Literary theme analysis, by a book like {foo}
Books about Class
Pride and Prejudice
by Jane Austen
A story of courtship, romance and social class in which a young woman discovers her own identity.
The novel is set in rural England in the early 19th century. Mrs. Bennet attempts to persuade Mr. Bennet to visit Mr. Bingley, a rich bachelor recently arrived in the neighbourhood. After some verbal ... (Wikipedia)
Oliver Twist
by Charles Dickens
An orphan's journey of survival and resilience in the face of poverty and injustice.
Oliver Twist is born into a life of poverty and misfortune, raised in a workhouse in the fictional town of Mudfog , located 70 miles (110 km) north of London . , , , He is orphaned by his father's ... (Wikipedia)
The Great Gatsby
by F. Scott Fitzgerald
A wealthy man's journey to reclaim an old flame, discovering the superficiality of the upper class.
In Spring 1922, Nick Carraway—a Yale alumnus from the Midwest and a veteran of the Great War —journeys east to New York City to obtain employment as a bond salesman . He rents a bungalow in the Long ... (Wikipedia)
Middlemarch
by George Eliot
A grand narrative of life in a small English town, exploring the lives of its inhabitants.
Middlemarch centres on the lives of residents of Middlemarch, a fictitious Midlands town, from 1829 onwards – the years up to the 1832 Reform Act . The narrative is variably considered to consist of ... (Wikipedia)
The Sound and the Fury
by William Faulkner
Tragic story of the decline of a southern family, exploring the human condition.
The first section of the novel is narrated by Benjamin "Benjy" Compson, a source of shame to the family due to his diminished mental capacity; the only characters who show genuine care for him are ... (Wikipedia)
Savage Inequalities: Children in America's Schools
by Jonathan Kozol
An exposé of the disparities in America's public education system and its effects on children.
National Book Award-winning author Jonathan Kozol presents his shocking account of the American educational system in this stunning "New York Times" bestseller, which has sold more than 250,000 ... (Goodreads)
Emma
by Jane Austen
A young woman's journey to find love and independence in the midst of social expectations.
Emma Woodhouse's friend and former governess , Miss Taylor, has just married Mr. Weston. Having introduced them, Emma takes credit for their marriage and decides that she likes matchmaking . After ... (Wikipedia)
Girl with a Pearl Earring
by Tracy Chevalier
A young girl's journey as a painting subject, her relationship with the artist and the world around her.
Sixteen-year-old Griet has to leave her family home in Delft in 1664 after her father is blinded in an accident. As a tile-painter, her father is a member of the artists’ guild , so employment is ... (Wikipedia)
Rules of Civility
by Amor Towles
An ambitious young woman looks to make her mark in 1930s New York, learning the complex rules of high society.
This sophisticated and entertaining first novel presents the story of a young woman whose life is on the brink of transformation. On the last night of 1937, twenty-five-year-old Katey Kontent is in a ... (Goodreads)
The Remains of the Day
by Kazuo Ishiguro
A butler reflects on his past, grappling with the lost opportunities of a life devoted to service.
The novel tells, in first-person narration , the story of Stevens, an English butler who has dedicated his life to the loyal service of Lord Darlington (who is recently deceased, and whom Stevens ... (Wikipedia)
Alias Grace
by Margaret Atwood
A psychological thriller that examines the true story of a 19th century Canadian murderess.
Grace Marks, the convicted murderess, has been hired out from prison to serve as a domestic servant in the home of the Governor of the penitentiary. A Committee of gentlemen and ladies from the ... (Wikipedia)
The Complete Novels
by Jane Austen
Collection of six classic novels exploring the romance, comedy, and tragedy of life in 19th century England.
This new, enhanced leather-bound edition includes all the completed novels of beloved author Jane Austen. Jane Austen’s stories of clever women, elusive love, and social mores have struck a chord ... (Barnes & Noble)
Persuasion
by Jane Austen
A story of love, second chances, and the power of persuasion.
The story begins seven years after the broken engagement of Anne Elliot to Frederick Wentworth. Having just turned nineteen years old, Anne fell in love and accepted a proposal of marriage from ... (Wikipedia)
The Portrait of a Lady
by Henry James
A young woman's journey of self-discovery, standing up to society's expectations.
