Love & Loss

A slim, perfect novel set against the backdrop of the Roaring Twenties. It peels back the glittering surface of the Jazz Age to reveal a hollow core of obsession and moral decay. The story is narrated by Nick Carraway, who moves to Long Island and becomes entangled in the life of his mysterious neighbor, Jay Gatsby. Gatsby throws lavish parties in a desperate bid to win back his former love, Daisy Buchanan, now married to the wealthy but brutish Tom. As the summer unfolds, the novel explores the collision between Gatsby's romantic dreams and the brutal reality of class and money in America. It is a story about the American Dream—the belief that one can reinvent oneself—and the tragedy of trying to repeat the past.

The greatest novel ever written about the human heart. A panoramic exploration of marriage, society, and the destructive power of desire set against the backdrop of Imperial Russia. The novel weaves together two major plotlines: the tragic, passionate affair of the married Anna Karenina and Count Vronsky, and the spiritual awakening of the socially awkward landowner Levin. While Anna's story is a downward spiral of jealousy, isolation, and eventual suicide, Levin's story is an upward climb toward family, faith, and meaning. Tolstoy uses these parallel lives to explore the different ways we seek happiness. The novel is famous for its psychological realism; every character, no matter how minor, feels fully realized and alive.

A razor-sharp social satire disguised in silk. The novel centers on the Bennet family, specifically the second eldest daughter, Elizabeth, who faces pressure to marry for financial security. When the wealthy and aloof Mr. Darcy arrives in the neighborhood, he and Elizabeth clash instantly. What follows is the most famous courtship in literature, a battle of wits where both characters must overcome their own flaws—her prejudice and his pride—to find happiness. Austen uses this romantic framework to critique the rigid class structure of Regency England and the limited options available to women. It is a comedy of manners that is as biting as it is charming.

A love story closer to a horror story. On the savage, wind-battered moors of Yorkshire, the foundling Heathcliff and the wild Catherine Earnshaw share a bond that is primal, violent, and utterly destructive. When they are separated by class and circumstance—Catherine marries the wealthy Edgar Linton—Heathcliff sets out on a path of cold-blooded revenge. The novel spans two generations, showing how Heathcliff's bitterness poisons everyone around him. It is a radical departure from the polite Victorian novels of its time, featuring characters who are cruel, selfish, and driven by raw emotion. It challenges the idea that love is always a force for good, suggesting it can also be a haunting and a possession.

The novel that perfected Realism and poisoned romance. Emma Bovary is a beautiful country girl who marries a dull, decent doctor and finds herself drowning in the boredom of provincial life. Fueled by romantic novels, she embarks on a series of reckless affairs and spending sprees, chasing a fantasy of passion that real life can never match. It is the story of a slow-motion suicide. We watch with horror and pity as Emma's illusions crumble against the hard rock of reality, leading her to financial and moral ruin. Flaubert dissects her life with the cold precision of a surgeon, exposing the fatal gap between what we want and what we have.

The original story of radical female independence. Jane, a mistreated orphan, survives a harsh childhood at the Lowood School to become a governess at the mysterious Thornfield Hall. There, she falls in love with her employer, the brooding and cynical Mr. Rochester, only to discover a terrifying secret hidden in the attic that threatens to destroy her happiness. But this is more than a Gothic romance; it is a spiritual autobiography. Jane is poor, plain, and small, yet she possesses an unconquerable soul. The novel follows her refusal to compromise her integrity for love, money, or religion. From the "Red Room" of her childhood trauma to her flight across the moors, it is a journey toward a relationship of true equals.