I’m (happily) at a point in my life when a video from Tristan and a cup of coffee is the ideal Friday night. Cheers guys, hope y’all are reading some good stuff
Exactly… I started reading couple of months back and while browsing through TH-cam for recommendations I came across Tristan and that’s it… Your presentation is absolutely fantastic, and I love the way you talk… your pronunciations are 🫀🫀🫀🫀
@@todesque It was the first modern novel and introduced many elements we still see today: comedic sidekick, buddy cop stories, meta fiction, etc. For that, I personally give it greatest novel status.
@@todesque I just got into the Russians the last 2 years and haven’t taken the W&P challenge yet. Can’t wait. Checkov is my favorite short story author.
My favourite big books: 🤎 Les Misérables 🤎 Notre-Dame de Paris 🤎 The Count of Monte Cristo 🤎 Anna Karenina 🤎 War & Peace 🤎 Don Quixote Love the topic & video! Can't wait to read more big books in 2024.
Lots of meanderings and descriptions that go on FOREVER. But I did end up enjoying it, in the end. It's one of those that I need to reread, now that I know what to expect.@@tristanandtheclassics6538
I’m reading War & Peace in Volume IV. Absolutely astonishing how much love I have for it. I already know I’ll read it again and again. Will most likely finish today. Do you have a recommendation on which to read next?
I just read Anna Karenina for the first time and WOW. I was left speechless at the end. I don’t know why I was intimidated by such a lengthy novel. What a beautiful, life-changing story.
@Tristanandtheclassics, Have you read "The Anna Karenina Fix" by Viv Groskop ? She wrote about most famous Russian writers and when it comes to Anna Karenina and War and Peace, it will have you in stitches. Poor Leo Tolstoy who turned his back on his two great masterpieces !
My absolute favorite novel. Beyond what he described, it is a book about Love in all its variations. Sisterly and brotherly love, romantic love, lust driven, fathers and children, etc.
Thank you so much for your advocacy for literature. It often feels like there are just a few of us left who love books, ideas, learning and discussing these texts in an educators and collegial manner. Your authentic passion for the value of reading is a light.
Right?! I have searched in vain for decent local book clubs, but they are dominated by people reading ditzy and trendy garbage from the NYT Bestseller list. Typically after trying a few pages I have an impulse to throw the book across the room.
1) Don Quixote 2)Women in White by W.Collins 3) The Mill in the Floss, G.Eliot 4) Count of Monte Cristo, Dumas 5) Anna Karenina 6) Vanity Fair, Thackeray 7) The Idiot, Dostoevsky 8) Moby Dick, Melville 9) Nicholas Nickleby, Dickens 10) Shakespeare's Histories
I’m 77 and have been fortunate to have read all these wonderful novels. My favorite, read four times, is Dumas’s “The Count of Monte Cristo “. Last month I read the first five of Shakespeare’s historical plays while listening to it enacted on TH-cam. What a most enjoyable way to do this. By the way, I really enjoyed this video and several others of yours.
@rachelmarks, I absolutely agree re: The Woman in White. It is now in my top ten books of all time. Anna Karenina on my TBR list and I am looking forward to it.
Tristan, you are such a wonderful and enthusiastic teacher. Listening to you is like being in a college classroom with your favorite professor of all time! thank you for all you do; you educate, encourage and stimulate our reading.
What a book! Apart from a short lull in the middle (which is necessary), it rattles along at a incredible pace. I love Dantes time imprisoned in Château d'If. 😀❤️
I recommend “Wuthering Heights”. It lingers, as does Hardy’s “Tess of the D’Urbervilles”. I’ve only read “Tess” once, and I both LOVE & LOATHE it! Highly recommend! I still shudder 25-years later at how emotionally evocative it is.
I discovered your channel only yesterday. As soon as I heard you read aloud, I knew you were the Booktuber for me and I had to subscribe! I've been watching/listening to your videos for hours now and the house I meant to tidy is still in ruins, the shortbread has not been made ,and I could not be happier. Your enthusiasm and lack of pretension is inspiring. Just how did you know that I actually have ALL of those on my bookshelf (and have for years) and yet have only managed to read The Count of Monte Cristo? (Am presently reading Anna Karenina). All of these long classics appeal to me, but I think The Idiot will be next on my list to read.(I just checked and I actually have 2 copies of it).
Ah, I have the Mollneax (?) and I didn't finish it. Must get the pb Grossman translation even though it is one of a few DQs in my parents library.....I wouldn't dare use that because of my habit of scribbling annotations....my books become virtually unreadable when I finish them 😮
Even though I am far from a child, my parents have a large sign on their library door that say:WELCOME TO USE ANY BOOK TO READ BUT DO NOT USE ANNOTATIONS OF ANY SORT ON THE PAGES . Well, that leaves me out ! 😅 Pity, because most are first edition or leather bound .....gorgeous but beyond my reach ! My "library" for want of a better word, consist of unreadable books....annotations on nearly every page. My books are books within books .
I usually can’t stand it when booktubers read excerpts from the books they recommend, but I really enjoyed your readings. I’m also interested in the books you recommended and added a few of them to my TBR. You have a new subscriber.
You mentioned The Mill on the Floss in another video. I found an old copy of it in a charity shop a couple weeks ago and am on page 301 today. Beautiful writing. A lovely read. Thank you!
Everything by Eliot is worth reading, read everything else before taking on her masterpiece, "Middlemarch". She is a wonderful writer for us fans of the big book. Enjoy your last pages of "The Mill on the Floss".
Thank you, Clare! This year I'm trying to read mostly classics. Some will be rereads, but mostly new reads. I believe I tried to read Middlemarch decades ago, but I think I was "too young" and was reading "more exciting" books. I'm really enjoying what I think you all call "slow" reads. Funny, I knew that Maggie would fall in love with Philip.....I can't wait too read what happens!@@battybibliophile-Clare
I am subscribing to as many channels like yours, which is superb. And I am trying to avoid anything pertaining to the nightmare that is america. Both for my mental health. Thank you so much Tristan. People like you make this world a better place.
What a video, what a channel! ❤ this brought peace to my soul that I needed so much. You made me question what videos are showing up on my feed. In the TH-cam world of sarcasm, complaining, fighting little ideological wars, this is a breath of fresh air. Thank you for your enthusiasm, I absolutely love this video and I’m looking forward to seeing more on your channel. 🎉❤🎉❤🎉
@@tristanandtheclassics6538 yeeey, thank you for commenting back :) we are so lucky be able to watch you! Happy New Year and wishing you joy in making videos in 2024 and in all other aspects of your life. Thank you 😊
Was happy to see Dostoyevsky on the list and 'The Idiot' deserves all the recognition as a classic however The Brothers Karamazov I'd honestly say was his masterpiece!
The Idiot is the only Dostovesky novel I have not read, but it is on my TBR list for this year. Goodness knows why I missed The Idiot because I do have it on my shelves.
I'm on my road to reading all the classics. I'm on 100 years of solitude, and I have 4 of these in my queue. Now I have a good reference.point. Thank you.
I just happened upon this video and feel I have found a kindred spirit. I have read several of your recommendations while at university, but now that I have more time to devote to truly enjoying them, I'm planning a re-read. Thank you for inspiring me.
What a wonderful channel! Absolutely inspiring, comforting and uplifting. Thank you for the work you put into it. You’re quite eloquent in speaking of literature, and you would be perfect for any audiobook narration! I might even learn to like audiobooks, if you were to do so.
I wish I had any other plays by our Bard for 'O' and 'A' levels. For the former it was Romeo and Juliet and for the latter it was Anthony and Cleopatra. Weird but after so many years the only thing I remember from A&C is "Age cannot wither her nor stale her infinite vatiety" 😅 Wish we had my favourite: Hamlet.
Dostoevsky's The Idiot is definitely an underrated novel! I think Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov are greater works, but The Idiot is only a few notches below. It's about the holy fool in Eastern Orthodox including Russian Orthodox life and theology. Western Christianities have tended to focus on propositional arguments for God, but Eastern Christianities see a person as no less an argument for God as a proposition. In any case, the fact that Dostoevsky produced so many great works (and Notes from Underground and Demons deserve mention in the same breath as The Idiot) is a reflection of his artistic genius.