Isabel Archer, from Albany, New York , is invited by her maternal aunt, Lydia Touchett, to visit Lydia's rich husband, Daniel, at his estate near London, following the death of Isabel's father. ... (Wikipedia)
Gap Creek
by Robert Morgan
A rural family's struggles with poverty and hardships of life in the Appalachians.
Gap Creek's main character is a young girl, Julie, who does everything she possibly can to help her family and her new husband, Hank. Julie works hard to help her family when they need it, some even ... (Wikipedia)
الحرافيش
by Naguib Mahfouz
A vivid account of life in Cairo's bustling alleyways, grappling with powerful social forces.
ﻳﺼﻒ ﻟﻨﺎ ﻧﺠﻴﺐ ﻣﺤﻔﻮﻅ ﺳﻌﻲ ﺍﻟﻨﻔﺲ ﺍﻟﺒﺸﺮﻳﺔ ﺍﻟﺪﺍﺋﻢ ﺍﻟﻰ ﺍﻟﺨﻼﺹ ﻭﺗﻤﺮﺩﻫﺎ ﻋﻠﻰ ﻧﻔﺴﻬﺎ ﺍﻟﺘﻲ ﺍﺭﺗﻀﺖ ﺑﺎﻟﻮﺍﻗﻊ ﺍﻟﻤﺮﻳﺮ، ﻓﺘﺤﺜﻬﺎ ﺩﺍﺋﻤﺎ ﺍﻟﻰ ﺍﻟﺨﻼﺹ، ﻭﺍﻟﺨﺮﻭﺝ ﻣﻦ ﻧﻔﻖ ﺍﻟﻨﻔﺲ ﺍﻟﻤﻈﻠﻢ، ﻭﻟﻜﻨﻬﺎ ﺗﺼﻄﺪﻡ ﺩﺍﺋﻤﺎ ﺑﺤﺐ ﺍﻟﺪﻧﻴﺎ ﻭﺍﻏﻮﺍﺋﺎﺗﻬﺎ ... (Goodreads)
Palace Walk
by Naguib Mahfouz
An exploration of family life in Cairo during the 1920s, uncovering secrets and tensions in the everyday.
al-Sayyid Ahmad Abd al-Jawad is the tyrannical head of his household, demanding total, unquestioning obedience from his wife, Amina, his sons, Yasin, Fahmy and Kamal, and his daughters, Khadija and ... (Wikipedia)
The Importance of Being Earnest
by Oscar Wilde
A lighthearted comedy of manners, full of witty dialogue and satirizing Victorian society.
Oscar Wilde's madcap farce about mistaken identities, secret engagements, and lovers entanglements still delights readers more than a century after its 1895 publication and premiere performance. The ... (Goodreads)
Memoirs of a Geisha
by Arthur Golden
A Japanese girl's journey from poverty to becoming a celebrated geisha, navigating the treacherous world of Japanese customs.
In 1929, nine-year old Chiyo Sakamoto and her 15-year-old sister, Satsu, are sold by their father to work within the entertainment districts of Kyoto. They are taken from their home, the coastal ... (Wikipedia)
Lucky Jim
by Kingsley Amis
A story of a young lecturer struggling to make it in academia, while learning the importance of self-discovery.
Jim Dixon is a lecturer in medieval history at a red brick university in the English Midlands . He has made an unsure start and, towards the end of the academic year, is concerned about losing his ... (Wikipedia)
The Beautiful and Damned
by F. Scott Fitzgerald
A young couple's struggle to maintain their marriage while searching for financial stability.
The Beautiful and Damned tells the story of Anthony Patch in 1910s New York, a socialite and presumptive heir to a tycoon's fortune; his complicated marriage to Gloria Gilbert; the couple's troubling ... (Wikipedia)
Shirley
by Charlotte Brontë
A young woman's turbulent journey to find her place in a restrictive society.
Robert Moore is a mill owner noted for apparent ruthlessness towards his employees. He has laid off many of them, and is apparently indifferent to their consequent impoverishment. In fact he had no ... (Wikipedia)
Evelina
by Frances Burney
A young woman's journey of self-discovery, navigating the world of high society.
