Considered one of the most important literary works of the 19th century, "Les Miserables" actually deals with the lives of several characters and their relationships with each other, during the French Revolution. What exactly makes this novel difficult to read: It's too long...
Bronte released "Wuthering Heights" under the pseudonym Ellis Bell since women writers were not taken seriously at the time. The novel is considered one of the classics of English literature today and is the author's first and last book. Although it may seem like a romance novel at first glance, it reveals the oppression of the Victorian era and its negative reflections. Things that make the book difficult to read: Mid-Victorian language and the slow unfolding of the plot.
This satirical war novel is considered one of the cornerstones of American literature. Heller based "Catch 22" on his experiences as a bomber pilot during World War II. What makes the book difficult to read: The nonlinear progression of the plot and the mixing of different narrators.
"Jane Eyre" is a bildungsroman, in other words, a story that shows the development of a character from past to present. The book takes on the life of Jane Eyre, who was orphaned at a young age and left boarding school to work as a tutor in a mansion. Things take a turn for the worse when Jane Eyre falls in love with the mansion's mysterious lord. The writer questions Christian morality at its foundation. What makes this challenging to read: The constant change of narration between characters.
The book is about the 227-day struggle of a child who is left alone with a Bengal tiger in a boat. The writer is inspired by the sailor Steven Callahan, who spent 76 days in the Atlantic Ocean. What makes this book difficult to read: Some believe its magic realism is challenging in terms of its adaptability to real life. Also, the detailed descriptions throughout the novel are another factor.
The book about the adventures of the whale named Moby Dick did not attract much attention when first released, gaining fame later in the 20th century. The novel is difficult to read for a few reasons: It is quite long (822 pages) and it requires deep knowledge of Western civilizations and a critical mind. Also, the detailed whale descriptions may bother some readers who don't want to end up a whale specialist.
If you think that this book is an adventure story about kids who are stranded on a desert island, you are wrong. Nobel literature laureate William Golding strikingly demonstrates how savage people can become for power. What makes "Lord of the Flies" difficult to read?: The symbols and metaphors.
Considered the first novel in history, the book takes on the life of Don Quixote, a former landlord in his 50s who lives in La Mancha. Don Quixote, who loves books about knights and believes they are real, leaves everything behind and hits the road. What's not to like: Long speeches by the characters about chivalry, to name one.
Joyce stretches a 24-hour period of time across 656 pages in "Ulysses." The use of the stream of consciousness technique creates sudden fluxes in character narration, making the novel difficult to follow. What makes "Ulysses" a difficult read: Its length, the use of a stream of consciousness, allusions, word games and the author's stinginess with punctuation.