I read the Count of Monte Cristo in 6th grade … in French! Took us all year. BTW I lived in Illinois, U.S.A. and only had one year of French at that time. Great list, plus some of the commenters added more….plan to start reading today!
In my youth, I read and re-read many times some scenes of the Comte de Monte-Cristo (in particular all the dialogues between Edmond Dantés and the Abbé Faria), but from a French perspective, I believe two huge Himalayas of our literature are to be added to this list : Les Misérables of course, and A la recherche du temps perdu, both classics, both very long, both mesmerizing… And if I may, also Les Essais from Montaigne.
As an Italian, I wasn't familiar with a couple of books in the list. Though, the Count of Montecristo was the most impressive and shocking book I read in high school to the point that I still remember the main events of the plot. Nice list and awesome video!
I like the addition of reading excerpts from the books mentioned. It gives me a sense of the author's voice and taste of their prose and/or dialogue, which can make or break a novel for me. Having that small taste of, say, Shakespeare's Histories, I definitely am more interested in reading them (when I catch up with my other reading). But as far as those on this list that are the most immediately appealing, Moby Dick wins. Have only read the opening chapter a few months ago, and about every other line in it is better than the one before. "(...) Whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul (...)" "This is my substitute for pistol and ball." "Were Niagara but a cataract of sand, would you travel your thousand miles to see it?" "The act of paying is perhaps the most uncomfortable infliction that the two orchard thieves entailed upon us." And other longer passages just as good. And that just within 4 pages. I'm gonna like this book once I get around to it.
I loved this video as I am a great advocate of the big, chunky book, novel, book of poems, plays or nonfiction. I haven't read The Idiot, but have recently read The Brothers Karamazov and am half way throught Crime and Punishment. I have put the Idiot on my TBR now. I realised that it is decades since I read any Thackeray, so shall revisit his novels in 2024. You managed to cover all my favourites, including Shakesperare. My 2023 reading project was reading all the plays of Shakespeare in the order they were written. It was enlightening to see how Shakespeare grew as a playwright. I think some of his history plays are amongst his best work. I love your edition of Sgakespeare.
Woman in White! Soooo good. It’s a mystery, a romance, a thriller. My dog-eared copy has been passed on to multiple friends. I always have them sign the inside cover afterward. It’s fun to look back at who’s read it. It got me hooked on Collins and I’ve read several, but this one remains my favorite of his.
" Just a single man, Fyodor Dostoevsky, is enough to defeat all the creative novelists of the world. If one has to decide on 10 great novels in all the languages of the world, one will have to choose at least 3 novels of Dostoevsky in those 10. Dostoevsky’s insight into human beings and their problems is greater than your so-called psychoanalysts, and there are moments where he reaches the heights of great mystics. His book BROTHERS KARAMAZOV is so great in its insights that no BIBLE or KORAN or GITA comes close. In another masterpiece of Dostoevsky, THE IDIOT, the main character is called ‘idiot’ by the people because they can’t understand his simplicity, his humbleness, his purity, his trust, his love. You can cheat him, you can deceive him, and he will still trust you. He is really one of the most beautiful characters ever created by any novelist. The idiot is a sage. The novel could just as well have been called THE SAGE. Dostoevsky’s idiot is not an idiot; he is one of the sanest men amongst an insane humanity. If you can become the idiot of Fyodor Dostoevsky, it is perfectly beautiful. It is better than being cunning priest or politician. Humbleness has such a blessing. Simplicity has such benediction.".
I read Doestoevsky's CRIME AND PUNISHMENT , not as long as the IDIOT, but the writing subtly and repeatedly juxtaposes the same notions , the ethical and the avarice .
@willieluncheonette, Love Dostoevsky and have just one more book to finish all his novels. Let's put out heads together on an issue that has perplexed me and I am not sure if I am making a mountain out of a mile hill. When Father Zosima does and is in his coffin there is a lot being said about the "stench" that is coming from him. as a medic I am aware that a corpse smells, but so did the Russians. Anyway, the fact that the stench is so quickly perceived and it is regarded as a mere nuisance makes me wonder if there is a hidden meaning. Was the priest as good as he was thought to be ? Well, there are so many unanswered questions in all of Dostoevsky 's novels that it makes me re-read and wonder about his "puzzles". My last Dostoevsky novel left is "The Idiot" and it is in my TBR list so, looking forward to it along with all my other brick-sized books 😊 Please excuse UTube typos but they are getting very annoying. Regards.
My sisters and I love the Indian novel A Suitable Boy. It is a wonderful story of a female literature student in 1950s India and whether she will pick the boy she loves or 1 of 2 possible arranged marriages. The author includes a little poem in the preface apologizing for "straining the wrists" of readers holding this large and heavy book.
If anyone could get me to read Shakespeare besides Kenneth Branagh, it would be you. You should be doing audio books. Your voice and inflections are perfect for that. I would listen forever.
I'm surprised that you didn't include Les Misérables, as it's one of the greatest, if not the greatest books of all time. It's my personal favourite, and for a good reason. Would recommend to anyone 👍
Fantastic. I've read most of your top 10. The Adventures of Nicholas Nickelby is possibly my favorite in the Dickens canon (Tale of Two Cities close behind). Vanity Fair is one of my all-time favorite novels and no one ever discusses it. And Mill on the Floss--a perfect novel. That final scene is so cinematic for a time when movies didn't exist! To make it a dozen, I would add: Les Miserables and Middlemarch.
Tristan, this is a terrific list of recommendations! You are such a trustworthy guide to and through the world of great literature. I’ve read four of the books on your list, and am set to read The Mill on the Floss with a group of friends in January, and enthusiastically agree with your choices presented in this video! And may I also add my voice to several of the other commenters here and say that you are a wonderful narrator!!
I have just discovered your channel and am hooked! I know there will be much to live in delving into your backlist of posts. Your love of reading shines through and is inspiring.
Happiest that I found your channel!! I had these books described by so many booktubers and articles on Google, that I lost count. Yours, though, are filled with magic! This is why I love youtube. I can stumble upon gems like your channel.
I have disregarded Anna Karenina before, when others have mentioned it. When I heard the excerpt, it took my breath away. It’s now next on my list. Thanks.
Downloaded The Woman in White to my Kindle after watching this video and I have been reading it all day. You'r assessment is accurate. This book hooked me from the first page.
My favorites are: The Count of Monte Cristo Les Miserables Middlemarch Bleak House Dombey and Son Anna Karenina The next biggie I will read is The Woman in White. 😊
I re-read Les Miserables and enjoyed it so much more than when I was a teenager; same goes for The Count of Monte Christi (1315 pages). Now the rest of my brick books are threatening me with eyestrain: Middlemarch; Don Quixote; East of Eden;The Divine Comedy; Anna Karenina; a d other books with fewer pages but still long: No Name; Armadale; Man and Wife; those with less than 700 pages are puny 😅 but inbetweenies ! Honestly, re-reading some of the very long classics gives me a sense of accomplishment because they seem so much much enjoyable. Gosh, I wish I could say the same for two brick books that are constantly 'touch and go' : War and Peace, and my nemesis: Ulysses by James Joyce ! Hey ho, back to work.
I love love love Wilkie Collins’ Woman in White. I find myself taking it down from my bookshelf over and over again. I also love The Moonstone (and the Robinson Crusoe references … chef’s kiss) 😂❤❤
You are so right on Moby Dick. I had to battle through that book but the last 100 pages flew by and I really did feel something profound when I finished it. Great channel.
So many great gems here! Some I’ve read, others are waiting on my shelves. I’m so glad you started with the Don! He’s a New Year’s resolution of mine for 2024.
