The mood can be different: sometimes you want to read a light, airy novel so that time flies by, and sometimes an action-packed detective story with showdowns, shootings and chases, so that your heart jumps out of your chest. And there is also a condition where you want to tickle your nerves so that the blood in your veins runs cold, and then you need a terrible, chilling story written in masterful language.
There is a special category of works - “books that the whole world has read”, a universal emotional “first-aid kit” for any occasion and request. Our selection today includes 8 such books, which, regardless of genre, are recognized as one of the best of their kind, which were fond of both the meticulous connoisseur of stories, who have vast readership, and the novice who read them because the annotation is interesting and the cover is beautiful.
We offer 8 books of different genres and different times, which the whole world applauded. It will not be boring!
1. “Martin Eden,” Jack London
The main character is Martin Eden. A simple worker, a shirt-guy living in the poorest neighborhoods of the city. He has no education, and he speaks with errors, but he possesses integrity, sincerity and real internal “fire”, which is revealed in an unexpected way, should he accidentally get into high society. And he flares up. It flares up with a passionate love for knowledge, for writing and for a girl from the “top”. “Martin Eden” is a work about how love can inspire a person, how the prejudices of the estates “bury” the potential of people, how a person can change his fate without a penny in his bosom. “Martin Eden” is a novel about incredible overcoming, great victory and unbearable disappointment.
2. “Country of Cows,” Adrian Jones Pearson
An intelligent bestseller on how a Special Coordinator arrives at Cow Myca College. He has nothing to do: help with preparing the school for accreditation, hold one small party and help the sagging teaching staff cheer up and rally again, as in the old days. The story is written with a good portion of everyday irony, in a humorous manner and using a large number of metaphors and comparisons. By the way, the book was noted for the special construction of dialogues, which, perhaps, you will not meet anywhere else. The educational institution itself is just an allusion to the "valiant" history of America, in which the characters are trying to understand what love is.
3. “The Chronicle of the Casalet Family: Exodus,” Elizabeth Jane Howard
The fourth novel in the series is the penultimate one. He talks about Britain, irrevocably changed after World War II, and the vast Casalet family, which survived the second war. Children from the first books have already grown up and rushed into the maelstrom of adult mistakes, their parents have grown old and become slightly different people. All were affected by war and an unstable tipping point. “Exodus” is a continuation of the voluminous, unhurried and amazingly modern saga, although it describes the events of 70-80 years ago. Howard herself survived much of what is described in the novel, and from this her story comes out so vibrant and vibrant. “The Chronicle of the Casalet Family: The Exodus,” according to the writer, describes how “Britain and her life in wartime have changed, especially for women.”
4. "11/22/63", Stephen King
A humble English teacher should change the course of history and prevent the killing of Kennedy. How? With the help of a small temporary hole in the diner, which his friend has been using for a long time to buy meat for burgers. 11/22/63 is a science fiction novel in which authentic facts from the past and author's fiction are brilliantly interwoven. So, to change the story, you first need to practice a little. Go through the temporary tunnel in the "Al Diner", located in the pantry, and try to change the fate of the unfortunate cleaner Harry. Step forward - go through the invisible steps. That's just the time - this matter is very complex, intractable, and it does not want to provide carte blanche.
5. The Seven Sisters, Lucinda Riley
A true masterpiece of modern prose, a novel translated into dozens of languages and sold in huge print runs around the world. The eccentric rich man adopts 7 girls who were born in different parts of the world, and educates them as blood sisters. Each receives a name in honor of a star entering the constellation Pleiades, or Seven Sisters. What did their adoptive father plan? This secret would have remained unsolved if Pa hadn’t died of a heart attack and left every sister with hints to search for their real, biological parents. Moreover, in the house they find a large mysterious sphere on which the names of all the sisters and their birthplace are engraved. The first book about the fate of Maya, which flies to the passionate, dangerous and suffocating city of Rio da Janeiro for a meeting with the local writer Floriano, ready to help the girl in search of the truth. “7 Sisters: The Story of Maya” is a very well-designed and beautifully written novel in the scenery of the events of 1920 and today.
6. The Book Thief, Zusak Marcus
The author of the novel offers us, together with the nine-year-old heroine Liesel Meminger, to experience the events of 1941-1945 in Nazi Germany. See the story through the eyes of children. It all starts with the fact that the child is sent to a foster German family in order to save the new authorities from persecution and persecution (her father is a communist). Events themselves take place in the fictional city of Molking. The peculiarity of the story is that it will not be conducted on behalf of adults or the children themselves, but on behalf of Death. The story itself is built around the war, when a poor, but sometimes happy life with its everyday trifles and family upheavals takes place against the backdrop of horror that periodically brings chaos to the cozy world that the heroine created for herself when "the war clearly blurred the line between logic and superstition."
7. The Puppet Workshop, Elizabeth McNeill
Incredibly beautiful story unfolding in Victorian London. Preparing for the opening of the World Exhibition, the Brotherhood of the Pre-Raphaelites is in the prime of life. Art permeates this dark and beautiful novel. The decadent aesthetics of the Pre-Raphaelites (you just remember the story of Lizzy Siddal, who almost froze to death while posing for the legendary Ophelia canvas), the bewitching appearance of the main character - the red-haired Iris, who dreams of becoming an artist. The original work of Silas - a talented taxidermist who painstakingly collects a collection of wonders. All this creates an amazing world where art was valued above life, and beauty could cause a real obsession.
8. The Star and the Old Woman, Michelle Rosten
The novel is about stars that do not shine from the sky, but flash on the screen. Here are just a star, which will be discussed in the book, has almost died out. The protagonist is the aging diva Odette. More recently, she was barely able to escape from a failure that could become a grand scandal by canceling the performance. The book touches on such a hot topic as "decent aging." Through the main character, the reader tries to rethink the inevitability of being. Odette, a pop star, can never stop returning to the stellar past and decides to light the lights again! But can she stop in time? Will she be able to finish her career with dignity and keep bright memories of herself? “Star and the Old Woman” is a novel about the great alchemy of art, which is stronger than old age and withering.