First published in 1871, the story is set in the 1830s in a fictional English town of Middlemarch. It interweaves the stories of several major and minor characters, focusing centrally on Dorothea Brooke--an idealistic and ardently religious young woman. Many describe Middlemarch as Eliot's finest work and a masterpiece of Victorian era literature.

A winner of the 1923 Pulitzer Prize, One of Ours tells the story of Claude Wheeler. Leaving college at the behest of his father, he joins work at the family farm and marries a local girl. Feeling lost in his new life, he signs up for military service and finds an unusual satisfaction on the European battlefields of World War I.

Jane Eyre is a classic romance novel originally published in 1847. Bronte's second novel (yet first published) tells the tale of self-described plain and poor girl with no family or social connections. Her experiences through a harsh boarding school and subsequently as a governess at Thornfield Hall are artfully and absorbingly told. This story was an instant hit upon first publication and rema...

Persuasion is Jane Austen's last novel, published posthumously in 1818. The story follows 27-year-old Anne Eliot, who is much older than the central characters in Austen's other books. Having fallen in love with and persuaded to reject a poor naval officer 8 years ago, Anne re-encounters him as a wealthy captain. She is then forced to deal with her regret for past actions and growing jealousy a...

Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus was published in 1818 and is considered by many to be the first science fiction novel. Written by Mary Shelley at the age of 19, the story tells of obsessed university student Victor Frankenstein who finds the secret to animating dead flesh. His creation is intended to be a beautiful, super-human being, however when brought to life it is a disgusting, fri...

From 500 Great Books by Women review by Erica Bauermeister: "Wuthering Heights is a classic tale of possessive and thwarted passion, one of the forerunners of today’s soap operas and romance novels. The tempestuous and mythic story of Catherine Earnshaw, the precocious daughter of the house, and the ruggedly handsome, uncultured foundling her father brings home and names Heathcliff, is played o...