Spot on about Shakespeare’s histories and the music of his language. Richard II is my absolute favorite of all his plays: For God’s sake, let us sit upon the ground And tell sad stories of the death of kings- How some have been deposed, some slain in war, Some haunted by the ghosts they have deposed, Some poisoned by their wives, some sleeping killed- All murdered: for within the hollow crown That rounds the mortal temples of a king Keeps Death his court; and there the antic sits, Mocking his state and grinning at his pomp, Allowing him a space, a little scene To monarchize, be feared, and kill with looks, Infusing him with self and vain conceit, As though this flesh which walls about our life Were brass impregnable; and humored thus, Comes at the end, and with a little pin Bores through his castle wall, and-farewell, King!
I've been reading various "classics" for a few years now, to see why they are considered classics. A few comments: 1. The Woman in White is just great. It makes Agatha Christie look like an amateur. 2. If you want a lighthearted Dickens, try The Pickwick Papers. It's a hoot! 3. Lorna Doone by RD Blackmore is great. 4. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is very thought provoking. 5. The one that has surprised me the most is Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Forget everything you know of this story from the movies, it's nothing like it. The "monster" is intelligent, articulate and kind in heart but not accepted because of his appearance. An excellent story.
You can talk about books in such a passionate way, it is much appreciated 😊! The woman in white was one of my favorites this year and I want to reread it ever since. The same goes for The count. All the other ones are one my tbr, so I can’t wait to read them. The first big one will be Les Miserables though. I heard such great things about it!
They are all appealing to me worth re-reading, as I read the big novels when I was very young and books were our entertainment. I so enjoy your videos and advocacy for reading great books.
I think any of Dostoevsky's great novels could have made this list, but I'm overjoyed to see The Idiot getting some well deserved love, what a perfect novel! Anna Karenina, The Count of Monte Christo and Don Quixote are all favourites of mine too! ☺️
Love how the first book is Don Quijote. I did a screenplay transporting it from 16th century Spain to 18th American-Mexican border as a western. One of my favorite books.
Of your ten, I am lucky enough to have read 5. Years ago, I enjoyed reading “Vanity Fair”. Unfortunately, I can only recall that Becky Sharp was a master manipulator at the center of a web of society intrigues and also the fun term “nabobs” for elite movers and shakers. Thanks for the plot recaps.
Count of Monte Crisco is one of my favs. Imagine my surprise when I picked up "Camille" Hard to believe the same author wrote BOTH. Camille is short and easy to read.
My grandmother's favourite book was Camille and she adored the film adaptation with Robert Taylor and Great Garbo. Personally, I never read the book or saw the film on TV (if it was shown) at point !
@@apollonia6656 I had only seen the film until I actually read the book. The book is written in a somewhat journal type of entry. The basic facts are in the film but the film is really foreign (to me) after you read the book. Interesting that a "remake" has never been done.
All the novels of Robert Hugh Benson chronicling the devastation of the Protestant Rebellion are gripping and tragic. But the best for a winter's night, Sigrid Undset, the Norwegian novelist. Most are set in Christian Norway, but one, Gunner's Daughter, depicts a woman in the pre-Christian era, in the revenge culture, and how she slays her father's killers and must flee on skis through a raging snow storm with her baby at her breast. It is just unbearable excitement, and you will never be able to forget this heroine.
Her father was a well-reputed archeologist and expert in Norway's early history, and Sigrid was his assistant for many years. Thus her details of culture and technology are authentic. This, and then the writing! Let me know if Gunnar's Daughter makes your list!@@tristanandtheclassics6538
I have read all of these (sometimes few times) except that I have never managed to get all the way through Moby Dick or Don Quixote. I am putting them on my 2024 list and will see if I can push my way through Don Quixote and Moby Dick. Thanks for great suggestions! I read all of thee Shakespeare plays during two semesters of seminars at University, but not since. I am looking forward to reading or listening to them again.
Moby Dick does make you work. I find that the trial it puts you through gives you a sympathy of state with the crew of the Pequod. Whether Melville meant to do this, I don't know, but the effect is remarkable. Shakespeare's works are always new. Every time I read them I feel a sense of wonder at how much more beautiful the speech is compared to how I remembered it.
Moby Dick has defeated me several times. I once got about 1/3 or 1/4 through. I'm so mad at myself that I chose to give up. I could've been done with it. Instead, it haunts me. I have got to conquer that darned book before I die!@@tristanandtheclassics6538
I like this list. I'm glad you included "The Mill on the Floss" instead of say, "Middlemarch." Although I like Eliot's other works, "The Mill on the Floss" is my absolute favorite of hers, particularly because of its ending. In fact, you include another book on this list that I rank with "The Mill on the Floss" as containing what I consider one of the most memorable endings ever, and that is "Moby Dick." Another novel in which its ending has forever haunted me is Hermann Hesse's "The Glass Bead Game." I love great books with stories that stay with me, but ones with endings that take me by surprise are the best. Thanks for sharing, Tristan!
Hi, Tristan! Thank you for another great video. I'm so glad you started with Don Quixote. I've had an unread copy sitting on my bookshelves for years, and now you've got me thinking that perhaps 2024 will be the year I finally pick it up. I also want to say thank you for reigniting my interest in reading the classics. I've just launched a BookTube channel, and I mention your channel as a new favorite discovery. Your content is greatly appreciated!
My book club is starting to read War and Peace in Jan. Great book and easy to read (vs .e.g Dostoyevsky). Just print out a list of characters to refer to so you can keep track (some go by 3 different names i.e. family name, first name and nickname)
For some unknown reason I cannot see myself to ever read War and Peace. I tried to do so in my early teens and later without success. It is a case of mental b!ock.....doesn't make sense that I have such a sily fear (a bit dramatic) of it. Another mental block: Pickwick Papers, not a lengthy book by any means but my mind wavers. Oh,forgot to mention Moby Dick. I cannot read it because of the cruelty of killing a whale. I hate any form of cruelty to animals. Read all of Dostoyevsky books and loved them all. TWIW.is absolutely brilliant, a must.
@@apollonia6656 I recommend you try again. I put it aside at around 100 pages a few times (so many disconnected characters), but when I eventually got past that, I loved it and have now read it three times; though I consider Anna K to be his better book. The first meeting of Prince Andrei and Natasha at the ball is just exquisite writing.
@joelee, I will, at some point, have to read W&P , but my TBR 2024 list is now over 64 books and 70% are over 800 pages long ! Silly me started reading the ones between 220- 769 pages too soon. I should have mixed them up between the brick -sized ones 🙄
I loved The Woman In White, though I didn't think of it as a particularly long book. I haven't read it for a few years, but I might do soon. I've always had a resistance to Vanity Fair and Anna Karenina (because women who transgress usually die in the last chapter). However, Nicholas Nickleby sounds quite appealing, so I'll add that to my list! :) The Folio Complete Works of Shakespeare sat in my bookcase for more than 25 years before I sold them. I realised that although I love to watch the Bard, I don't really get much from reading his work on the page. So now I'm building a wee collection of DVDs!
@@careyatchison1348 I'd probably recommend Moonstone even before WiW, the latter has more romance, the former is closer to what we think of a crime mystery. Both are eminently readable and I'd also not have classified them as extraordinarily long (cf. to War & Peace or Brothers Karamazov).
@@apollonia6656 I read a number of Collins' other books on my Kindle (I have TWIW and The Moonstone as physical books). It probably says something about my reaction to reading on a screen, but I can't actually remember much about them!
I've read Anna Karenina, The Woman in White, Vanity Fair, Count of Monte Cristo and loved them all. And although I've read other works of Dikkens and Dostoyevsky, but not these ones. Thank you for this list. I must say I wanted to read Moby Dick for a long time but was intimidated not by the length, but the notorious difficulty, which everyone implies. I will definitely give it a try.
i grinned to see that two of my faves were on your list. I read Moby Dick and The Count of Montecristo last year and though they were "taxing" and "arduous" at times, they were well worth the time and patience required to read them. So glad I did. I've added Don Quixote and Anna Karenina to my list of books to read. Thanks!
