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Book reviews and reader log for Classics

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★★★★☆
The grand original O.G. dystopian novel, that influenced everything from 1984 to Brave New World, and everyone from Kurt Vonnegut to Ayn Rand. D-503 of the totalitarian OneState is a mathematician who thinks in numbers and equations. But he discovers he has a soul, and passions...

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All Quiet on the Western Front

★★★★★
A young soldier in WW1 recounts his moving story of horror and disillusionment of life in the trenches.

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The Secret Garden

★★★☆☆
An orphaned girl is sent to live with a reclusive uncle, where she finds a secret garden which changes the lives of herself and everyone around her

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Slaughterhouse-Five

★★★★★
Centering on the infamous firebombing of Dresden, the story follows the life of Billy Pilgrim. as he reflects on the events of his life across time and space.

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One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich

★★★★★
The story of labour-camp inmate Ivan Denisovich Shukhov, it graphically describes his struggle to maintain his dignity in the face of communist oppression. An unforgettable portrait of the entire world of Stalin's gulags.

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The Outsiders

★★★★★
Two weeks in the life of Ponyboy Curtis, a 14-year old "greaser" and his struggles with right and wrong in a society in which he believes that he is an outsider.

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The Giver

★☆☆☆☆
At the age of twelve, Jonas, a young boy from a seemingly utopian, futuristic world, is singled out to receive special training from The Giver, who alone holds the memories of the true joys and pain of life.

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Memoirs of a Geisha

★★★★☆
A world where women's artistry is to entice the most powerful men; where their virginity is auctioned to the highest bidder, and where love is scorned...

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The Big Sleep

★★☆☆☆
The first book featuring tough-as-nails P.I. Philip Marlowe... private eye, educated, heroic, streetwise, rugged individualist, hero... a complete man, a common man, and yet, a highly unusual man.

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Murder on the Orient Express

★★★★★
A train stopped at midnight in the snow. A dead body found in a compartment. Twelve stab wounds leave no doubt it was murder. And Hercule Poirot, tasked with solving the crime, is certain the culprit is a passenger on the Orient Express.

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The Picture of Dorian Gray

★★★★★
A classic study of shallowness, vanity, casual cruelty and hedonistic selfishness, all presented as a suspenseful Gothic horror novel

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Rosemary's Baby

★★★★★
Dark and twisted horror novel with a slow build-up of a sense of unease, with both the reader and the protagonist asking themselves, "Is there something ominous, or are we reading too much into nothing?"

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And Then There Were None

★★★★★
Influential murder-mystery that is clever and suspenseful. This gem will keep you guessing!

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The Handmaid's Tale

★★★☆☆
The Handmaid's Tale is an incredibly well-written dystopian tome, presented as a diary of "Handmaid", living in an extremely misogynistic, horrifying world.

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The Wizard of Earthsea

★★★★★
The origin story of sparrowhawk, the greatest wizard of Earthsea. As the young boy learns to be a wizard, his pride and ego causes him to take some mis-steps; and as a young man, he uses his skill and resourcefulness to rectify those mis-steps

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The Diary of a Young Girl

★★★★★
Discovered in the attic in which she spent the last years of her life, Anne Frank’s remarkable diary has become a world classic—a powerful reminder of the horrors of war and an eloquent testament to the human spirit.

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