Discover the Most Influential Books with High-Quality Book Summaries

An epic poem by Ovid, "Metamorphoses" recounts tales of transformations, gods, and mortals in mythical Greece.

An offbeat and darkly humorous look into the effects of consumerism and media culture on modern life.

"Winesburg, Ohio" is a collection of stories on small-town life, exploring everyday struggles of self-discovery and loneliness.

A harrowing tale of a desperate and violent Russia struggling to face and understand the troubled minds of its people.

An epic tale of a miner struggling to survive in the harsh conditions of a 19th century French coal mine.

This autobiographical novel recounts Elie Wiesel's harrowing experience of being a victim of the Holocaust.

The Man Who Loved Children is a devastatingly honest look at family life and its impact on an individual and the world.

A surreal exploration of imagination and dream, "Invisible Cities" is a poetic masterpiece of invented cities and complex human relationships.

A mysterious outsider questions the status quo in a colonial outpost, as power, repression, and justice all clash.

A Passage to India is about British colonialism in India, and explores cultural divides and friendship in a complex world.

An evocative exploration of African-American identity and the history of the American South.

A realistic, poignant look at the Catholic Church in the West, set against a timeless landscape of the Southwest.

A magical story of revenge and resilience on a distant island, as Prospero proves the power of wisdom and humanity.

A classic novel by Victor Hugo about an unlikely hero, Quasimodo, and his love for the beautiful gypsy, Esmeralda.

A captivating autobiographical narrative of Nabokov's life and its effects on his writing.

"The House of Mirth" is a classic novel examining society's roles of morality and ambition.

Strange, surreal story of a salesman who turns into a giant bug and explores life in a new form.

An Italian classic that tells of ten young people fleeing the ravages of plague in Florence, and their 100 tales of love, adventure, and comedy.

The Hamlet is a Southern Gothic classic by William Faulkner, exploring themes of loyalty, honour, and revenge in small-town rural America.

A gripping story of a family's journey to Dublin for a holiday gathering and the emotional memories it inspires.

An epic novel exploring the decline of a wealthy German merchant family over several generations.

An evocative family drama set in pre-WWII Japan following the lives of the four Makioka sisters.

A tragic story about a diverse group of passengers aboard a ship in 1930s Germany, each with unique yet tragic fates.

A Pulitzer Prize winning novel of a freedman who owns slaves in a secret, pre-Civil War world.