I'm going to read Bleak House this winter for the first time, as I suspect that's another Dickens classic that is sadly relevant today. And I've heard Donna Tartt (who is obsessed with detail) rave about its portrayal of London at the time. Funny, I had just added Vanity Fair to my winter reading list. Now I'm going to get The Mill on the Floss as well. New to your channel here and enjoying it immensely, especially at bedtime once I'm too tired to read anymore!
Nice to make your acquaintance, Patricia. Bleak House is an excellent book. London is the main character in Dickens' works. Hope you enjoy it, as well as The Mill on the Floss.
Bleak House has everything in it. Great characters, social commentary, a mystery and the first great detective Bucket. Humor, great descriptions, and an ending to remember.
- Don Quixote is the “first” and one of the greatest novels of all time. It’s quirky though. - The Count of Monte Cristo is a breeze to read. - Moby-Dick is absolutely engrossing even through choppy waters! - One of the longest books I’ve read is “Papillon” by Henri Charrière who was sent to a penal colony in French Guyana. Fascinating “true” story which is truly unputdownable!
After watching the film with Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman I bought the book and enjoyed it so much. Admittedly, adaptations are so often a disappointment and some are even catastrophical. The definitive adaptation of Great Expectations is, imho, is the Sir David Lean (he was a Sir then) film. Thank goodness he left out (via edditing) a number of boring pieces : the Pocket family and the kidnapping of Pip !
@@apollonia6656 - I haven’t watched David Lean’s “Great Expectations” (1946) and “Oliver Twist” (1948) in ages. They’re on FreeVee so I’ll watch them soon. - Charles Dickens is a towering figure in literature along with Shakespeare and Tolstoy for their wide range. The little Charles Dickens museum (former home) is near the British Museum in London.
@RamZar, You cannot go wrong with these two Lean adaptations. Oliver Twist was banned in America for a long time because lot was considered antisemitic ie the way (Sir) Alex Guinness portrayed Fagin. I love both GE and OT by DL.
The Mill on the Floss is a beautifully crafted novel. I would happily read it again. Middlemarch and Silas Marner are excellent too. You have great taste in books! The Count of Monte Cristo and Vanity Fair are classics, I thoroughly enjoyed them. I’ve read Dickens and Dostoevsky but not the titles mentioned here (crime and punishment & great expectations were the ones I read) 😊
Marvellous list, I totally agree about Shakespeare’s language, I think it was reading his plays and sonnets that gave me a real appreciation of the power of words, of how delicious they can be and how important they are. It also, unfortunately, made me intolerant of modern slang but that’s probably because I don’t understand much of it. Language is useless if it conveys nothing whatever! I haven’t read “Vanity Fair” so, thank you for the recommendation !
Fantastic recommendations! I recently got the second of the Doubleday Complete Works of Shakespeare and you really inspired me to crack it open to some of the histories. Also: the passages you read from each book were just fantastic and clearly chosen with great care; absolutely wonderful :3
I second the recommendation of Shakespeare's Histories. Everyone seems familiar with his Tragedies, Comedies, and the Roman Histories of Julius Caesar and Antony & Cleopatra; but I think folks see the long list of English Monarchs and make the assumption that it is dry reading. I did not read them until I was in college, and they are very powerful and memorable! My favorites are Richard III and Henry V.
My best friend and I have been reading classics lately. We enjoyed "The Count of Monte Cristo" and "Anna Karenina" very much. We break the book into sections then email each other about the reading. I think we will try "Vanity Fair" soon. You are a delight!
I've nearly finished reading all of Shakespeare's works. I have only two plays left (Timon and As You Like It) and I like the histories best out of his works, especially the Henry IV plays. I like The Count of Monte Cristo and heartily recommend it (though both my copies are over 1000 pages). I read Don Quixote last year and thought it was hilarious. Of your list, I haven't read Mill on the Floss, Woman in White, Nicholas Nickelby (though I've seen miniseries adaptations of all three), or The Idiot. One nice thing about reading a long book is that you don't have to worry about what you're going to read next for a while.
Hi Tristan. I have never heard you mention the Elena Ferrante quadrology My Brilliant Friend. This is a modern classic I would hate you to miss out on. Once the characters get into your heart they’ll never let go.
Today, I completed my acquisition of the 10 greatest books of literature! Of the 10, I owned 3, borrowed 1 from the library and bought the others. Don Quixote is my favorite, but I look forward to enjoying the others! I have heard you speak of Middlemarch and Ulysses so I decided to add those to the group. As we are expecting a big snow here in New York, I will have plenty to read! Thank you for the interesting videos and happy reading!
I’m (happily) at a point in my life when a video from Tristan and a cup of coffee is the ideal Friday night. Cheers guys, hope y’all are reading some good stuff
That's the cheesiest thing I've heard all week. Thanks, Severian. I wish you a joyous weekend. 😊
@@tristanandtheclassics6538😊
Lol 😂 a great transition from my virtual workplace on the computer to the weekend and quality reading time.
Exactly… I started reading couple of months back and while browsing through TH-cam for recommendations I came across Tristan and that’s it… Your presentation is absolutely fantastic, and I love the way you talk… your pronunciations are 🫀🫀🫀🫀
Well said!
A long book doesn’t seem long if it’s interesting while a 200 page book can seem interminable if it’s boring.
Ha! Truer words were never spoken.
Yes. I’ve DNF’d more shorter books than longer books.
Amen!
I’m 72. My time is limited. If the book is boring, I pitch it.
Truer words haven't been spoken
I can literally read LOTR in 3 days, but not a 300 page geography academic book
Don Quixote is not only worth reading, it’s worth RE-reading! Greatest book of all time.
Very true 👍
@BigPhilly15 Certainly the funniest book of all time. The greatest? That's a tough sell.
@@todesque It was the first modern novel and introduced many elements we still see today: comedic sidekick, buddy cop stories, meta fiction, etc. For that, I personally give it greatest novel status.
@@BigPhilly15 I hear you, my good man, and you're making very valid points. To me, however, WAR AND PEACE is greater and deeper.
@@todesque I just got into the Russians the last 2 years and haven’t taken the W&P challenge yet. Can’t wait. Checkov is my favorite short story author.
I love listening to a person talking elegantly about books that they adore. Thank you for this.
My favourite big books:
🤎 Les Misérables
🤎 Notre-Dame de Paris
🤎 The Count of Monte Cristo
🤎 Anna Karenina
🤎 War & Peace
🤎 Don Quixote
Love the topic & video! Can't wait to read more big books in 2024.
Oh, forgot The Lord of the Rings! ;)
That's a strong list. Though I've never actually read Les Miserables. Shocking, I know, but I hope to rectify that this year. 😀❤️
Lots of meanderings and descriptions that go on FOREVER. But I did end up enjoying it, in the end. It's one of those that I need to reread, now that I know what to expect.@@tristanandtheclassics6538
@@tristanandtheclassics6538 Ah, my heart 🫣 Haha. I hope you'll be able to read it one day.
I’m reading War & Peace in Volume IV. Absolutely astonishing how much love I have for it. I already know I’ll read it again and again. Will most likely finish today. Do you have a recommendation on which to read next?
I just read Anna Karenina for the first time and WOW. I was left speechless at the end. I don’t know why I was intimidated by such a lengthy novel. What a beautiful, life-changing story.
It's spectacular, isn't it!
@@willieluncheonette5843 Small?
@Tristanandtheclassics,
Have you read "The Anna Karenina Fix" by Viv Groskop ? She wrote about most famous Russian writers and when it comes to Anna Karenina and War and Peace, it will have you in stitches. Poor Leo Tolstoy who turned his back on his two great masterpieces !
My absolute favorite novel. Beyond what he described, it is a book about Love in all its variations. Sisterly and brotherly love, romantic love, lust driven, fathers and children, etc.
Spectacular, indeed! So happy you mentioned it! Tolstoy is a master!
Thank you so much for your advocacy for literature. It often feels like there are just a few of us left who love books, ideas, learning and discussing these texts in an educators and collegial manner. Your authentic passion for the value of reading is a light.
