6 Old Classic Novels No Woman Should Miss
Those were suggested to me by other women.
I wasn’t an avid reader from the start. I had my reading phases, developing an interest in reading at the age of eleven; and then a gap of many years. I again took to reading in college and then studies took most of my time. I began reading again after graduation but then stopped after getting occupied with my job. A few years later, after seeing a girl on the train, the passion for reading again caught hold of me. The girl, about ten or eleven years of age, was reading a children’s book.
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
I saw the book cover.
A small girl, of similar age, standing in the fields, outside a countryside cottage, holding a book in her hands, actually clutching it fondly in her arms; her eyes gleaming and her lively smile expressing her dearest love for books.
That was the turning point in my life when I made a promise to myself to never break again my bond with books.
Throughout my life, I’ve been lucky to have been suggested some amazing books by other women. Here’s a list of six of those old classic novels that every girl/woman should read in her life.
1. ‘Anne of Green Gables’ by L.M. Montgomery
To start with, this book is not just a children’s book. It is for every age group to read. Anne Shirley, the protagonist, although being 11 years in age, is no less than a strong-headed and wise woman. The book is about her life as an orphan and her adventures in Canada after she is adopted by two siblings, the Cuthberts.
Anne adjusts to her adopted life, goes to school for the first time, faces bullying by her schoolmates, and deals with her ordeals with rural life.
She is an impressive storyteller. Anne has the ability to take you into her imaginary world where you will sit with butterflies and talk to Lillies. She’s forthright and genuine with her feelings. Her kindness and high spirit never diminish with the troubles in her life. She loves books and she has excellent vocabulary for a girl of her age and experiences.
Anne amazed me with her dreams, ambitions, vision, charm, and zeal for life. I re-lived my childhood with Anne. Her adventurous spirit uplifted mine too.
Here are some of my favorite quotes from this book:
“It’s been my experience that you can nearly always enjoy things if you make up your mind firmly that you will.”
“Oh, it’s delightful to have ambitions. I’m so glad I have such a lot. And there never seems to be any end to them — that’s the best of it. Just as soon as you attain to one ambition you see another one glittering higher up still. It does make life so interesting.”
“Tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it… yet.”
You’re never too old to read a children’s book and surely not old enough for ‘Anne of Green Gables’.
2. ‘Little Women’ by Louisa May Alcott
Contradictory to its title, ‘Little Women’ is one of those few classic literary works that made a BIG impact on its readers. This book is ahead of its time, for the four women characters, who are strong and wilful.
Meg is sagacious and ladylike;
Jo is headstrong and she knows what she wants;
Beth is kind and empathetic;
And Amy is free-spirited and ambitious.
When I read this book, I found myself amidst the company of four women of varied characters, yet each teaching me the same lesson- not to shy away from being myself.
My mind would lighten up with such fierce thoughts that these ‘little’ women sparked-
“I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.”
“Watch and pray, dear, never get tired of trying, and never think it is impossible to conquer your fault.”
“Let us be elegant or die!”
It is a must-read even for today’s women as it is still a breath of fresh air because of the firm and undying attitude of the ‘Little Women’.
3. ‘A Tree Grows In Brooklyn’ by Betty Smith
Nature is not only the best healer but also the best teacher. Until now, I didn’t know what lead to my fascination with trees. I look back and track it to ‘A Tree Grows in Brooklyn’.
The said tree, that grows in Brooklyn in this book, taught me to keep moving and growing even in the harshest of weather and circumstances. Betty, just like the tree, taught me the value of books, education, and hard work. There’s a quote from this book that has been etched forever in my heart-
“Dear God,” she prayed, “let me be something every minute of every hour of my life. Let me be gay; let me be sad. Let me be cold; let me be warm. Let me be hungry…have too much to eat. Let me be ragged or well dressed. Let me be sincere — be deceitful. Let me be truthful; let me be a liar. Let me be honorable and let me sin. Only let me be something every blessed minute. And when I sleep, let me dream all the time so that not one little piece of living is ever lost.”
And this book taught me the biggest secret about books!
In days of loneliness, you can make a book your best friend, and reading will become your favorite hideout, that you will reach out to, holding your companion’s hand, in all shades and days. Novembers will be cheerful; Aprils will be mellow, and no reason or season will bring you yearning for a company but of your friend. No expectations to be hurt, no hearts to be broken, and certainly, no judgments to be passed. Only innocent and trustful conversations between two best friends. How beautiful is such a friendship that needs no third to be heard?
If you love reading or if you cannot understand someone’s love for reading, then this book is for you.
Every woman should read ‘A tree grows in Brooklyn’, for every woman will face loneliness, someday or the other, and every woman will have to choose between her duties and education. This book will answer every girl's questions and if not, it will make her question every answer that she had been unquestionably accepting till now.
4. ‘Pride and Prejudice’ by Jane Austen.
This book is by far one of my most cherished romance classics. It touches on the themes of love, marriage, wealth, and wisdom. Elizabeth, the female protagonist, teaches valuable lessons on love and marriage.
‘Pride and Prejudice’ is a book that will leave you both speechless and brimful. There’s so much that you want to say but you cannot find the right words to do that. That’s the impact of this book on every female reader. I learned a lot from Elizabeth- thoughtfulness, integrity, downrightness, and clarity of thought.
I was amused by some of my most-liked quotes from this book-
“There is a stubbornness about me that never can bear to be frightened at the will of others. My courage always rises at every attempt to intimidate me.”
“A girl likes to be crossed a little in love now and then.
It is something to think of”“We do not suffer by accident.”
5. ‘The Scarlet Letter’ by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Adultery was no less a sin back then than it is now. ‘The Scarlet Letter’ was the first classic that I ever came across, written on the themes of adultery, sin, and punishment. I was enraged when Hester, the female protagonist, was insulted in front of a huge crowd, for an act she wasn’t solely responsible for. The story is a poignant tale of a woman raising her illegitimate daughter and constantly facing humiliation for a so-called crime called ‘Love’ committed by her.
This book and its quotes baffle me the same, as they did back then, for the treatment that single women with children meet in our society.
“She had not known the weight until she felt the freedom.”
“She had wandered, without rule or guidance, into a moral wilderness… Her intellect and heart had their home, as it were, in desert places, where she roamed as freely as the wild Indian in his woods… The scarlet letter was her passport into regions where other women dared not tread. Shame, Despair, Solitude! These had been her teachers — stern and wild ones — and they had made her strong, but taught her much amiss.”
Every woman should read ‘The Scarlet Letter and draw strength and courage from this moving tale and its ever so powerful heroine, Hester.
6. ‘Jane Eyre’ by Charolette Bronte
Ah, my favorite, Bronte sisters!
I’m unabashedly prejudiced towards the Brontes for many reasons; their use of language and the audacity to touch upon topics like feminism, being the foremost.
It is a book about love and commitment. However, that’s not why every woman should read it. Every woman should read it because teaches determination, perseverance, loyalty, and forgiveness.
It teaches the women of today, as it taught the women of yesteryears, to be independent and self-sufficient.
Jane amazed me with her fearlessness and eloquence when she says
“I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will.”
“I remembered that the real world was wide, and that a varied field of hopes and fears, of sensations and excitments, awaited those who had the courage to go forth into it’s expanse, to seek real knowledge of life amidst it’s perils.”
And these words still ignite my soul the same.
‘Jane Eyre’ is surely not to be missed by any woman.
There are books that you cannot put down.
There are books that you keep coming back to.
But there are also books that become a part of you and they shape up your future choices and decisions in life.
These 6 old classic novels are such and hence, every woman should read them at least once in their lifetime.
