LogFAQs > #961858117

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte [Bront if you wanna be picky], 1847: lots of drama, passion, and cruelty, and not a lot of characters to like. However, much like a train wreck, you can't look away. Contemporary readers and critics found it compelling if troubling, yet it's much more appreciated today.

The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton, 1920: high society drama and interpersonal scandal in the late 19th century, this takes you to a world that no longer exists, shattered by WWI. The constant struggle between pleasure and morality, old and new, tugs at you throughout the book.

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, 1850: one of the first mass-produced books in the US, it inspired the film Easy A [2010]. For fans of A Christmas Carol who didn't care for the supernatural elements.

Pro tip: if they bring up a book you've never heard of in a film, and it's clearly an attempt to legitimize the film by name-dropping the book... drop the film instead and go read the book. e.g., it goes without saying that Wuthering Heights [like many works] is far superior to Twilight, and supposedly it's Bella Swan's 'favorite book'. Pffff.