Right?! I have searched in vain for decent local book clubs, but they are dominated by people reading ditzy and trendy garbage from the NYT Bestseller list. Typically after trying a few pages I have an impulse to throw the book across the room.
1) Don Quixote
2)Women in White by W.Collins
3) The Mill in the Floss, G.Eliot
4) Count of Monte Cristo, Dumas
5) Anna Karenina
6) Vanity Fair, Thackeray
7) The Idiot, Dostoevsky
8) Moby Dick, Melville
9) Nicholas Nickleby, Dickens
10) Shakespeare's Histories
Thanks for the written list.
Your reading is simply mesmerizing! You've got the best voice for an audio book. I could listen to you for hours 😊
I thought that myself as I heard the readings of the different books.
Exactly! He would make an excellent audiobook reader!
I’m 77 and have been fortunate to have read all these wonderful novels. My favorite, read four times, is Dumas’s “The Count of Monte Cristo “.
Last month I read the first five of Shakespeare’s historical plays while listening to it enacted on TH-cam. What a most enjoyable way to do this.
By the way, I really enjoyed this video and several others of yours.
I just read The Count. I can't believe how consistently amazing it is throughout. Definitely one I'll re-read throughout my life.
Wuthering Heights has a special place in my heart.
The Woman in White does not get enough love!! So good! I'm currently just about halfway through Anna Karenina and loving it.
@rachelmarks,
I absolutely agree re: The Woman in White. It is now in my top ten books of all time.
Anna Karenina on my TBR list and I am looking forward to it.
Tristan, you are such a wonderful and enthusiastic teacher. Listening to you is like being in a college classroom with your favorite professor of all time! thank you for all you do; you educate, encourage and stimulate our reading.
You speak about them with such passion I want to read them all!
I'm relatively new to classics, The Count of Monte Cristo is definitely top of my tbr.
What a book! Apart from a short lull in the middle (which is necessary), it rattles along at a incredible pace. I love Dantes time imprisoned in Château d'If. 😀❤️
I am enjoying the Count in bite sized readings. 😊
Oh yes, one of the best books I’ve ever read, and I enjoy rereading it every now and then :)
Happy reading, and I love your user-name! The Outsiders is one of my favourite books 😊👌
I recommend “Wuthering Heights”. It lingers, as does Hardy’s “Tess of the D’Urbervilles”. I’ve only read “Tess” once, and I both LOVE & LOATHE it! Highly recommend! I still shudder 25-years later at how emotionally evocative it is.
I discovered your channel only yesterday. As soon as I heard you read aloud, I knew you were the Booktuber for me and I had to subscribe! I've been watching/listening to your videos for hours now and the house I meant to tidy is still in ruins, the shortbread has not been made ,and I could not be happier. Your enthusiasm and lack of pretension is inspiring. Just how did you know that I actually have ALL of those on my bookshelf (and have for years) and yet have only managed to read The Count of Monte Cristo? (Am presently reading Anna Karenina). All of these long classics appeal to me, but I think The Idiot will be next on my list to read.(I just checked and I actually have 2 copies of it).
Tristan, your videos are such a salve for my knackered old soul!
A couple of my personal favourites:
• The Eustace Diamonds by Anthony Trollope
• Middlemarch by George Eliot
Mrs Cadwallader!!
Don Quixote is my nemesis. I’ve tried several translations. Eventually, I read the children’s board book and called it finished.😂
Not sure if you've tried the Edith Grossman version, but it's what my professor selected for us, and it was so lively without sounding too modern.
Edith grossman’s is the best translation I’ve read
Ah, I have the Mollneax (?) and I didn't finish it.
Must get the pb Grossman translation even though it is one of a few DQs in my parents library.....I wouldn't dare use that because of my habit of scribbling annotations....my books become virtually unreadable when I finish them 😮
Me too 😂!!! Tried time and time again. To no avail 😅
Even though I am far from a child, my parents have a large sign on their library door that say:WELCOME TO USE ANY BOOK TO READ BUT DO NOT USE ANNOTATIONS OF ANY SORT ON THE PAGES .
Well, that leaves me out ! 😅 Pity, because most are first edition or leather bound .....gorgeous but beyond my reach !
My "library" for want of a better word, consist of unreadable books....annotations on nearly every page. My books are books within books .
You're an excellent presenter. I'm challenging myself to read more classics in 2024 and you've given me a great starting point.
I usually can’t stand it when booktubers read excerpts from the books they recommend, but I really enjoyed your readings. I’m also interested in the books you recommended and added a few of them to my TBR. You have a new subscriber.
You mentioned The Mill on the Floss in another video. I found an old copy of it in a charity shop a couple weeks ago and am on page 301 today. Beautiful writing. A lovely read. Thank you!
Everything by Eliot is worth reading, read everything else before taking on her masterpiece, "Middlemarch". She is a wonderful writer for us fans of the big book. Enjoy your last pages of "The Mill on the Floss".
Thank you, Clare! This year I'm trying to read mostly classics. Some will be rereads, but mostly new reads. I believe I tried to read Middlemarch decades ago, but I think I was "too young" and was reading "more exciting" books. I'm really enjoying what I think you all call "slow" reads. Funny, I knew that Maggie would fall in love with Philip.....I can't wait too read what happens!@@battybibliophile-Clare
@@straycat4427 I'm sure you will like it on your next reread.
I am subscribing to as many channels like yours, which is superb.
And I am trying to avoid anything pertaining to the nightmare that is america.
Both for my mental health.
Thank you so much Tristan. People like you make this world a better place.
What a video, what a channel! ❤ this brought peace to my soul that I needed so much. You made me question what videos are showing up on my feed. In the TH-cam world of sarcasm, complaining, fighting little ideological wars, this is a breath of fresh air. Thank you for your enthusiasm, I absolutely love this video and I’m looking forward to seeing more on your channel. 🎉❤🎉❤🎉
Wow! Thank you Lenka. I can't tell you how appreciative I am of such a lovely comment. Encouragement like yours keeps me going.😀❤️
@@tristanandtheclassics6538 yeeey, thank you for commenting back :) we are so lucky be able to watch you! Happy New Year and wishing you joy in making videos in 2024 and in all other aspects of your life. Thank you 😊
Was happy to see Dostoyevsky on the list and 'The Idiot' deserves all the recognition as a classic however The Brothers Karamazov I'd honestly say was his masterpiece!
The Idiot is the only Dostovesky novel I have not read, but it is on my TBR list for this year.
Goodness knows why I missed The Idiot because I do have it on my shelves.
I'm on my road to reading all the classics. I'm on 100 years of solitude, and I have 4 of these in my queue. Now I have a good reference.point. Thank you.
I just happened upon this video and feel I have found a kindred spirit. I have read several of your recommendations while at university, but now that I have more time to devote to truly enjoying them, I'm planning a re-read. Thank you for inspiring me.
Your channel just makes me happy!
Aw thank you Helen. 😊 ❤️
What a wonderful channel! Absolutely inspiring, comforting and uplifting. Thank you for the work you put into it. You’re quite eloquent in speaking of literature, and you would be perfect for any audiobook narration! I might even learn to like audiobooks, if you were to do so.
Steinbeck’s East of Eden is on my big book list. Absolutely perfect in my eyes. I do love Shakespeare’s Henry V and Julius Caesar, too.
I wish I had any other plays by our Bard for 'O' and 'A' levels. For the former it was Romeo and Juliet and for the latter it was Anthony and Cleopatra.
Weird but after so many years the only thing I remember from A&C is "Age cannot wither her nor stale her infinite vatiety" 😅
Wish we had my favourite: Hamlet.
Dostoevsky's The Idiot is definitely an underrated novel! I think Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov are greater works, but The Idiot is only a few notches below. It's about the holy fool in Eastern Orthodox including Russian Orthodox life and theology. Western Christianities have tended to focus on propositional arguments for God, but Eastern Christianities see a person as no less an argument for God as a proposition. In any case, the fact that Dostoevsky produced so many great works (and Notes from Underground and Demons deserve mention in the same breath as The Idiot) is a reflection of his artistic genius.
