lair in Victorian London are almost unbearable. Even the language stands up despite being written in 1897. The first part with Jonathan Harker's visit to Transylvania, filmed many times, parodied, and even survived the wooden performance of Keanu Reeves, has to be one of the classic scenes in fiction. Well worth rereading and a mustread for those who have not yet had the pleasure.

This historical classic offers a wonderful story during the French Revolution. Charles Dickens idealistic characters and social criticism blend wonderfully together in this tale. Lucy Mannett is the epitome of goodness and loveliness and Charles Darnay a true gentleman. Sidney Carton will steal your heart. The story is about redemption, sacrifice and rebirth. It's a tale of beauty that will stay with you a long time. review ebook

This is a wonderful fantasy book for any age. Whoever reads it will get something out of it and each time i read it I pick up some thing new that i missed. The characters are engaging and relevant to any age, the storyline is awesome and extremely well thought out. If you have not read this you should definitely pick it up.

Although the writer can get a bit tedious in places, Anne of Green Gables is a wonderful read about a young orphan girl who wants a family. When she is sent to live with the Cuthberts. They however, wanted a boy to help on the farm. You get to meet the charming but fierce tempered Anne, while wondering if she has finaly found her home.

Jane Austen is always a pleasure to read. This classic story is enjoyable and definitely worth reading. However, I didn't fall in love with the characters like I did in her other novels. Towards the end of the book I wasn't as anxious and excited for the two protagonists to get together. Nevertheless, it's a wonderful story and it wouldn't be a waste of time to read! review ebook

This satirical piece of historical fiction is a must read. Though Don Quixote is considered an insane man, his ideology so strong it makes him incapable of seeing reality, he stands as a symbol of perseverance. Yet, he comes to the point of being ridiculoushis attitude and the results of his actions slashing against the romantic vision and naive idealism. Thus the contradiction, behind the criticism of naiveté, is there a degree of admiration for Quixote's perseverance? After all, what would be of the world without any idealism? But must it come to the point of being blinding? More intriguing than the plot, therefore, are the questions it raises about the human attitude. If you only like interesting plots, don't pick this though, for here, every event is more a symbol than a part of the rising action.

A classic. The story of Jane Eyre is a richly told tale of an orphan girl turned away by her family and sent to live in an orphanage where she is told that she is an evil child. Her childhood friend Helen helps her to stay strong and develop strong beliefs in herself and right and wrong. Edward Rochester is disalusioned with the world and Jane becomes his light. They grow together but he has secrets that threaten to destroy their love. I love in this book how Jane has such an unshakeable faith in God. She loves this man but will follow what she knows to be right and have faith that the Lord will guide her way. And through her faith she is rewarded in the end. It is not a religous book she just has her own strengths and faith. The writing is done very richly. The words Charlotte Bronte used paints the pictures for you and takes you to the world of Jane Eyre.

I had to read this book for a class on Modernism and in a learning context it was amazing. I'm not sure how I would have felt about it for pleasure reading. Anyway, Conrad really brings to light the dehumanization of man. His descriptions of the natives depict a picture of items and things. The tone of the story is very... monotone. You have to work hard to see what Conrad is trying to say. I think the best part about this book is imagery, you almost have to read some paragraphs a couple of times over before you realize what he's describing. It isn't because it's nonsensical, but rather because it's so dense.

The idea for Frankenstein, or rather of Frankenstein's monster, stands up rather better than Shelley's novel. While undoubtedly a classic and an inspiration for horror novels, films and comics, the prose is definitely of it's time. The plot however stands the test of time. Frankenstein is a difficult but ultimately worthwhile read. The popular image is of Victor Frankenstein pursued by his monstrous creation but read the book...who is the victim here? (ebook version)