The Bookworm
Classic Literature
Providing Everything You Need
“I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will.”
- Chapter 23
Jane Eyre
Published: 1847
Author: Charlotte Bronte
Bookworm Rating: 5 stars
Age Rating: 13+
Average Size: 500 pages
A landmark novel in gothic literature, Jane Eyre shattered the 'damsel in distress' stereotype, the reverberations of which are still felt in 21-century literature today. An intense psychological narrative, Jane Eyre works as governess to the emotionally erratic, but charismatic Mr Rochester.
Jane Eyre is a spell-binding and intimate tale. A complex emotional portrayal that changed literature forever.
The Bookworm rates Jane Eyre 13+ due to complex language and exposition on spiritual and philosophical themes.
“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”
- Chapter 1
Pride and Prejudice
Published: 1813
Author: Jane Austen
Bookworm Rating: 5 stars
Age Rating: 12+
Average Size: 360-420 pages
When Elizabeth Bennet meets the rich and handsome Mr. Darcy she is disgusted at his pride. But when her sister catches the attention of Mr. Bingley, Darcy's charming friend, the Bennet family find themselves embroiled in a sequence of events that could change Elizabeth's opinion of the man she has vowed to dislike.
A "connoisseur of human folly" Austen skillfully combines fact and fantasy, furnishing Pride and Prejudice with a cast of witty, cringe-worthy and hilariously real characters. A contender for the best novel in the English language.
A must-read. Pride and Prejudice contains regency era language, whilst remaining assessable to 21-century readers. Recommended 12+.
“Dignity, and even holiness too, sometimes, are more questions of coat and waistcoat than some people imagine.”
- Chapter 37
Oliver Twist
Published: 1838
Author: Charles Dickens
Bookworm Rating: 3 stars
Age Rating: 14+
Average Size: 400 pages
Oliver Twist spends his childhood in the brutal and merciless Workhouse. After being sold, young Oliver flees to London, only to become embroiled in the criminal underworld alongside the crafty Fagin, the violent Bill Sikes, and the legendary Artful Dodger.
Oliver Twist is a harrowing narrative of poverty and abuse set in nineteenth-century England. Despite the terrible events he witnesses, Oliver retains his humanity and a great desire to help others. The ultimate success of the little orphan over adversity produces an uplift, all the more heartbreaking as characters fall victim to themselves and the morally deteriorating effects of a paupers world.
The Bookworm rates this title as 14+ due to its themes of abuse, domestic violence, extreme poverty and detailed scenes of child neglect and abuse. Oliver Twist also contains challenging cultural references to character Fagin as 'the Jew'.
"All animals are equal,
but some animals are
more equal than others"
- Chapter 10
Animal Farm
Published: 1945
Author: George Orwell
Bookworm Rating: 5 stars
Age Rating: 15+
Average Size: 100-180 pages
On Manor Farm the hard-working animals are oppressed by the neglectful and alcoholic Farmer. Ripened for rebellion, they stage a takeover and drive the evil humans away. Tasked with organizing the farm, the intelligent pigs take the lead, outlining fundamental rules which all animals must follow called ‘animalism’. But then the pigs behavior and the principles of animalism start to change...
Within the pages of Animal Farm, George Orwell set out the dangers of propaganda, corruption and blind leadership. Hard-hitting and brutal, Animal Farm lays out a fundamental human truth; how easily power can be subverted, and how hard it can be to prevent.
The Bookworm rates Animal Farm as a 15+ due to its powerful imagery, and disturbing scenes.
"The world is a looking-glass, and gives back to every man the reflection of his own face." - Chapter 2
Vanity Fair
Published: 1847-48
Author: William Makepeace Thackery
Bookworm Rating: 5 stars
Age Rating: 13+
Average Size: 700 pages
Becki Sharp is a charming yet impoverished social climber who uses her intelligence, beauty, and sexuality as weapons to get past class boundaries and achieve financial security.
Called a novel without a hero, Vanity Fair charts the exploits of a scheming and unprincipled young woman, who having never known social and financial security will go to any lengths to attain it. With a vibrant ensemble of characters, this unorthodox moral commentary is both approachable and incredibly entertaining.