The novel opens with a distressed letter from Lady Howard to her longtime acquaintance, the Reverend Arthur Villars, in which she reports that Mme (Madame) Duval, the grandmother of Villars' ward , ... (Wikipedia)
The House of Mirth
by Edith Wharton
A young woman's struggle to navigate New York high society, in pursuit of financial security and true love.
Lily Bart, a beautiful but impoverished socialite, is on her way to a house party at Bellomont, the country home of her best friend, Judy Trenor. Her pressing task is to find a husband with the ... (Wikipedia)
Nicholas Nickleby
by Charles Dickens
Exploring themes of morality and justice through the story of a young man and his family.
Nicholas Nickleby's father dies unexpectedly after losing all of his money in a poor investment. Nicholas, his mother and his younger sister, Kate, are forced to give up their comfortable lifestyle ... (Wikipedia)
Death Comes to Pemberley
by P.D. James
A murder mystery set in the idyllic village of Pemberley, a sequel to Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice".
The novel begins in October, 1803, six years after the events in, Pride and Prejudice, which resulted in the marriage of Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy and Miss Elizabeth Bennet . The Prologue and Book One ... (Wikipedia)
Lady Chatterley's Lover
by D.H. Lawrence
A working-class man's affair with an aristocratic woman, and their coming to terms with the strictures of society.
Lawrence's frank portrayal of an extramarital affair and the explicit sexual explorations of its central characters caused this controversial book, now considered a masterpiece, to be banned as ... (Goodreads)
Sense and Sensibility
by Jane Austen
The contrasting fortunes of two sisters, and the love and heartbreak that ensue.
Henry Dashwood, his second wife, and their three daughters live for many years with Henry's wealthy bachelor uncle at Norland Park, a large country estate in Sussex. That uncle decides, in late life, ... (Wikipedia)
The Forsyte Saga
by John Galsworthy
Epic tale of an upper-class British family, exploring the clash between traditional values and modernity.
John Galsworthy, a Nobel Prize-winning author, chronicles the ebbing social power of the commercial upper-middle-class Forsyte family through three generations, beginning in Victorian London during ... (Goodreads)
Homer & Langley
by E.L. Doctorow
Eccentric brothers live in a decaying mansion in New York City, hidden away from the rest of the world.
From Ragtime and Billy Bathgate to The Book of Daniel, World’s Fair, and The March, the novels of E. L. Doctorow comprise one of the most substantive achievements of modern American fiction. Now, ... (Goodreads)
Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City
by Matthew Desmond
An exploration of eviction’s devastating consequences on the lives of the urban poor.
NEW YORK TIMES, BESTSELLER • WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE • NAMED ONE OF, TIME,’S TEN BEST NONFICTION BOOKS OF THE DECADE • One of the most acclaimed books of our time, this modern classic “has set a ... (Barnes & Noble)
Same Kind of Different as Me: A Modern-Day Slave, an International Art Dealer, and the Unlikely Woman Who Bound Them Together
by Ron Hall
A story of unlikely friendship and redemption, set in the backdrop of racial and economic divides.
A dangerous, homeless drifter who grew up picking cotton in virtual slavery. An upscale art dealer accustomed to the world of Armani and Chanel. A gutsy woman with a stubborn dream. A story so ... (Goodreads)
Little Fires Everywhere
by Celeste Ng
A story of two families clashing over the custody of a Chinese-American baby in a suburban Ohio town.
The story starts in 1998 where the Richardson home in Shaker Heights, Ohio catches fire. Arson is suspected, as there were multiple small fires. The previous year, 1997, Elena Richardson rents her ... (Wikipedia)
All Souls: A Family Story from Southie
by Michael Patrick MacDonald
A memoir of growing up in a poverty-stricken Irish-American neighborhood in Boston.
Michael Patrick MacDonald grew up in "the best place in the world"–the Irish-American Old Colony projects of South Boston--where 85% of the residents collect welfare in an area with the highest ... (Goodreads)
Mrs. Dalloway
by Virginia Woolf
A day in the life of a high-society woman, delving into her inner thoughts and feelings.