@Pattie
Agree 100%
👏👏👏
Of Human Bondage, w Somerset Maugham
This book never lost my attention.
I love Maugham, especially The Razor's Edge.
@@stefanomagaddino6868 His best book.
I read the Count of Monte Cristo in 6th grade … in French! Took us all year. BTW I lived in Illinois, U.S.A. and only had one year of French at that time.
Great list, plus some of the commenters added more….plan to start reading today!
In my youth, I read and re-read many times some scenes of the Comte de Monte-Cristo (in particular all the dialogues between Edmond Dantés and the Abbé Faria), but from a French perspective, I believe two huge Himalayas of our literature are to be added to this list : Les Misérables of course, and A la recherche du temps perdu, both classics, both very long, both mesmerizing…
And if I may, also Les Essais from Montaigne.
Some of Guy De Maupassant short stories are good,too.
Robertson Davies’ The Deptford Trilogy is stunning. It changed Canadian literature forever
Liked it very much
I couldn't be happier that youtube put your channel on my recommended!
As an Italian, I wasn't familiar with a couple of books in the list. Though, the Count of Montecristo was the most impressive and shocking book I read in high school to the point that I still remember the main events of the plot. Nice list and awesome video!
I like the addition of reading excerpts from the books mentioned. It gives me a sense of the author's voice and taste of their prose and/or dialogue, which can make or break a novel for me. Having that small taste of, say, Shakespeare's Histories, I definitely am more interested in reading them (when I catch up with my other reading).
But as far as those on this list that are the most immediately appealing, Moby Dick wins. Have only read the opening chapter a few months ago, and about every other line in it is better than the one before.
"(...) Whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul (...)"
"This is my substitute for pistol and ball."
"Were Niagara but a cataract of sand, would you travel your thousand miles to see it?"
"The act of paying is perhaps the most uncomfortable infliction that the two orchard thieves entailed upon us."
And other longer passages just as good. And that just within 4 pages.
I'm gonna like this book once I get around to it.
YAAAS King! I am so happy that one of my favorite Dickens novels made your list, since it seems to be often overlooked!
And take that, Bleak House!
Poooor Smike!
I loved this video as I am a great advocate of the big, chunky book, novel, book of poems, plays or nonfiction. I haven't read The Idiot, but have recently read The Brothers Karamazov and am half way throught Crime and Punishment. I have put the Idiot on my TBR now. I realised that it is decades since I read any Thackeray, so shall revisit his novels in 2024. You managed to cover all my favourites, including Shakesperare. My 2023 reading project was reading all the plays of Shakespeare in the order they were written. It was enlightening to see how Shakespeare grew as a playwright. I think some of his history plays are amongst his best work. I love your edition of Sgakespeare.
Woman in White! Soooo good. It’s a mystery, a romance, a thriller. My dog-eared copy has been passed on to multiple friends. I always have them sign the inside cover afterward. It’s fun to look back at who’s read it. It got me hooked on Collins and I’ve read several, but this one remains my favorite of his.
" Just a single man, Fyodor Dostoevsky, is enough to defeat all the creative novelists of the world. If one has to decide on 10 great novels in all the languages of the world, one will have to choose at least 3 novels of Dostoevsky in those 10. Dostoevsky’s insight into human beings and their problems is greater than your so-called psychoanalysts, and there are moments where he reaches the heights of great mystics. His book BROTHERS KARAMAZOV is so great in its insights that no BIBLE or KORAN or GITA comes close.
In another masterpiece of Dostoevsky, THE IDIOT, the main character is called ‘idiot’ by the people because they can’t understand his simplicity, his humbleness, his purity, his trust, his love. You can cheat him, you can deceive him, and he will still trust you. He is really one of the most beautiful characters ever created by any novelist. The idiot is a sage. The novel could just as well have been called THE SAGE. Dostoevsky’s idiot is not an idiot; he is one of the sanest men amongst an insane humanity. If you can become the idiot of Fyodor Dostoevsky, it is perfectly beautiful. It is better than being cunning priest or politician. Humbleness has such a blessing. Simplicity has such benediction.".
I read Doestoevsky's CRIME AND PUNISHMENT , not as long as the IDIOT, but the writing subtly and repeatedly juxtaposes the same notions , the ethical and the avarice .
@willieluncheonette,
Love Dostoevsky and have just one more book to finish all his novels.
Let's put out heads together on an issue that has perplexed me and I am not sure if I am making a mountain out of a mile hill.
When Father Zosima does and is in his coffin there is a lot being said about the "stench" that is coming from him.
as a medic I am aware that a corpse smells, but so did the Russians. Anyway, the fact that the stench is so quickly perceived and it is regarded as a mere nuisance makes me wonder if there is a hidden meaning. Was the priest as good as he was thought to be ?
Well, there are so many unanswered questions in all of Dostoevsky 's novels that it makes me re-read and wonder about his "puzzles".
My last Dostoevsky novel left is "The Idiot" and it is in my TBR list so, looking forward to it along with all my other brick-sized books 😊
Please excuse UTube typos but they are getting very annoying.
Regards.
My sisters and I love the Indian novel A Suitable Boy. It is a wonderful story of a female literature student in 1950s India and whether she will pick the boy she loves or 1 of 2 possible arranged marriages. The author includes a little poem in the preface apologizing for "straining the wrists" of readers holding this large and heavy book.
I see BBC made a movie out of it.
If anyone could get me to read Shakespeare besides Kenneth Branagh, it would be you. You should be doing audio books. Your voice and inflections are perfect for that. I would listen forever.
Yes, please do Tristan 👏
Your reading is great! None of that stiff weird affectation of so many audio books. Great stuff! 👍
Your passion is contagious. Will get some of them for sure.
Thanks, Sylvain. I hope you enjoy them.
I'm surprised that you didn't include Les Misérables, as it's one of the greatest, if not the greatest books of all time. It's my personal favourite, and for a good reason. Would recommend to anyone 👍
A few tears often appear on a male face when reading LM.and rightly so.
Fantastic. I've read most of your top 10. The Adventures of Nicholas Nickelby is possibly my favorite in the Dickens canon (Tale of Two Cities close behind). Vanity Fair is one of my all-time favorite novels and no one ever discusses it. And Mill on the Floss--a perfect novel. That final scene is so cinematic for a time when movies didn't exist! To make it a dozen, I would add: Les Miserables and Middlemarch.
I too am a fan of Vanity Fair.
Tristan, this is a terrific list of recommendations! You are such a trustworthy guide to and through the world of great literature. I’ve read four of the books on your list, and am set to read The Mill on the Floss with a group of friends in January, and enthusiastically agree with your choices presented in this video! And may I also add my voice to several of the other commenters here and say that you are a wonderful narrator!!
So glad you mentioned Vanity Fair- it needs more love!! ❤ thank you for your video as always.
I wholeheartedly agree 👍
I have just discovered your channel and am hooked! I know there will be much to live in delving into your backlist of posts. Your love of reading shines through and is inspiring.
Oops! Meant ‘love’ of course, but perhaps ‘live’ is also apt.
Happiest that I found your channel!! I had these books described by so many booktubers and articles on Google, that I lost count. Yours, though, are filled with magic! This is why I love youtube. I can stumble upon gems like your channel.
I have disregarded Anna Karenina before, when others have mentioned it. When I heard the excerpt, it took my breath away. It’s now next on my list. Thanks.
Mine, too 🙂
read war and peace too
Downloaded The Woman in White to my Kindle after watching this video and I have been reading it all day. You'r assessment is accurate. This book hooked me from the first page.
My favorites are:
The Count of Monte Cristo
Les Miserables
Middlemarch
Bleak House
Dombey and Son
Anna Karenina
The next biggie I will read is The Woman in White. 😊
I re-read Les Miserables and enjoyed it so much more than when I was a teenager; same goes for The Count of Monte Christi (1315 pages).
Now the rest of my brick books are threatening me with eyestrain: Middlemarch; Don Quixote; East of Eden;The Divine Comedy; Anna Karenina; a d other books with fewer pages but still long: No Name; Armadale; Man and Wife; those with less than 700 pages are puny 😅 but inbetweenies !
