3.93 avg rating — 5,915,901 ratings

"The definitive American novel, The Great Gatsby works as a character study, a document of the Jazz Age, biting social commentary, a love story, a tragedy, and so much more. It is an easy read, and an essential one. Fitzgerald's prose shines as brightly now as when it was first written."

3.70 avg rating — 3,200,137 ratings

"Lord of the Flies is a perfect literary novel: Its symbolism and story are so intertwined that one cannot know the latter without also understanding the former. Golding's sharp details and precise wording propel the narrative through its various twists, each more painful than the last. Within Lord's pages live unforgettable characters and insights."

4.39 avg rating — 594,268 ratings

"Watchmen blends Moore's powerful writing and Gibbons's simple images into a reading experience as potent as any."

3.61 avg rating — 464,159 ratings

"My favorite play, The Crucible remains powerful even if the reader has never heard of McCarthy; it's a "morality play" in the best, most literal sense of the phrase."

4.18 avg rating — 87,108 ratings

"Readers are inevitably writers, and all writers should read this slim volume of prudent advice."