Clarissa Dalloway goes around London in the morning, getting ready to host a party that evening. The nice day reminds her of her youth spent in the countryside in Bourton and makes her wonder about ... (Wikipedia)
The Casual Vacancy
by J.K. Rowling
A small town is split by a heated local election, sparking social tensions and hidden secrets.
A BIG NOVEL ABOUT A SMALL TOWN ... When Barry Fairbrother dies in his early forties, the town of Pagford is left in shock. Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ... (Goodreads)
The Wretched of the Earth
by Frantz Fanon
A political analysis of colonialism and its effects on the global underclass.
A distinguished psychiatrist from Martinique who took part in the Algerian Nationalist Movement, Frantz Fanon was one of the most important theorists of revolutionary struggle, colonialism, and ... (Goodreads)
Women, Race & Class
by Angela Y. Davis
Examining the intersections of women's liberation, civil rights, and class struggle in the United States.
From one of our most important scholars and civil rights activist icon, a powerful study of the women’s liberation movement and the tangled knot of oppression facing Black women.,"Angela Davis is ... (Goodreads)
A Raisin in the Sun
by Lorraine Hansberry
A black family's struggle for a better life and the dreams that accompany their journey.
Walter and Ruth Younger, their son Travis, along with Walter's mother Lena (Mama) and Walter's sister Beneatha, live in poverty in a dilapidated two-bedroom apartment on Chicago's south side. Walter ... (Wikipedia)
Crazy Rich Asians
by Kevin Kwan
An entertaining look at the extravagant lifestyles of the ultra-wealthy in Singapore.
The book is told from the perspective of five main characters: Rachel Chu, Nicholas (Nick) Young, Eleanor Young, Astrid Leong, and Edison Cheng. The story revolves around the grand wedding of ... (Wikipedia)
Measure for Measure
by William Shakespeare
A dark comedy about justice, morality, and the search for truth.
Measure for Measure is among the most passionately discussed of Shakespeare’s plays. In it, a duke temporarily removes himself from governing his city-state, deputizing a member of his ... (Goodreads)
The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace: A Brilliant Young Man Who Left Newark for the Ivy League
by Jeff Hobbs
A poignant biography of a man's rise and fall, caught in the crossfire of economic and social inequality.
An instant, New York Times, bestseller, named a best book of the year by, The New York Times Book Review, Amazon, and, Entertainment Weekly, among others, this celebrated account of a young ... (Barnes & Noble)
Cold Comfort Farm
by Stella Gibbons
A young woman moves to the countryside to bring order to the chaotic lives of her relatives.
Following the death of her parents, the book's heroine, Flora Poste, finds she is possessed "of every art and grace save that of earning her own living". She decides to take advantage of the fact ... (Wikipedia)
Little Fires Everywhere
by Celeste Ng
Unexpected tensions arise between two families in a small American town.
The #1, New York Times, bestseller! “Witty, wise, and tender. It's a marvel.” —Paula Hawkins, author of, The Girl on the Train, and, A Slow Fire Burning,“To say I love this book is an understatement. ... (Barnes & Noble)
The Winter of Our Discontent
by John Steinbeck
A journey of self-reflection and moral reckoning as a man struggles to regain his lost integrity.
The story concerns mainly Ethan Allen Hawley, a former member of Long Island 's aristocratic class. Ethan's late father lost the family fortune, and thus Ethan works as a grocery store clerk. His ... (Wikipedia)
Howards End
by E.M. Forster
Exploration of the societal divides in early 20th century England, and the consequences of class prejudice.
Howards End is a novel by E. M. Forster about social conventions, codes of conduct and relationships in turn-of-the-century England. A strong-willed and intelligent woman refuses to allow the ... (Goodreads)
In the Skin of a Lion
by Michael Ondaatje
A historical novel chronicling immigrants’ struggles and resilience in early 20th century Toronto.
The first chapter, "Little Seeds," describes the growing years of the main character, Patrick Lewis, providing causation for his subsequent actions in the novel. As a young boy in Depot Creek, ... (Wikipedia)
High-Rise
by J.G. Ballard
In a high-rise building, social boundaries begin to break down as the inhabitants descend into chaos and violence.
