There are certain authors, books, and genres that I’ve always been wary of, whether that’s because I’ve had a bad experience with a particular writer or writing style or heard/read harsh criticism of a specific work. And sometimes, my initial uncertainty proves to be valid, but other times, I find it to be totally baseless. Several of the works that have pleasantly surprised me in this fashion are listed below.
1. East of Eden By John Steinbeck
Before I read East of Eden, when I was asked whether or not I liked reading Steinbeck, I answered with an ardent, unequivocal no. Having read Of Mice and Men, I was certain that no Steinbeck work could inspire any feeling in me but repugnance. However, a couple of years ago, I decided to give his East of Eden a try, having heard glowing reviews from many avid readers.
East of Eden takes the familiar, haunting story of the brothers Cain and Abel and places the tale in a modern setting, demonstrating the timelessness of the passage’s message. It delves deep into the struggle of rejection, exploring the pain one feels when the person they most seek approval from unfailingly loves them second best, regardless of their efforts. The novel is also Steinbeck’s love letter to his beautiful home of California; in the text, he describes the breathtaking scenery and sounds of the Salinas Valley, illustrating his own Eden.
I enjoyed this novel, and it redeemed Steinbeck in my eyes. My biggest critique is that the book is rather repetitive and heavy-handed with metaphors (I prefer greater subtlety), but overall, I found its ideas intriguing.
“But the Hebrew word, the word timshelââThou mayestââ that gives a choice. It might be the most important word in the world. That says the way is open. That throws it right back on a man. For if âThou mayestââit is also true that âThou mayest not.”
Steinbeck – East of Eden
2. Northanger Abbey by jane austen
Northanger Abbey is one of Jane Austen’s least known and read novels, which I personally think is unfortunate. While I understand critiques of the novel, especially the frequently propounded claims that the novel feels disjointed and the characters’ actions erratic, I still enjoyed the work. It is exceedingly different from the other Austen novels I have read: there are moments when the author directly speaks to her audience, charging the text with her own frustration at the widely held disparaging views on the form of the novel. The whole work is an extremely witty satire of popular Gothic fiction; it recreates the setting and elements of a Gothic novel, but the suspenseful moments leading up to what would be startling revelations or discoveries in an actual Gothic novel lead to only hilariously anticlimactic findings in her work.
“It is only a novel… or, in short, only some work in which the greatest powers of the mind are displayed, in which the most thorough knowledge of human nature, the happiest delineation of its varieties, the liveliest effusions of wit and humour, are conveyed to the world in the best-chosen language.”
Austen – Northanger Abbey
3. My Ăntonia by Willa Cather
My Ăntonia is the first Cather novel I read, and I didn’t take so long to read her work due to any personal dislike for the writer or negative criticism, but because I am generally not a fan of American literature set in the 1800s or early 1900s, especially when it takes place in a rural area. So, when learning that My Ăntonia focused on the Nebraskan prairie, I immediately thought, this is not for me. However, I recently ended up reading it, and I enjoyed it immensely. Cather’s descriptions of the untamed prairie are beautiful, and her mode of storytelling is breathtaking. The way Cather quietly, surreptitiously, even, unfolds her wondrous story is incredible, and I am glad that I didn’t let my initial hesitation keep me from experiencing this work.
“I was something that lay under the sun and felt it, like the pumpkins, and I did not want to be anything more. I was entirely happy. Perhaps we feel like that when we die and become a part of something entire, whether it is sun and air, or goodness and knowledge. At any rate, that is happiness; to be dissolved into something complete and great. When it comes to one, it comes as naturally as sleep.”
Cather – My Ăntonia