Looking for a novel that is considered one of the best of all time but is still readable for a 17 year old
Any time I pick up a book and try to get back into reading there are at least 10 words per page that I don’t understand nor do they seem reasonable for any average person to understand. Example: first 5 pages of Lolita.
What books have been assigned under these criteria have you enjoyed? That’s your starting point, since schools generally always have a handful of books for each grade that are assigned and considered “best of all time.”
MeghanClickYourHeels on
Alice in Wonderland.
ardizzlemynizzle on
The Count of Monte Cristo!! It’s incredible!
ConstantConfusion123 on
A Separate Peace
Catcher in the Rye
Fahrenheit 45
Lord of the Flies
Julie of the Wolves
The Call of the Wild
White Fang
The Giver
Anne of Green Gables
Give them a try! And if you don’t understand or don’t like a book, it’s ok to put it aside and try a different one. Or come back to it in a few years. Some books I tried again as an adult and liked better and/or understood better.
Material-Assist5657 on
Jane Eyre
grumbletoniangoat on
The Stand
Ratibron on
Watership Down
Shogun (and then watch the new series)
Dune (then watch the new movies)
YakSlothLemon on
The problem is that “average person” has changed dramatically. When I was in high school they expected us to read Dickens, Hardy, Eliot and Melville with no issue. When you say readable for a 17-year-old I presume you mean readable for you, and we are all trying to guess what that would be.
Lord of the Flies is an enduring classic that is generally taught at lower grades and is also a book that is part of an ongoing conversation, so it’s worth knowing what’s in it. To Kill a Mockingbird falls under the category as well, as does Catcher in the Rye. Any of them should be readable for you.
Bridgybabe on
There’s no such thing as ‘the best’ of anything, choices are all subjective. Read whatever takes your fancy and you’ll learn what you like.
Shinobu-Moo on
Maybe try The Stranger, Albert Camus? It is extremely straightforward. Camus’ most well-known book
Beneficial_Water_647 on
A more recent book that’s sure to be a classic is Remarkably Bright Creatures.
jimmyslaysdragons on
The Princess Bride. I read it at 16 and it remains my all-time favorite.
20 Comments
To Kill a Mockingbird
Of mice and men
Dune by Frank Herbert
Lord of the Rings by J.R.R Tolkien
1984
The A Wrinkle in Time series by Madeline L’Engle
The Hobbit
Carson McCullers, The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter
Kazuo Ishiguro, Never Let Me Go
Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughter-House Five
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
What books have been assigned under these criteria have you enjoyed? That’s your starting point, since schools generally always have a handful of books for each grade that are assigned and considered “best of all time.”
Alice in Wonderland.
The Count of Monte Cristo!! It’s incredible!
A Separate Peace
Catcher in the Rye
Fahrenheit 45
Lord of the Flies
Julie of the Wolves
The Call of the Wild
White Fang
The Giver
Anne of Green Gables
Give them a try! And if you don’t understand or don’t like a book, it’s ok to put it aside and try a different one. Or come back to it in a few years. Some books I tried again as an adult and liked better and/or understood better.
Jane Eyre
The Stand
Watership Down
Shogun (and then watch the new series)
Dune (then watch the new movies)
The problem is that “average person” has changed dramatically. When I was in high school they expected us to read Dickens, Hardy, Eliot and Melville with no issue. When you say readable for a 17-year-old I presume you mean readable for you, and we are all trying to guess what that would be.
Lord of the Flies is an enduring classic that is generally taught at lower grades and is also a book that is part of an ongoing conversation, so it’s worth knowing what’s in it. To Kill a Mockingbird falls under the category as well, as does Catcher in the Rye. Any of them should be readable for you.
There’s no such thing as ‘the best’ of anything, choices are all subjective. Read whatever takes your fancy and you’ll learn what you like.
Maybe try The Stranger, Albert Camus? It is extremely straightforward. Camus’ most well-known book
A more recent book that’s sure to be a classic is Remarkably Bright Creatures.
The Princess Bride. I read it at 16 and it remains my all-time favorite.