Following his divorce, doctor and medical-school lecturer Robert Laing moves into his new apartment on the 25th floor of a recently completed high-rise building on the outskirts of London. This tower ... (Wikipedia)
White Trash: The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America
by Nancy Isenberg
An in-depth analysis of the history of class in America, examining the lasting impact of the Establishment's grip on power.
In her groundbreaking history of the class system in America, extending from colonial times to the present, Nancy Isenberg takes on our comforting myths about equality, uncovering the crucial legacy ... (Goodreads)
Summer
by Edith Wharton
A young woman's romantic and social journey of self-discovery in the high society of 19th century New England.
At the start of the novel, young Charity Royall is bored with her life in the small town of North Dormer. She was born to poor parents from "up the Mountain" who gave her up to the town's learned ... (Wikipedia)
Brideshead Revisited
by Evelyn Waugh
A nostalgic reflection on a wealthy family and the enduring power of love.
The novel is divided into three parts, framed by a prologue and epilogue. The prologue takes place during the final years of the Second World War . Charles Ryder and his battalion are sent to a ... (Wikipedia)
Cranford
by Elizabeth Gaskell
A charming portrait of a rural town and the lives of its eccentric inhabitants.
Mary Smith and her friends live in Cranford, a town predominantly inhabited by women. The return of a long-lost brother named Peter is the most dramatic event to occur over the course of the sixteen ... (Goodreads)
Buddenbrooks: The Decline of a Family
by Thomas Mann
A story of a family's decline, tracing four generations of a wealthy German family.
In 1835, the wealthy and respected Buddenbrooks, a family of grain merchants, invite their friends and relatives to dinner in their new home in Lübeck , Germany . The family consists of patriarch ... (Wikipedia)
Cover Her Face
by P.D. James
Detective investigates the murder of a young woman in an English country house.
The story opens with a dinner party hosted by Mrs. Eleanor Maxie at Martingale, a medieval manor house in the (fictional) Essex village of Chadfleet. Mrs. Maxie's son and daughter, Stephen Maxie and ... (Wikipedia)
Sentimental Education
by Gustave Flaubert
Romance and personal growth in the midst of a turbulent political climate.
Frédéric Moreau renews his acquaintance with a childhood friend, Deslauriers, who advises him to meet with Dambreuse, a rich Parisian banker. Frédéric leaves for Paris, armed with a letter of ... (Wikipedia)
Lady Audley's Secret
by Mary Elizabeth Braddon
A young woman's descent into madness, unraveling the secrets of her past.
The novel opens with the marriage in June 1857, of Lucy Graham, a beautiful, childlike blonde who enchants almost all who meet her, to Sir Michael Audley, a middle-aged, rich, and kind widower. Lucy ... (Wikipedia)
A Manual for Cleaning Women: Selected Stories
by Lucia Berlin
An exploration of female experience, weaving together stories of love, loss, and resilience.
A Manual for Cleaning Women compiles the best work of the legendary short-story writer Lucia Berlin. With the grit of Raymond Carver, the humor of Grace Paley, and a blend of wit and melancholy all ... (Barnes & Noble)
The Chaperone
by Laura Moriarty
A woman's journey of self-discovery while escorting a young dancer to New York City.
The Chaperone is a captivating novel about the woman who chaperoned an irreverent Louise Brooks to New York City in 1922 and the summer that would change them both. Only a few years before becoming a ... (Goodreads)
The Uncommon Reader
by Alan Bennett
A humorous look at the journey of a monarch who discovers the joy of reading.
The title's "uncommon reader" ( Queen Elizabeth II ) becomes obsessed with books after a chance encounter with a mobile library . The story follows the consequences of this obsession for the Queen, ... (Wikipedia)
Sister Carrie
by Theodore Dreiser
A young woman's journey of ambition, navigating the opportunities and pitfalls of urban life.
Late 1889. Dissatisfied with life in her rural Wisconsin home, 18-year-old Caroline "Sister Carrie" Meeber takes the train to Chicago , where her older sister Minnie, and Minnie's husband, Sven ... (Wikipedia)
The Crimson Petal and the White
by Michel Faber
A prostitute's journey of self-empowerment as she navigates the seedy underbelly of Victorian England.
