Reccommendations for Someone Transitioning Out of YA

[Rin]

Hello all! I am a 17 year old who has mainly read YA. I'm not too great at identifying figurative language, as most YA books nowadays lack figurative language. I realized how bad I was when I read The Great Gatsby without realizing any figurative language, it wasn't till my mother, who is an English teacher, told me of my embarassing error.
Regarding classics, I'd like to start with something that isn't too full of figurative language, but still has some and is good (in your opinion).
Any recommendations?

[☯Emily , moderator]

I got started with classics when I read Pride and Prejudice.

[Maricruz]

Hi Rin!
I'd recommend reading Watership Down. From the classics that I have read I think this would be the perfect book because it's a great classic geared towards a younger audience.

[♪ Kim N]

Hi Rin!
You might try To Kill a Mockingbird or A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. They are sometimes categorized as YA because the narrators are young girls, but I consider them "classics" first.

Others books I enjoyed when I first started reading classics are The Good Earth and The Call of the Wild.

[Rin]

I've read Pride and Predjudice, a few years ago and I loved it. I feel like there wasn't any figurative language in it, but then again I may be having another Gatsby situation... (I've also read Jane Eyre and didn't find any, if there is some, someone help lol)
I've added all the reccommended books on my "to read" list, and am still open to suggestions :)

Thank you to everyone who has answered so far!

[Miriam]

Rin wrote: "I've read Pride and Predjudice, a few years ago and I loved it. I feel like there wasn't any figurative language in it, but then again I may be having another Gatsby situation... (I've also read Ja..."

If you loved Pride and Prejudice you might really like Wuthering Heights. It was one of the first classics I read when I was transitioning out of YA fiction and I don't think it has a lot of figurative language at all. Hope that helps!

[Georgina]

I'm the same age and Oliver Twist doesn't have much and is really really good. But I know Dickens is abit like marmite. I can't really think of classics that don't and are nicely readable , sorry.

[Charlotte]

Try reading The Catcher in the Rye. A lot of teenagers like it and often even relate to it. The narrator is a teenage boy. Also try reading Of Mice and Men. It's short and easy to read. It's one of my favorites.

You could try looking up books you're reading to understand them more. Use sparknotes and shmoop. Or even ask your mom! This way you'll learn to see the figurative language as you keep reading.

[☯Emily , moderator]

Charlotte has a great suggestion. I use aids like Sparknotes or Shmoop if I read a book that is complicated. The comments really help in understanding themes or complicated passages, etc.

[Rin]

@Joy
By figurative language I mean symbolism, mostly. Things like how the green light isn't just a green light, and Holden's red hunting hat isn't just a red hunting hat.

[Emily]

I think that anything by Mark Twain is a good starting point if you're looking for classics that are easy to understand with some symbolism. You could also try some short stories such as The Lottery by Shirley Jackson. It has a lot of symbols, but most of them are pretty easy to pick out.

[Carmen]

The Picture of Dorian Gray, it is a great book for figurative language and it is very catchy. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll, is another figurative kind of book.

[RitaSkeeter]

Anne of Green Gables and Little Women. Not sure there is a great deal of figurative language, but great reads. I first read them when quite young so they are very accessible and easy reading.