The Bookworm rates this title as 13+ due to content. The vocabulary is contemporary, incisive and easy to read. The protagonist uses sexual appeal to gain wealth and social advancement. The novel, which takes place during the Napoleonic Wars, contains descriptions of combat scenes. A child is neglected by his disinterested mother.
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..."
- Book I Chapter 1
A Tale of Two Cities
Published In Volumes: 1859
Author: Charles Dickens
Personal Rating: 4 stars
Age Rating: 14+
Average Size: 420 pages
The novel tells the story of the French Doctor Manette, who spent eighteen years imprisoned in Paris's Bastille. After his release, he moves to London to live with his daughter Lucie, whom he has never met. But they cannot escape the past, and friends and enemies draw the father and daughter back into the clutches of revolutionary France.
A Tale of Two Cities, reputed to be among the best-selling books ever written, has mesmerized readers for decades with a potent blend of historical fiction and romance. This book, which includes some of the most well-known quotes from Dickensian literature, is definitely worth reading!
The Bookworm rates this title as 14+. Graphic scenes of mob violence, including hanging and beheading in the streets. Various accounts of executions by guillotine. A main character is called to provide medical assistance for a woman who has been raped and abused by her captor, while her young brother is killed in a swordfight.
“He felt that his whole life was some kind of dream and he sometimes wondered whose it was and whether they were enjoying it.” - Chapter 1
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Published: 1979
Author: Douglas Adams
Bookworm Rating: 4 stars
Age Rating: 12+
Average Size: 250 pages
When Arthur Dent wakes he remembers that the council has decided to demolish his home in order to create a bypass. Ten minutes later Earth has been destroyed by the Vogons (a race of unpleasant and bureaucratic aliens) to make way for a hyperspace bypass. With the help of his alien companion and a fantastic book known as the Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Arthur finds himself unexpectedly travelling through space.
Douglas Adam's comedy science fiction novel is a cult classic. Filled with satire, dry humor and hilariously quotable lines. A space adventure which gives full reign to a wacky imagination.
The Bookworm rates this title as 12+. Brief references to suicide (by a computer), and torture (being read bad poetry), brief bad language and innuendo.
The Chrysalids
John Wyndham
“The Upper One sent the Tribulation to destroy them and remind them that existence
means constant change.”
The Chrysalids
Published: 1955
Author: John Wyndham
Personal Rating: 4 stars
Age Rating: 15+
Average Size: 200 pages
David Strom has been brought up to believe that God sent Tribulation upon the earth as punishment for mankind’s sin. As a result all mutations are blasphemy. Soon, David and his friends are running from a society that believes they are a threat to God’s original creation.
A vivid portrayal of post-apocalyptic society, when nuclear carnage has been transformed into an act of God. Despite its age, The Chrysalids has lost nothing in relevance to our own society.
The fictional society routinely kills any plants, humans or animal that 'deviate' from normal. Reference is made to suspected murder, torture and suicide. A minor character is fatally shot by an arrow, and a group of men are killed off-screen. Due to this content Bookworm rates The Chrysalids as 15+.
“I know you despise me; allow me to say, it is because you do not understand me.” - Chapter 24
North and South
Published: 1854-55
Author: Elizabeth Gaskell
Bookworm Rating: 4 stars
Age Rating: 13+
Average Size: 400 pages
When Margaret Hale returns to her idyllic family parsonage, she discovers that her father has abandoned the church and plans to relocate his family to a northern factory town called Milton. Proud and sophisticated Margaret is thrown headlong into the war between master and worker and encounters one Milton man she can't forget.
One of Elizabeth Gaskell's best known novels, North and South is a social novel examining the conflict between the employers and workers of Victorian Manchester. The novel is set in the fictional industrial town of Milton, and utilizes the opinions of southern Margaret to explore the progress of industrialization from multiple class perspectives, whilst pursing an unusual love story. The protagonist, Margaret Hale, is depicted as proud and principled, and Gaskell quietly unpicks the characters prejudice in a subtle yet satisfying way.
A challenging but interesting read. Important topics like industrialization and poverty are discussed extensively in the book, and the major characters have debates about social and economic morality. The Bookworm rates North and South 14+ due to the required level of comprehension.