Sugar, 19, prostitute in Victorian London, yearns for a better life. From brutal brothel-keeper Mrs Castaway, she ascends in society. Affections of self-involved perfume magnate William Rackham soon ... (Goodreads)
Etiquette & Espionage
by Gail Carriger
An orphaned teen discovers a secret world of manners and espionage while attending a finishing school.
Like the Parasol Protectorate books, Etiquette & Espionage is set in an alternate history version of Victorian era Britain where supernatural creatures such as vampires and werewolves are part of ... (Wikipedia)
Dombey and Son
by Charles Dickens
A tale of loss, hardship, and redemption as a man learns to value family and relationships.
The story concerns Paul Dombey, the wealthy owner of the shipping company of the book's title, whose dream is to have a son to continue his business. The book begins when his son is born and Dombey's ... (Wikipedia)
Lady Susan
by Jane Austen
A witty and manipulative widow manoeuvres her way through society to find suitable marriage prospects.
Beautiful, flirtatious, and recently widowed, Lady Susan Vernon seeks an advantageous second marriage for herself, while attempting to push her daughter into a dismal match. A magnificently crafted ... (Goodreads)
Affinity
by Sarah Waters
Gothic mystery of spiritual and romantic entanglement set in Victorian London.
An upper-class woman recovering from a suicide attempt, Margaret Prior has begun visiting the women’s ward of Millbank prison, Victorian London’s grimmest jail, as part of her rehabilitative charity ... (Goodreads)
A Dangerous Fortune
by Ken Follett
A tale of murder and intrigue set in 19th-century England, revealing a family's dark secrets.
In 1866, tragedy strikes at the exclusive Windfield School. A young student drowns in a mysterious accident involving a small circle of boys. The drowning and its aftermath initiates a spiraling ... (Goodreads)
Independence Day
by Richard Ford
A Midwestern family's struggles to hold on to their values in the face of economic hardship.
The novel follows Frank Bascombe, a New Jersey real estate agent (and ex-sportswriter), through the titular holiday weekend as he visits his ex-wife, his troubled son, his current lover, the tenants ... (Wikipedia)
Something Fresh
by P.G. Wodehouse
A comedic tale of mistaken identity and romance, as a young woman seeks independence.
Ashe Marson and his fellow lodger Joan Valentine discover that they both work as writers for the Mammoth Publishing Company . Joan urges Ashe to overcome his discontentment and take a fresh direction ... (Wikipedia)
In the Shadow of Young Girls in Flower
by Marcel Proust
A young man's coming of age in a world of high society, exploring the depths of his own heart.
In the Shadow of Young Girls in Flower is Proust’s spectacular dissection of male and female adolescence, charged with the narrator’s memories of Paris and the Normandy seaside. At the heart of the ... (Goodreads)
The Short Stories
by F. Scott Fitzgerald
A collection of short stories exploring the highs and lows of life in the Jazz Age.
Today, F. Scott Fitzgerald is known for his novels, but in his lifetime, his fame stemmed from his prolific achievement as one of America's most gifted (and best-paid) writers of stories and ... (Goodreads)
The Buddha of Suburbia
by Hanif Kureishi
A coming-of-age story of a young man's journey to find acceptance and identity in a multicultural Britain.
The Buddha of Suburbia is said to be very autobiographical. It is about Karim, a mixed-race teenager, who is desperate to escape suburban South London and to have new experiences in London in the ... (Wikipedia)
Venetia
by Georgette Heyer
A spirited young woman's thrilling adventure to win her true love.
The beautiful Venetia Lanyon, thanks to a reclusive and over-protective father, grew up in the country, away from the world with only her younger brother Aubrey, bookish and lame, for company. Her ... (Wikipedia)
Ruby
by V.C. Andrews
A family's secrets, unraveling of a dark past and the power of friendship.
In the heart of the bayou, Ruby Landry lives a simple, happy life. But innocence can't last forever... The only family Ruby Landry has ever known are her loving guardian, Grandmère Catherine, a Cajun ... (Goodreads)
Wives and Daughters
by Elizabeth Gaskell
A story of growth, love, and values in a rural English village.
