Discussion: What are your favorite underrated classics?
While it’s fun, now and then, to heap scorn on overrated classics, today I’m curious about underrated classics. Are there books from 50, 100, or 150+ years ago that have stuck with you, but don’t get much attention from the bookish community?
For me, W. Somerset Maugham’s The Razor’s Edge stands out. I hadn’t heard of this Maugham title until a friend recommended it for our IRL book club (thanks, Peter!) and I loved it. I still think about the story, years later, and sometimes flip through my copy to revisit the highlighted passages.
And although Willa Cather is a certified American legend, I don’t encounter many people actually reading her books. Bottom line: they’re fantastic and you should read them.
Okay, your turn. What are your favorite underrated classics?
The 1929 novel “Passing” by Nella Larson, about a black woman passing as white in the 1920’s. There was a tv movie/series made about it recently too.
The Good Earth! I absolutely treasure that book, re-read it every few years.