MILAN – Some time ago, we reported an article on how to learn to read a book a week , and the comments that got there were really a lot: obviously the public of readers was divided. Who in a week of books could read even more than one and who, on the other hand, thinks that reading is a pleasure that should be savored slowly. We had given you some suggestions, but the rules – of course – on how and in how long you have to read a book, are only up to you. But we like to give you some advice and therefore, if you want to experience the sensation of reading a book in a single day (and thus beat your very personal record) here is a list, reported by Buzzfeed, of the 39 short novels to read: extraordinary works by modern and postmodern authors, a list capable of satisfying all tastes. Of course, if you have a title in mind to add, please report it in the comments, we will be happy. Enjoy the reading!
1. George Orwell’s Animal Farm – It is a satirical novel, an allegory of Soviet totalitarianism, set on a farm where animals, tired of human exploitation, rebel. The pigs who were the creators of the ‘revolution’ take control of the farm, becoming anthropomorphic.
2. We have always lived in the castleby Shirley Jackson – Also published in Italy with the title ‘So sweet, so innocent’ the book tells the story of the Blackwood family made up of an invalid uncle and two sisters, whose parents were victims of a mysterious poisoning. A compelling story to read.
3. Mohsin Hamid’s Reluctant Fundamentalist – Changez is a young Pakistani, a Princeton graduate and a brilliant financial analyst. After the events of 11 September, the protagonist is ready to reconsider the Islamic faith that he had in fact abandoned for the Western model of life. A book on cultural identity as much as on politics.
4. Affairs of the heartby Nora Ephron – Rachel Samstat is a successful writer, married to journalist Mark, and with a young son. Living her quiet happiness, he does not suspect her betrayal, her friend, her husband. Discovering the truth one day he manages to acquire a particularly strange attitude to the situation and so she takes her revenge.
5. Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker ‘s Guide to the Galaxy – This is the first book of the eponymous’ five-part trilogy ‘of humorous science fiction. Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect, the surreal travelers of the galaxies go to discover in the universe a small blue-green planet, whose life forms, descended from apes, are very primitive. Unforgettable adventures for fantasy lovers.
6.Lorrie Moore’s Frog Hospital – The novel is a hymn to adolescence steeped in melancholy. Berie Carr, a forty-year-old woman, sitting with her husband in a bistro in Paris, reflecting on her unhappy marriage, delves into her teenage memories. The first experiences, the first loves, the friends. Years have passed and only she now realizes how important that period of her life was and that she did not live it with the intensity that she deserved.
7. The Collapseby Chinua Achebe – The collapse represents a unique internationally successful phenomenon of an African literary work, and has been translated into over 50 languages. It refers to the capitulation of an entire culture and an entire people in the east of present-day Nigeria. Okonkwo is a warrior who fights for the survival of his people, the Ibo. Thanks to his relentless self-discipline in his work and respecting the traditions of his clan, Okonkwo finally reaches a very high level of social status.
8. The Awakeningby Kate Chopin – The work focused on the inner liberation of a woman in early twentieth century America. Edna Pontellier, young and beautiful wife of a businessman, mother of two children, falls in love with the young Robert. After a deep reflection, she realizes that she has nothing to do with the conventions of good society. Thus begins an extramarital affair after which Edna leaves her husband. She eventually faces a loneliness that causes her final and tragic gesture.
9. Shopgirlby Steve Martin – Mirabelle, a charming and moving character, and a young woman who lives in Los Angeles and sells gloves in a large mall. She falls in love with a client, a wealthy businessman, much older than her. Being the pretty girl, but very shy, the approach continues slowly. Famous Hollywood comedian Steve Martin describes the love story with dry and sweet humor.
10. There is a body in the libraryby Agatha Christie – In a small isolated village in the English countryside in the library of the villa of Colonel Bantry and his wife Dolly, the body of a young blonde girl in evening dress is found. Miss Jane Marple is called to the scene to investigate. The classic Christie, the classic Miss Marple. If you are looking for a light and inspiring detective story and you want to test your deductive skills then this is a perfect book.
11. Fahrenheit 451by Ray Bradbury – One of Bradbury’s best books is still on stage, considered a masterpiece by the famous American writer who talks about the future where fires are started to burn all the remaining books. Firefighter Montag has an indifferent wife and an unsatisfying job. One day the protagonist meets a woman who will change his life.
12. The Giver – The donorby Lois Lowry – It is the first chapter of the quadrilogy, a dystopian science fiction novel for children, which explores themes similar to Fahrenheit 451. Set in an organized, peaceful and balanced society of the near future in which there are no individual differences, perception of the pain, passion and deep feelings, the book tells the most important year in the life of Jonas, an ambitious young man.
13. The sense of an endby Julian Barnes – «Our life is not our life, but only the story we have told of it». The book is the 2011 Booker Prize winner. Tony Webster’s life is peaceful, until a letter arrives from a lawyer announcing an unexpected and enigmatic inheritance. This fact evokes in him the memories of his upbringing and childhood full of pains and secrets.
14. Sulaby Toni Morrison – The story of the friendship between two 12-year-old girls who become women, two friends who become enemies. In Ohio, the black population lives in the Fund, a kind of world apart, separate from the White City. Sula decides to escape the marginalization of the town and returns only after ten years, finding her friend integrated and unable to understand her choices of rebellion.
15. Amsterdamby Ian McEwan – With this novel Ian McEwan gives us a short and grotesque symphony about hatred and revenge. The book begins with Molly Lane’s funeral, where the four men who have loved her throughout her life meet, her husband George, her latest lover Julian and her two friends Vernon and Clive. “A tragicomedy in which no character is lovable” which with irony describes a funny and terrible showdown and makes the reader reflect on the value of some fundamental ethical choices.
16. The boys of 56th streetby SE Hinton – A dramatic novel about the transition to adulthood. Hinton had written the novel at the age of 16 while in high school. The novel tells the story of two rival gangs, the Greasers and the Socs, who are divided by their socioeconomic status. The story features Ponyboy, who is just fourteen and already belongs to the Greaser gang, a group of thugs who live on the edge of the city. The clashes between gangs, the more or less serious stunts, represent street life, dangerous and fun, like everything that emerges from the dry structures of a pre-established society.
17. The old man and the seaby Ernest Hemingway – A great classic novel written by a great writer. The book begins by talking about an old man who was fishing alone on a sailboat in the Gulf Stream and hadn’t caught a fish for eighty-four days now. The author addresses the themes of courage, man’s tenacity in the face of Nature, the fear of death, old age. Click here to read the rest of the list.