The novel opens with young Molly Gibson, who has been raised by her widowed father, Dr. Gibson. During a visit to the local aristocratic 'great house' of Lord and Lady Cumnor, Molly loses her way in ... (Wikipedia)
The Bonfire of the Vanities
by Tom Wolfe
An ambitious Wall Street banker's moral downfall in New York City.
The story centers on Sherman McCoy, a successful New York City bond trader . His $3 million Park Avenue co-op , combined with his aristocratic wife's extravagances and other expenses required to keep ... (Wikipedia)
A Gate at the Stairs
by Lorrie Moore
An exploration of identity and belonging in the midst of cultural divides.
The novel's main character is Tassie Keltjin. At age 20, Keltjin is attending a major university identified only as the " Athens of the Midwest ." When the novel opens, she is looking for a job as a ... (Wikipedia)
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
by Anne Brontë
An exploration of 19th-century gender roles, revealing a woman's struggle for independence.
The novel is divided into three volumes. Part One (Chapters 1 to 15): Gilbert Markham narrates how a mysterious widow, Mrs Helen Graham, arrives at Wildfell Hall, a nearby mansion. A source of ... (Wikipedia)
The Magnificent Ambersons
by Booth Tarkington
The story of a family's rise and fall, and the changing landscape of a small town.
The story is set in a largely fictionalized version of Indianapolis, and much of it was inspired by the neighborhood of Woodruff Place . , , The novel and trilogy trace the growth of the United ... (Wikipedia)
Women in Love
by D.H. Lawrence
Two sisters explore their innermost desires as they search for true love and self-fulfillment.
Ursula and Gudrun Brangwen are sisters living in The Midlands in England in the 1910s. Ursula is a schoolteacher, Gudrun a painter. They meet two men who live nearby, school inspector Rupert Birkin ... (Wikipedia)
I am Charlotte Simmons
by Tom Wolfe
A young woman's experience navigating the social and academic pressures of college life.
I am Charlotte Simmons is the story of college student Charlotte Simmons's first semester-and-a-half at the prestigious Dupont University. A high school graduate from a poverty-stricken rural town, ... (Wikipedia)
A Man in Full
by Tom Wolfe
A portrait of Atlanta's elite and the racial and economic divides that plague society.
The setting is Atlanta, Georgia — a racially mixed, late-century boomtown full of fresh wealth and wily politicians. The protagonist is Charles Croker, once a college football star, now a ... (Goodreads)
Empire Falls
by Richard Russo
A small town's citizens struggle to find meaning and find their place in a rapidly changing world.
Set in the decaying, nearly bankrupt, small town of Empire Falls, Maine, this is the story of the unassuming manager of the Empire Grill, Miles Roby, who has spent his life in the town. The town, and ... (Wikipedia)
Falling Angels
by Tracy Chevalier
Family drama spanning three generations of two Victorian families in London.
In her New York Times bestselling follow-up, Tracy Chevalier once again paints a distant age with a rich and provocative palette of characters. Told through a variety of shifting perspectives- wives ... (Goodreads)
Capital
by John Lanchester
An exploration of the lives of a group of characters in London, revealing the dark side of modern capitalism.
Celebrated novelist John Lanchester (author of The Debt to Pleasure ) returns with an epic novel that captures the obsessions of our time. It’s 2008 and things are falling apart: Bear Stearns and ... (Goodreads)
Daniel Deronda
by George Eliot
Story of a man's struggle to reconcile his Jewish identity and the expectations of English society.
Daniel Deronda contains two main strains of plot, united by the title character. The novel begins in late August 1865 , with the meeting of Daniel Deronda and Gwendolen Harleth in the fictional town ... (Wikipedia)
Gentlemen and Players
by Joanne Harris
A tale of secrets and lies, as two men battle a deadly game of chess.
As the new school year starts in September, Roy Straitley is looking forward to his 100th term at St Oswald's, where he has been teaching for 33 years. Having never married, he lives alone and has ... (Wikipedia)
Decline and Fall
by Evelyn Waugh
A satirical comedy of manners, exploring the fall of an irresponsible young man in the British social class system.