Honestly, re-reading some of the very long classics gives me a sense of accomplishment because they seem so much much enjoyable.
Gosh, I wish I could say the same for two brick books that are constantly 'touch and go' : War and Peace, and my nemesis: Ulysses by James Joyce !
Hey ho, back to work.
I think I have a new favorite book tube channel! Don Quixote was a great book. I enjoyed your reading.
I love love love Wilkie Collins’ Woman in White. I find myself taking it down from my bookshelf over and over again. I also love The Moonstone (and the Robinson Crusoe references … chef’s kiss) 😂❤❤
You are so right on Moby Dick. I had to battle through that book but the last 100 pages flew by and I really did feel something profound when I finished it. Great channel.
So many great gems here! Some I’ve read, others are waiting on my shelves. I’m so glad you started with the Don! He’s a New Year’s resolution of mine for 2024.
Spot on about Shakespeare’s histories and the music of his language. Richard II is my absolute favorite of all his plays:
For God’s sake, let us sit upon the ground
And tell sad stories of the death of kings-
How some have been deposed, some slain in war,
Some haunted by the ghosts they have deposed,
Some poisoned by their wives, some sleeping killed-
All murdered: for within the hollow crown
That rounds the mortal temples of a king
Keeps Death his court; and there the antic sits,
Mocking his state and grinning at his pomp,
Allowing him a space, a little scene
To monarchize, be feared, and kill with looks,
Infusing him with self and vain conceit,
As though this flesh which walls about our life
Were brass impregnable; and humored thus,
Comes at the end, and with a little pin
Bores through his castle wall, and-farewell, King!
I've been reading various "classics" for a few years now, to see why they are considered classics. A few comments:
1. The Woman in White is just great. It makes Agatha Christie look like an amateur.
2. If you want a lighthearted Dickens, try The Pickwick Papers. It's a hoot!
3. Lorna Doone by RD Blackmore is great.
4. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is very thought provoking.
5. The one that has surprised me the most is Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Forget everything you know of this story from the movies, it's nothing like it. The "monster" is intelligent, articulate and kind in heart but not accepted because of his appearance. An excellent story.
Oh my goodness, “Frankenstein”! Another tragic, wrenching story!! A definite must-read!
Frankenstein 's monster is so sad......as is Quasimodo. 😥
Whoah, chills as you described Shakespeare and language at the end -- so glad I found your channel!
He's just the best, isn't he?
You can talk about books in such a passionate way, it is much appreciated 😊! The woman in white was one of my favorites this year and I want to reread it ever since. The same goes for The count. All the other ones are one my tbr, so I can’t wait to read them. The first big one will be Les Miserables though. I heard such great things about it!
les miserables will tug at your heart. read stendal' s charter house of parma and be surprised
I enjoyed this video so much.Your enthusiasm is contagious. Thank you for sharing your love of these beautiful classics
I agree.
Have come back three times in one month !
They are all appealing to me worth re-reading, as I read the big novels when I was very young and books were our entertainment. I so enjoy your videos and advocacy for reading great books.
You should literally become an audiobook reader. Your voice is soothing 😊
I think any of Dostoevsky's great novels could have made this list, but I'm overjoyed to see The Idiot getting some well deserved love, what a perfect novel!
Anna Karenina, The Count of Monte Christo and Don Quixote are all favourites of mine too! ☺️
crime and punishment is definitely worth the read...also really enjoyed brothers
Love how the first book is Don Quijote. I did a screenplay transporting it from 16th century Spain to 18th American-Mexican border as a western. One of my favorite books.
Of your ten, I am lucky enough to have read 5. Years ago, I enjoyed reading “Vanity Fair”. Unfortunately, I can only recall that Becky Sharp was a master manipulator at the center of a web of society intrigues and also the fun term “nabobs” for elite movers and shakers.
Thanks for the plot recaps.
Count of Monte Crisco is one of my favs. Imagine my surprise when I picked up "Camille" Hard to believe the same author wrote BOTH. Camille is short and easy to read.
My grandmother's favourite book was Camille and she adored the film adaptation with Robert Taylor and Great Garbo.
Personally, I never read the book or saw the film on TV (if it was shown) at point !
@@apollonia6656 I had only seen the film until I actually read the book. The book is written in a somewhat journal type of entry. The basic facts are in the film but the film is really foreign (to me) after you read the book. Interesting that a "remake" has never been done.
I always enjoy Tristan reading aloud. 😊
Congratulations on passing 20k-and well on our way to 21,000 already!
Thank you so much.
You've convinced me to read the woman in white. If it's anything like Christie's work, I'm in for a treat.
All the novels of Robert Hugh Benson chronicling the devastation of the Protestant Rebellion are gripping and tragic. But the best for a winter's night, Sigrid Undset, the Norwegian novelist. Most are set in Christian Norway, but one, Gunner's Daughter, depicts a woman in the pre-Christian era, in the revenge culture, and how she slays her father's killers and must flee on skis through a raging snow storm with her baby at her breast. It is just unbearable excitement, and you will never be able to forget this heroine.
Ooo thank you so much for the recommendation. I'm off to find it right now!
Her father was a well-reputed archeologist and expert in Norway's early history, and Sigrid was his assistant for many years. Thus her details of culture and technology are authentic. This, and then the writing! Let me know if Gunnar's Daughter makes your list!@@tristanandtheclassics6538
I have read all of these (sometimes few times) except that I have never managed to get all the way through Moby Dick or Don Quixote. I am putting them on my 2024 list and will see if I can push my way through Don Quixote and Moby Dick. Thanks for great suggestions! I read all of thee Shakespeare plays during two semesters of seminars at University, but not since. I am looking forward to reading or listening to them again.
Moby Dick does make you work. I find that the trial it puts you through gives you a sympathy of state with the crew of the Pequod. Whether Melville meant to do this, I don't know, but the effect is remarkable. Shakespeare's works are always new. Every time I read them I feel a sense of wonder at how much more beautiful the speech is compared to how I remembered it.
Moby Dick has defeated me several times. I once got about 1/3 or 1/4 through. I'm so mad at myself that I chose to give up. I could've been done with it. Instead, it haunts me. I have got to conquer that darned book before I die!@@tristanandtheclassics6538
I like this list. I'm glad you included "The Mill on the Floss" instead of say, "Middlemarch." Although I like Eliot's other works, "The Mill on the Floss" is my absolute favorite of hers, particularly because of its ending. In fact, you include another book on this list that I rank with "The Mill on the Floss" as containing what I consider one of the most memorable endings ever, and that is "Moby Dick." Another novel in which its ending has forever haunted me is Hermann Hesse's "The Glass Bead Game." I love great books with stories that stay with me, but ones with endings that take me by surprise are the best. Thanks for sharing, Tristan!
I love your passion for language!
Hi, Tristan! Thank you for another great video. I'm so glad you started with Don Quixote. I've had an unread copy sitting on my bookshelves for years, and now you've got me thinking that perhaps 2024 will be the year I finally pick it up. I also want to say thank you for reigniting my interest in reading the classics. I've just launched a BookTube channel, and I mention your channel as a new favorite discovery. Your content is greatly appreciated!
Great idea man. I read it this year and it was just amazing
@@danielsatvati8666 Started reading it this morning, and so far I'm loving it! Can't believe I waited so long to pick up this incredible story.
My book club is starting to read War and Peace in Jan. Great book and easy to read (vs .e.g Dostoyevsky). Just print out a list of characters to refer to so you can keep track (some go by 3 different names i.e. family name, first name and nickname)
Great tip! The names confused me so much
For some unknown reason I cannot see myself to ever read War and Peace. I tried to do so in my early teens and later without success. It is a case of mental b!ock.....doesn't make sense that I have such a sily fear (a bit dramatic) of it.
Another mental block: Pickwick Papers, not a lengthy book by any means but my mind wavers.
Oh,forgot to mention Moby Dick. I cannot read it because of the cruelty of killing a whale. I hate any form of cruelty to animals.
