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ONGOING - The best, most underrated novels that I have ever read. Some are by relatively unknown authors, and others are the forgotten masterpieces of some very well-known authors. In no particular order.
*There may be some spoilers, but I tried to keep it pretty innocuous*
5 items
5 items
Unknown - 2001
This book represents the entire Harry Potter Series. For those couple of you who don't know, the series revolves around an orphan boy that discovers that...Show more
This book represents the entire Harry Potter Series. For those couple of you who don't know, the series revolves around an orphan boy that discovers that he is secretly a wizard. I know, I know: How can one of the best selling books of all time be one of the most underrated? People are quick to dismiss the HP series as "just" a children's story or use its popularity as evidence of a lack of literary merit, but I think that it is much more than that. Would I place Ms. Rowling's writing prowess up with Charles Dickens's? No, but she did create a wonderfully complex, well thought out, and tightly executed story. Above all, she was a master of characterization, and, in that regard, I would compare her to Dickens. She has the ability to make readers emotionally connected with her characters in a way that other, more polished authors can only only dream of. For over a decade, people really cared about what happened to Harry and the gang because the characters had a life of their own. Perhaps I'm being overly sentimental, but I think that the world will be reading about Hogwarts for a long time to come.
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This book represents the entire Harry Potter Series. For those couple of you who don't know, the series revolves around an orphan boy that discovers that...Show more
This book represents the entire Harry Potter Series. For those couple of you who don't know, the series revolves around an orphan boy that discovers that he is secretly a wizard. I know, I know: How can one of the best selling books of all time be one of the most underrated? People are quick to dismiss the HP series as "just" a children's story or use its popularity as evidence of a lack of literary merit, but I think that it is much more than that. Would I place Ms. Rowling's writing prowess up with Charles Dickens's? No, but she did create a wonderfully complex, well thought out, and tightly executed story. Above all, she was a master of characterization, and, in that regard, I would compare her to Dickens. She has the ability to make readers emotionally connected with her characters in a way that other, more polished authors can only only dream of. For over a decade, people really cared about what happened to Harry and the gang because the characters had a life of their own. Perhaps I'm being overly sentimental, but I think that the world will be reading about Hogwarts for a long time to come.
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by Austen, Jane
Book - 1992
My favorite Jane Austen novel (and favorite novel in general) is Pride and Prejudice, but Northanger Abbey is a very close second. Briefly, the novel fol...Show more
My favorite Jane Austen novel (and favorite novel in general) is Pride and Prejudice, but Northanger Abbey is a very close second. Briefly, the novel follows Catherine, a huge fan of Gothic literature, who finds herself staying in an old country house. Needless to say, her imagination runs wild, and every little incident is infused with Gothic importance. Much of the entertainment in this novel comes from Austen's good natured jabs at the fun, but certainly ridiculous world of Gothic literature. To truly appreciate this novel, you should read it after reading something by Ms. Radcliffe, and I guarantee that it will make the experience that much more enjoyable. Catherine is a great heroine: smart and brave, even if she is a little prone to flights of fancy. Mr. Tilney is also a great love interest and by far the most humorous leading man in any of the Austen novels.
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My favorite Jane Austen novel (and favorite novel in general) is Pride and Prejudice, but Northanger Abbey is a very close second. Briefly, the novel fol...Show more
My favorite Jane Austen novel (and favorite novel in general) is Pride and Prejudice, but Northanger Abbey is a very close second. Briefly, the novel follows Catherine, a huge fan of Gothic literature, who finds herself staying in an old country house. Needless to say, her imagination runs wild, and every little incident is infused with Gothic importance. Much of the entertainment in this novel comes from Austen's good natured jabs at the fun, but certainly ridiculous world of Gothic literature. To truly appreciate this novel, you should read it after reading something by Ms. Radcliffe, and I guarantee that it will make the experience that much more enjoyable. Catherine is a great heroine: smart and brave, even if she is a little prone to flights of fancy. Mr. Tilney is also a great love interest and by far the most humorous leading man in any of the Austen novels.
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Book - 1983
Flann O'Brien is a modernist Irish writer and is the least well known of the big three modernist Irish writers: James Joyce, Samuel Beckett, and Flann O'B...Show more
Flann O'Brien is a modernist Irish writer and is the least well known of the big three modernist Irish writers: James Joyce, Samuel Beckett, and Flann O'Brien. However, in my opinion, O'Brien is by far the best. The Third Policeman is about a man who, after committing a murder, ends up in a two dimensional police station in a town full of people obsessed with bicycles. On top of that, the main character's soul (whom the main character names Joe) starts to talk to him of its own volition. It is confusing, nonsensical, and has some interesting ideas: namely that the world is in the shape of a sausage and that there is only one true direction. In short, The Third Policeman has all the elements of a great modernist novel, but it is more lighthearted and doesn't have an inflated sense of its own literary significance.