Modest and unassuming theology student Paul Pennyfeather falls victim to the drunken antics of the Bollinger Club and is subsequently expelled from Oxford for running through the grounds of Scone ... (Wikipedia)
Vile Bodies
by Evelyn Waugh
A satirical look at the decadence of the Bright Young Things of the 1920s.
Adam Symes has a novel to finish and, with the proceeds, plans to marry Nina Blount. Returning from France, his manuscript is impounded as obscene by customs officers, while in the next room his ... (Wikipedia)
The Golden Bowl
by Henry James
Exploration of a marriage doomed by infidelity and hidden secrets.
Prince Amerigo, an impoverished but charismatic Italian nobleman, is in London for his marriage to Maggie Verver, only child of the widower Adam Verver, the fabulously wealthy American financier and ... (Wikipedia)
Belgravia
by Julian Fellowes
Intertwined stories of the wealthy and elite, whose lives become intertwined in a web of secrets and lies.
FROM THE CREATOR OF DOWNTON ABBEY The, New York Times, bestselling novel about scandalous secrets and star-crossed lovers On the evening of 15 June 1815, the great and the good of British society ... (Goodreads)
Captains Courageous
by Rudyard Kipling
The story of a rich boy who is shipwrecked and learns the value of hard work and integrity.
Protagonist Harvey Cheyne, Jr., is the son of a wealthy railroad magnate and his wife, in San Diego, California . Washed overboard from a transatlantic steamship and rescued by the crew of the ... (Wikipedia)
The Road to Wigan Pier
by George Orwell
Journey of social discovery, examining the struggles of working class life in 1930s England.
A searing account of George Orwell’s experiences of working-class life in the bleak industrial heartlands of Yorkshire and Lancashire, The Road to Wigan Pier is a brilliant and bitter polemic that ... (Goodreads)
The Winner's Curse
by Marie Rutkoski
A fantasy romance set in a world of warring empires, as two people from opposing sides fall in love.
Winning what you want may cost you everything you love... As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she ... (Goodreads)
Cotillion
by Georgette Heyer
A romantic comedy of manners, as an unsuspecting young woman navigates a world of intrigue.
Heroine Kitty Charing has been brought up in rural isolation by her rich and eccentric guardian, Matthew Penicuik (pronounced PENNY-cook), whom she calls Uncle Matthew. Uncle Matthew makes the ... (Wikipedia)
The End of Eddy
by Édouard Louis
Autobiographical novel revealing the oppression and social exclusion experienced by an impoverished rural French family.
The most talked-about European novel since My Struggle —a sexually frank, brutally honest coming-of-age story “Every morning in the bathroom I would repeat the same phrase to myself over and over ... (Goodreads)
Cakes and Ale
by W. Somerset Maugham
A satirical novel about the life of a successful writer, his scandalous past, and the literary world of the early 20th century.
The story is told by a first-person narrator and well-to-do author, William Ashenden, who, at the beginning of the novel is suddenly and unexpectedly contacted by Alroy Kear, a busybody literary ... (Wikipedia)
The Pursuit of Love
by Nancy Mitford
A family saga of love, loss, and desire in early 20th-century England.
The narrator is Fanny, whose mother (called "The Bolter" for her habit of serial monogamy) and father have left her to be brought up by her Aunt Emily and the valetudinarian Davey, whom Emily marries ... (Wikipedia)
The House at Tyneford
by Natasha Solomons
A story of forbidden love and self-discovery in the backdrop of a grand estate.
It's the spring of 1938 and no longer safe to be a Jew in Vienna. Nineteen-year-old Elise Landau is forced to leave her glittering life of parties and champagne to become a parlor maid in England. ... (Goodreads)
An Inspector Calls
by J.B. Priestley
Inspector calls to investigate a wealthy family's involvement in a young woman's death.
The action of the play occurs in an English industrial city, where a young girl commits suicide and an eminently respectable British family is subject to a routine inquiry in connection with the ... (Goodreads)
The Distance Between Us
by Kasie West
A teenage girl's journey of self-discovery as she navigates her conflicting emotions and class differences.
Money can't buy a good first impression. Seventeen-year-old Caymen Meyers learned early that the rich are not to be trusted. And after years of studying them from behind the cash register of her ... (Barnes & Noble)
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