Read all of Dostoyevsky books and loved them all.
TWIW.is absolutely brilliant, a must.
@@apollonia6656 I recommend you try again. I put it aside at around 100 pages a few times (so many disconnected characters), but when I eventually got past that, I loved it and have now read it three times; though I consider Anna K to be his better book. The first meeting of Prince Andrei and Natasha at the ball is just exquisite writing.
@joelee,
I will, at some point, have to read W&P , but my TBR 2024 list is now over 64 books and 70% are over 800 pages long !
Silly me started reading the ones between 220- 769 pages too soon. I should have mixed them up between the brick -sized ones 🙄
it is a great book
I loved The Woman In White, though I didn't think of it as a particularly long book. I haven't read it for a few years, but I might do soon. I've always had a resistance to Vanity Fair and Anna Karenina (because women who transgress usually die in the last chapter). However, Nicholas Nickleby sounds quite appealing, so I'll add that to my list! :)
The Folio Complete Works of Shakespeare sat in my bookcase for more than 25 years before I sold them. I realised that although I love to watch the Bard, I don't really get much from reading his work on the page. So now I'm building a wee collection of DVDs!
Collins' "Moonstone" is also great!
@@careyatchison1348 I'd probably recommend Moonstone even before WiW, the latter has more romance, the former is closer to what we think of a crime mystery. Both are eminently readable and I'd also not have classified them as extraordinarily long (cf. to War & Peace or Brothers Karamazov).
@@careyatchison1348 I love The Moonstone too. Such an interesting construction, and the story zips along!
I read TWiW before the Moonstone and preferred it.
Now about to read No Name.
I have a feeling that TWiW is going to be tough to beat.
@@apollonia6656 I read a number of Collins' other books on my Kindle (I have TWIW and The Moonstone as physical books). It probably says something about my reaction to reading on a screen, but I can't actually remember much about them!
I've read Anna Karenina, The Woman in White, Vanity Fair, Count of Monte Cristo and loved them all. And although I've read other works of Dikkens and Dostoyevsky, but not these ones. Thank you for this list. I must say I wanted to read Moby Dick for a long time but was intimidated not by the length, but the notorious difficulty, which everyone implies. I will definitely give it a try.
I read The Woman in White this year, the best mystery I've ever read!!!!!
Agree with you.
ThankU How inspiring! Your love for literature comes through. I have a lot of catching up to do
Had a fun time trying to guess the next book as soon as possible from your descriptions. Great list.
i grinned to see that two of my faves were on your list. I read Moby Dick and The Count of Montecristo last year and though they were "taxing" and "arduous" at times, they were well worth the time and patience required to read them. So glad I did. I've added Don Quixote and Anna Karenina to my list of books to read. Thanks!
don q is very long...there is a great yale lecture series on youtube, a must if you love the don
I'm going to read Bleak House this winter for the first time, as I suspect that's another Dickens classic that is sadly relevant today. And I've heard Donna Tartt (who is obsessed with detail) rave about its portrayal of London at the time. Funny, I had just added Vanity Fair to my winter reading list. Now I'm going to get The Mill on the Floss as well. New to your channel here and enjoying it immensely, especially at bedtime once I'm too tired to read anymore!
Nice to make your acquaintance, Patricia. Bleak House is an excellent book. London is the main character in Dickens' works. Hope you enjoy it, as well as The Mill on the Floss.
Bleak House has everything in it. Great characters, social commentary, a mystery and the first great detective Bucket. Humor, great descriptions, and an ending to remember.
- Don Quixote is the “first” and one of the greatest novels of all time. It’s quirky though.
- The Count of Monte Cristo is a breeze to read.
- Moby-Dick is absolutely engrossing even through choppy waters!
- One of the longest books I’ve read is “Papillon” by Henri Charrière who was sent to a penal colony in French Guyana. Fascinating “true” story which is truly unputdownable!
After watching the film with Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman I bought the book and enjoyed it so much.
Admittedly, adaptations are so often a disappointment and some are even catastrophical.
The definitive adaptation of Great Expectations is, imho, is the Sir David Lean (he was a Sir then) film. Thank goodness he left out (via edditing) a number of boring pieces : the Pocket family and the kidnapping of Pip !
@@apollonia6656
- I haven’t watched David Lean’s “Great Expectations” (1946) and “Oliver Twist” (1948) in ages. They’re on FreeVee so I’ll watch them soon.
- Charles Dickens is a towering figure in literature along with Shakespeare and Tolstoy for their wide range. The little Charles Dickens museum (former home) is near the British Museum in London.
@RamZar,
You cannot go wrong with these two Lean adaptations.
Oliver Twist was banned in America for a long time because lot was considered antisemitic ie the way (Sir) Alex Guinness portrayed Fagin.
I love both GE and OT by DL.
The Mill on the Floss is a beautifully crafted novel. I would happily read it again. Middlemarch and Silas Marner are excellent too. You have great taste in books! The Count of Monte Cristo and Vanity Fair are classics, I thoroughly enjoyed them. I’ve read Dickens and Dostoevsky but not the titles mentioned here (crime and punishment & great expectations were the ones I read) 😊
Marvellous list, I totally agree about Shakespeare’s language, I think it was reading his plays and sonnets that gave me a real appreciation of the power of words, of how delicious they can be and how important they are. It also, unfortunately, made me intolerant of modern slang but that’s probably because I don’t understand much of it. Language is useless if it conveys nothing whatever!
I haven’t read “Vanity Fair” so, thank you for the recommendation !
Fantastic recommendations! I recently got the second of the Doubleday Complete Works of Shakespeare and you really inspired me to crack it open to some of the histories.
Also: the passages you read from each book were just fantastic and clearly chosen with great care; absolutely wonderful :3
me and my daughter are almost finished with The Count of Monte Cristo and we absolutely love it
find out about the strong and the beguiling lady in the three musketeers (same author). her words are more dangerous than the rapiers
I second the recommendation of Shakespeare's Histories. Everyone seems familiar with his Tragedies, Comedies, and the Roman Histories of Julius Caesar and Antony & Cleopatra; but I think folks see the long list of English Monarchs and make the assumption that it is dry reading. I did not read them until I was in college, and they are very powerful and memorable! My favorites are Richard III and Henry V.
I have only read The Woman in White, and loved it, but NN by Dickens and Mill on Floss are on the tops of my list.
I’m so glad I got recommended this Video
Thanks, Baz, I'm pleased you enjoyed it 😀
My best friend and I have been reading classics lately. We enjoyed "The Count of Monte Cristo" and "Anna Karenina" very much. We break the book into sections then email each other about the reading. I think we will try "Vanity Fair" soon. You are a delight!
I've nearly finished reading all of Shakespeare's works. I have only two plays left (Timon and As You Like It) and I like the histories best out of his works, especially the Henry IV plays.
I like The Count of Monte Cristo and heartily recommend it (though both my copies are over 1000 pages). I read Don Quixote last year and thought it was hilarious. Of your list, I haven't read Mill on the Floss, Woman in White, Nicholas Nickelby (though I've seen miniseries adaptations of all three), or The Idiot. One nice thing about reading a long book is that you don't have to worry about what you're going to read next for a while.
Hi Tristan. I have never heard you mention the Elena Ferrante quadrology My Brilliant Friend. This is a modern classic I would hate you to miss out on. Once the characters get into your heart they’ll never let go.
Lovely! Your reading of excerpts so well done!
Thank you for another great video. My reading list keeps growing! So many great classics to explore.
Today, I completed my acquisition of the 10 greatest books of literature! Of the 10, I owned 3, borrowed 1 from the library and bought the others. Don Quixote is my favorite, but I look forward to enjoying the others! I have heard you speak of Middlemarch and Ulysses so I decided to add those to the group.
As we are expecting a big snow here in New York, I will have plenty to read! Thank you for the interesting videos and happy reading!
My favourite long books that I have read:
- Les Miserables
- The Count of Monte Cristo
- Gone With The Wind
read those, good books, particularly hugo