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Flann O'Brien is a modernist Irish writer and is the least well known of the big three modernist Irish writers: James Joyce, Samuel Beckett, and Flann O'B...Show more
Flann O'Brien is a modernist Irish writer and is the least well known of the big three modernist Irish writers: James Joyce, Samuel Beckett, and Flann O'Brien. However, in my opinion, O'Brien is by far the best. The Third Policeman is about a man who, after committing a murder, ends up in a two dimensional police station in a town full of people obsessed with bicycles. On top of that, the main character's soul (whom the main character names Joe) starts to talk to him of its own volition. It is confusing, nonsensical, and has some interesting ideas: namely that the world is in the shape of a sausage and that there is only one true direction. In short, The Third Policeman has all the elements of a great modernist novel, but it is more lighthearted and doesn't have an inflated sense of its own literary significance.
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Book - 2004
Edwin Drood is Dickens's last novel. It is about a young man who mysteriously disappears and the resulting search for him. The best and worst part about...Show more
Edwin Drood is Dickens's last novel. It is about a young man who mysteriously disappears and the resulting search for him. The best and worst part about this novel is that it has no ending: Dickens died before he finished it. So the reader never finds out what happened to poor Mr. Drood. This makes the novel a true mystery and allows the readers to form their own theories. It also makes the novel incredibly annoying if you're someone who likes to know things for certain. There is a theory out there (based off of a letter Dickens wrote to a friend explaining a new plot that he was thinking about), but there's no definitive answer. However, the part of the book that made it to paper is fantastic. The writing is wonderful, the characters are very interesting, and the atmosphere is intoxicating. One of the most amazing things about the narrative is Dickens's ability to make a cathedral a constant, brooding presence, even chapters after he last mentions it. Edwin Drood is also a great character and very amusing (if I were to create a "Literary Crushes" list, he would definitely be on it). Overall, despite the lack of closure, this novel is definitely worth a read.
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Edwin Drood is Dickens's last novel. It is about a young man who mysteriously disappears and the resulting search for him. The best and worst part about...Show more
Edwin Drood is Dickens's last novel. It is about a young man who mysteriously disappears and the resulting search for him. The best and worst part about this novel is that it has no ending: Dickens died before he finished it. So the reader never finds out what happened to poor Mr. Drood. This makes the novel a true mystery and allows the readers to form their own theories. It also makes the novel incredibly annoying if you're someone who likes to know things for certain. There is a theory out there (based off of a letter Dickens wrote to a friend explaining a new plot that he was thinking about), but there's no definitive answer. However, the part of the book that made it to paper is fantastic. The writing is wonderful, the characters are very interesting, and the atmosphere is intoxicating. One of the most amazing things about the narrative is Dickens's ability to make a cathedral a constant, brooding presence, even chapters after he last mentions it. Edwin Drood is also a great character and very amusing (if I were to create a "Literary Crushes" list, he would definitely be on it). Overall, despite the lack of closure, this novel is definitely worth a read.
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Book - 1992
Our Mutual Friend is one of my top five favorite novels and definitely my favorite Dickens novel. The main plot involves the murder of a young man coming...Show more
Our Mutual Friend is one of my top five favorite novels and definitely my favorite Dickens novel. The main plot involves the murder of a young man coming home to claim his inheritance. There are several very complicated plots of around 800 pages and about 50 named characters to keep track of, but this novel is worth the effort. For one thing, it's absolutely and consistently hilarious. For another, the characters show Dickens's characterization powers at their best. The people who populate this fictional London are perfectly balanced: bizarre enough to grab the readers' attention and come to life, but not so bizarre that they become unrealistic. Specifically, the character of Eugene Wrayburn is fantastic, and I would also add him to my "Literary Crushes" list.
Sometimes it takes a little bit of time to work out exactly what Dickens is talking about, but that is part of the fun. For example, there is one character named Twemlow, who is like a table: people see him, but no one really pays attention to him. Instead of telling us that Twemlow is like a table, Dickens describes him as a table, so it's not entirely clear at first whether we are reading about a person or a piece of furniture. I have recommended this book to four different people (including my friend who reads mostly modern novels of around 300 pages), and they have all loved it.
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Our Mutual Friend is one of my top five favorite novels and definitely my favorite Dickens novel. The main plot involves the murder of a young man coming...Show more
Our Mutual Friend is one of my top five favorite novels and definitely my favorite Dickens novel. The main plot involves the murder of a young man coming home to claim his inheritance. There are several very complicated plots of around 800 pages and about 50 named characters to keep track of, but this novel is worth the effort. For one thing, it's absolutely and consistently hilarious. For another, the characters show Dickens's characterization powers at their best. The people who populate this fictional London are perfectly balanced: bizarre enough to grab the readers' attention and come to life, but not so bizarre that they become unrealistic. Specifically, the character of Eugene Wrayburn is fantastic, and I would also add him to my "Literary Crushes" list.
Sometimes it takes a little bit of time to work out exactly what Dickens is talking about, but that is part of the fun. For example, there is one character named Twemlow, who is like a table: people see him, but no one really pays attention to him. Instead of telling us that Twemlow is like a table, Dickens describes him as a table, so it's not entirely clear at first whether we are reading about a person or a piece of furniture. I have recommended this book to four different people (including my friend who reads mostly modern novels of around 300 pages), and they have all loved it.
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