The Classics

In 2025 it was one of my goals to read several classic works. While I didn’t yet make it through Wuthering Heights (I’m going to try again this year!) I did manage to read several classic works… Given that I have not made it through Withering Heights I was concerned that reading any of the classics might be a bit of a slog. What I found was that I actually really enjoyed the classic titles that I read! I may have fallen short of my goal to read 12 classics- but hey 2 of the ones I read were 1000 pages so I think I should get extra points for those! 

Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

It shouldn’t have surprised that a work that has been around for nearly 100 years would be as gripping and compelling as it was but it did surprise me! Though this title is 1000 pages it kept my interest (i did listen via audio book) and really enjoyed the story as well as the observatioins of the human condition. 

If you aren’t familiar with the story, this is a work about Scarlet, the spoiled daughter of a wealthy plantation owner growing up in the deep south just as the civil war begins. Scarlet is in love with Ashley but he does not return her affection, and he marries Melanie, a sweet, kind woman, who Scarlet scorns. At the behest of Ahsley,  Scarlet must fight to keep Melanie safe through the course of the Civil War. One of the ways she does this is through the help of Rhett Butler, a handsome but scandalous man who has made his fortune through what is rumored to be dubious means. Though she resists, Scarlet needs Rhett’s help and eventually grows to have affection for him. 

Always wanting what you can’t have and not desiring it once you do have it… This is where Scarlet O’Hara lives most of her life, whether she realizes it or not. This story is not only insightful into human nature, but also a captivating telling of the turbulent times of the wealthy in the South through the civil war and during the time of the southern reconstruction.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe

I was apprehensive about this one; I thought it would be a lot of talk in 1800s dialect about the moral ills of slavery and I was worried it might contain graphic scenes of people being mistreated due to the ills of slavery. I was pleasantly surprised that much more of the book was action adventure, running from and eluding slave catcher than it was moralizing about the evils of slavery, which of course I agree with- I just didn’t want to read 1000 pages of it! 

There was just one passage that I felt got a little long discoursing on the philosophical side of slavery, the rest of the book was pretty fast paced and I again realized why this book has been in print for over 150 years!  

Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery

I again was familiar with this story; I have seen movie adaptations of it, and listened to abridged audio versions of it but reading the unabridged version in its entirety was a special treat! This is such a sweet cozy story! If you are ever in need of a feel good read that pulls you vividly into its pages I would greatly encourage you to pick this one up! Even if you are familiar with the story, I think you will enjoy the unabridged book as its own unique experience as I did! 

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

I endeavored to read more of the classics last year; and while I have been familiar with Little Women from an early age, I had never read it unabridged. This was one of my favorite stories as a child (I had the 1994 version of the movie, as well as Focus on the Family’s Radio Theatre Edition on audio), and I greatly enjoyed hearing the whole story. 

For anyone who doesn’t know this is the story about 4 young daughters in the March Family; Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy, and their lives as they grow from young girls during the American Civil War, to grown women years later. While this book covers day to day life for the girls- it is not boring! 

I think of the preconceived notions many of us harbor about the classics is that they are boring; but as far as all the classic titles go that I read last year- this hasn’t been true! The other thing that has stood out to me is the good moral teaching tucked into the pages of each of these. It may be hidden moral teaching (Gone with the Wind), it may be a bit more bold and front and center (Uncle Tom’s Cabin), or somewhere in between as with Little Women, but each one has been edifying and kept my attention! I really enjoyed the classics I read last year and I encourage you to pick one up if you have been meaning to!

Conclusion

If you have been toying with the idea of adding some classic titles to your reading list this year I encourage you go to for it- I think you will be pleasantly surprised with gems hidden inside these old pages!