I need a book that a sixteen year old female would enjoy, but that is still semi-long in length 250-450 max... that an english teacher would recognize and count as class credit (that means it sort of needs to be something classic)
the female part is the least necessary requirement.
Any help would be greatly appreciated
EDIT: The Book "The Bell Jar" sounds really good.. any thoughts on this?
Posted by Sterling (Member # 8096) on :
The first thing that springs to mind is Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House books, but that may be a little young.
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
About ten years too young, don't you think? And I've never read "The Bell Jar".
What about Jane Eyre? by Charlotten Bronte.
When I was in grade eight* I read Rebecca by Daphne DeMaurier, which I passed off as a classic, since it almost is one. I really enjoyed that and it's quite brilliant.
Pride and Prejudice and other Jane Austen are great, especially if you're into the social aspects of books.
These are all ridiculously female books by female authors although I know that was your lowest requirement. However, all three are books that should be read.
Others, less female, that come to mind would be Oliver Twist, by Charles Dickens and To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, which is one of my absolute favourites ever.
*I would probably ask if this one is classic enough. It might be a little too dramatic.
All are clearly adult books but are not difficult, as in you won't be confused or frustrated, which I find is always a Very Good Thing.
Posted by MidnightBlue (Member # 6146) on :
I'm guessing those are too young. I think I read a couple of them in elemetary school. What about George Orwell's 1984? What kind of book are you looking for? Sci-fi, fantasy, what?
Edit: This was in response to Sterling
Posted by Dr Strangelove (Member # 8331) on :
I second To Kill A Mockingbird. Can't imagine how that wouldn't appeal to anyone, and it's definately accepted as a classic. And its got a good movie made of it also.
Posted by Celaeno (Member # 8562) on :
I love The Bell Jar. It's the book I'm currently lending out to all of my friends. People say it's the female version of The Catcher in the Rye. I'm not exactly sure why. Can anyone shed light on this for me? I think they're very different.
I will also second Pride and Prejudice, but mainly because I'm in love with Mr. Darcy and want to be Elizabeth Bennet.
I also highly recommend Lahiri's The Namesake and Martel's Life of Pi.
Posted by Amilia (Member # 8912) on :
I also really like Jane Austen. If Pride and Prejudice is too cliche, I recommend Persuasion, as it is my absolute favorite Austen.
One of my all time favorite books is A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. It is about a little girl growing up in Brooklyn around the turn of the century. The characters are just so beautifully drawn. None of them are perfect, but you love them in spite of, or perhaps because of, their faults. There's a lovely synopsis of the book here.
Posted by MightyCow (Member # 9253) on :
Huckleberry Finn is a wonderfully entertaining story, and I don't think any teacher could fail to count it as credit. It may run towards the long side of your request, but it's worth it.
Posted by sarcasticmuppet (Member # 5035) on :
I'm trying to think of books that I had to read for school that I actually enjoyed:
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte -- it's a drudge to read, but the story really grew on me Seconding Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte-- much less of a drudge to read than her sister's novel, I felt. The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom (I'm really interested to read the sequel -- Tramp For the Lord). The Diary of Anne Frank Night by Elie Weisel Can you read plays? Don't shy away from Shakespeare-he's better on stage, but even written it's fantastic (I found comedies better to read than tragedies). The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde was also a good high school read. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe (spelling likely butchered) -- much less of a 'girly' novel, and pretty short, but very good nonetheless.
Might also try the Joy Luck Club, Where the Heart is, The Poisonwood Bible. They're contemporary and (gasp!) Oprah Book Club books, but I thought they were good and well-written. I read them myself when I was 15-16.
Posted by collissimon (Member # 9346) on :
How about Margaret Atwood's Handmaid's Tale?
It's an amazing book about a dystopic future!
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
Ooh, if she can choose a play, how about "Cyrano de Bergerac?"
Posted by Celaeno (Member # 8562) on :
I read The Poisonwood Bible for class when I was a high school freshman. To date, it's one of my favorite books.
Posted by Kristen (Member # 9200) on :
While all the suggestions are great, I'm amused. As a 16-year old female, most of my favorite authors were men.
Why not F. Scott Fizgerald or JD Salinger? They both write from both male and female perspectives and often deal with adolescent/post-adolescent issues. Fitzgerlad's This Side of Paradise totally resonated with my teenage self, even though the protagonist was in college.
The Bell Jar is good in that Plath is an exceptional writer, but it's really a depressing book. It's more of a conceptual read emotionally and if you are good at identifying tropes it would be OK for a paper, but there aren't a lot of discrete plot points or characters.
There is also Wuthering Heights if you really want that girly love story.
Posted by Evie3217 (Member # 5426) on :
Ooooo... I agree with almost all of these suggestions, especially The Poisonwood Bible and Life of Pi. I would also suggest East of Eden by John Steinbeck. Although a little long, it's my favorite book to date. I read it as a summer reading book in high school as well, so I think it would be a perfect book.
Posted by sweetbaboo (Member # 8845) on :
I just read "The Good Earth" by Pearl S. Buck and enjoyed it.
Posted by airmanfour (Member # 6111) on :
Ishmael's a doozy. Daniel Quinn thinks interestingly.
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
And I've never read "The Bell Jar".![[Smile]](smile.gif)