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Kate Chopin’s groundbreaking novel of early feminism set against the evocative backdrop of turn-of-the-century New Orleans

Edna Pontellier is trapped. By her marriage, by her responsibilities to two young sons, by the expectations of Creole society. When she falls in love with the charming and flirtatious Robert Lebrun during a summer on the Louisiana coast, Edna awakens to a new sense of herself, and to the possibility of true independence. Mademoiselle Reisz, a locally renowned musician, offers one example of the self-sufficient, artistic existence Edna might lead. An affair with the notorious womanizer Alcée Arobin warns of the passion and danger inherent in living outside the boundaries of convention. Torn between the life that was handed to her and the one she wants to live, Edna makes a shocking decision.

Overwhelmingly criticized in its day for its frank depictions of female sexuality, marriage, and a woman’s desire for independence, The Awakening is now celebrated as one of the earliest—and most revolutionary—feminist novels in American literature.

The most wanted man in France returns to the scene of his notorious adventures

In the early days of the Revolution, Sir Percy Blakeney—better known in Paris as the Scarlet Pimpernel—spirited innocent members of the French nobility to safety in England. The Reign of Terror has now turned on itself, with the demagogue Robespierre leading the purge. But there is one rival whom Robespierre wants to see die more than any other, and he is at his home just outside of London, far beyond the reach of the guillotine.

Citizen Chauvelin, ex-ambassador of the Revolutionary Government at the English Court and Robespierre’s chief spy catcher, is sent to bring Sir Percy back to France to be executed. With the help of a charming young French actress, Chauvelin gains access to Blakeney Manor and orchestrates a dispute that can only be resolved with a duel—a form of justice prohibited in England. Crossing the channel on his way back into the madness of the Terror, Sir Percy does not realize the full extent of the plot against him. But the Scarlet Pimpernel has never shied away from danger, and now is no time to start.

Now a Netflix film and a selection of the TikTok Book Club—Jane Austen’s classic novel about a second chance at love in nineteenth-century England.

Anne Elliot is a perfect catch. Born to a landed family, she’s observant and intelligent. When Anne came of age, she accepted a proposal from the ambitious officer Frederick Wentworth. Unfortunately, Wentworth’s modest means made him a poor choice for the Elliot family, and Anne was persuaded to call off the engagement. One refused marriage and nearly a decade later, Anne has not forgotten about Wentworth. Little does she know that her fortune is about to change.

When the Elliots make ill-advised investments and lose their money, they are forced to rent out their ancestral home and move to Bath. There, Anne once again meets Wentworth, who is now a captain, in what could be her second and final chance at love and marriage. Buttressed by the author’s humane characterization and sharp social commentary, Persuasion is a must-read for any Austen fan.

George Eliot’s debut novel tells a story of love in rural eighteenth-century England.

Adam Bede is an upstanding, hardworking, intelligent young man, the kind of person who knows what he wants—and what he wants is the incredibly shallow Hetty Sorrel. Though Hetty is a milkmaid, she harbors dreams of becoming a dignified member of the upper class. To that end, she has set her sights on Captain Arthur Donnithorne, a squire and heir to much of the town’s wealth. Meanwhile, Dinah Morris, Hetty’s compassionate cousin, harbors irrepressible romantic feelings for Adam.

This love rectangle forms the character basis for one of the greatest English novels of all time. Upon its release in 1859, Adam Bede was immediately lauded as a seminal work for its depiction of English country life at the turn of the nineteenth century, garnering the praise of Charles Dickens. Eliot’s deft mixing of the fictional with the real has made Adam Bede a timeless classic.