The Scarlet Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne

Criticism:

This book hides, in a story of love, scandal and guilt, the relationship between society and the individual. It tells the story of a woman who becomes an adulterer while her husband is missing and is discovered because, as a consequence, she has a child. This woman is then publicly shamed and separated from society; and the story is about her reaction

The Sun Also Rises - Ernest Hemingway

Criticism:

This book, of a style similar to the one of The Catcher in the Rye and of The Great Gatsby, is a prefectly written masterpiece. The reading of it is very dynamic, and it portrays wonderfully, with an abundance of physical, very easy to capture, feelings: when you read this book, the feelings seem real; the sounds, the smells, the colours... This liveliness helps to convey the great angst felt by

East of Eden - John Steinbeck

Criticism:

East of Eden is an intricately written book for experienced readers. In its philosophical sense, it talks mainly about the past, destiny, and predestination- and the falseness of it all. It talks about how if you think that something conditions you, it will end up doing so; but if you

Wuthering Heights

Criticism:

This book, as its title suggests, is dark, gloomy... It is a book written for people with literary experience who at the same time are willing to take a walk around the craziness museum. This novel, which brood so much over the themes of love and the effect that

The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald

Criticism:

This is probably one of the greatest literary works in american history. Maybe, this is due to the way in which the language used in it is so lyric and beautiful that reading the book sometimes feels like reading a poem. Or to the way in which

Wolf Moon - Julio Llamazares

Criticism:

This is a pessimistic and depressing novel which is nevertheless extremely realistic and credible. The characters and their words seem real, and the descriptions are so visual and detailed that the reader discovers, by reading how the main character sees his surroundings, which are his feelings and his moods. I think that the use

The Prince - Niccolò Machiavelli

Criticism:

This book, written by Niccolò Machiavelli to Lorenzo de Medici as a "gift of peace", is a guide to any prince of what steps he must take to be able to maintain a territory under his power once he has conquered it. Therefore, it talks about the end of

Brave New World - Aldous Huxley

Criticism:

This book, by Aldous Huxley, is an incredible classic which is marvelously written and wonderfully thought of. Both the story and the style in which it is told hook the reader and make him dive into an unconscious meditation about the world in itself, its people, and everything. It is a criticism of society told in a way that

The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde

Criticism:

This novel, written by Oscar Wilde, is as pessimistic as it is philosophical. But although an oppressive pessimism lives throughout the whole book, and the ending- and mostly everything that happens in the story- is predictable, this doesn't abate the reading's value as, in this book, the importance of this book isn't in these

Chronicle of a Death Foretold - Gabriel García Marquez

Criticism:

This book, which is one of the most recognized of the spanish language literature, is a mysterious reading matter which turns "liquid" for anyone who reads it. It is perfect as much for readers without a wide literary maturity as for very experienced readers who want to read something easy, quick and entertaining, but that at the same time isn't too simple but instead a piece of art which flows all by itself. Therefore, I would recommend it to

Aura - Carlos Fuentes

Criticism:

This book is really well written. When you read it you can feel the tension perfectly, the smooth oppression of the plot. Although you are perfectly aware of what will happen in the next page, and the ending is implied all through the book, the tension is in that

East Wind: West Wind - Pearl S. Buck

Criticism:

This book is the first book written by Pearl S. Buck, but it impressed me very possitively. It seemed to me extremely delicate and beautiful, written in a very poetic and fluid style. At the same time, it is easy and quick to read, without

1984 - George Orwell

Criticism:

This classic written by George Orwell is a masterpiece which is worth reading. This novel portrays George Orwell's philosophical and political ideas, but in a very entertaining and interesting way which engages the reader. The ending is quite predictable, but this doesn't make it worse as the aim of this book is clearly not to excite the reader excessively but to help us observe the world's structure, as well as it's society's structure.
Therefore, George Orwell is loyal to his style full of pessimism and realism mixed, and makes the reader reflect largely about what he has read. Moreover, the foresight of the future which he possesses is admirable, as is the fluency of his language as he transmits his ideas.


Web page in honour of the author: http://www.george-orwell.org/

The Olive Labyrinth - Eduardo Mendoza

Criticism:

This is a funny book, but extremely awqward. That is why it is a book which grips the reader but which doesn't produce too much empathy to the reader, as it is quite difficult to tie the loose ends which the author presents, to understand the characters' decisions (they have a strange way of thinking), and enter in the situation of the book. Even so, the book is very entertaining if it is read by the correct type of person, that I think must be someone older than 13 years old, overall up to 30 years, with a very open mind.
I have been told very different things about this novel, and one of the most frequent is that Eduardo Mendoza didn't know what he was doing while writing it. In the other hand, it is interesting to read about absurd situations which most people wouldn't imagine.

Author's official webpage: Nonexistent

The Catcher in the Rye - J. D. Salinger

 Criticism:

This is a very curious book. Reading it is like meeting someone who with many will feel very identified, but at the same time revolutionary and extremely honest with the reader, treating on corruption and people's discontrol. It is written as if your best friend of all your life commented on everything that he saw, every thought he has. It is very interesting, and although it doesn't have much action, it is not boring and it grips the reader, although not to an extreme. It is one of those books which don't have a completely specific plot, but that doesn't need it due to the quality of how it is written and due to what it transmits emotionally. It makes the reader contemplate human behaviour, society, and his position in it with other eyes, and although it is terribly pessimistic it sticks to reality.
Reading this book is like talking with someone. It uses very curious and different literary techniques, like repeating always the same words on purpose. Furthermore, it is very easy to read. It is a book that, although it is written in an absolutely different way, I would classify next to "The Great Gatsby" and would recommend as a compulsory read for anyone.

Author's official webpage: Nonexistent

Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury

Criticism:

This book is a science fiction classic that I recommend everyone to read at least once in their lives, although not before being twelve years old. It is a story whose very argument is a critic to society  and a reflection about human nature with which I, personally, agree. It is a book made of action and reflection, which uses a very original fantasy story as an example of our destructive nature, but which at the same time is very optimistic. It is a touching book, neither hard nor sad, nor happy, but it is one of the books that can fill the heart of the person who listens to what they tell, although at the beginning it may not seem so.

It is written in a beautiful way. It describes perfectly and using endless similes and metaphors not only what the main character sees, but also the way in which he sees it and how what his eyes pass on to him reaches his mind. Moreover, this is transmitted in the most exact, most pretty, and least elaborate way possible. Sometimes it is quite difficult to concentrate in what is told, and it is necessary to read it twice, but this happens because the text is very deep. In the other hand, all the characters talk exactly in the same way, using the same rhythms and style etc, and the same way of thinking. I think that this may be the reason why the reader feels sympathy and affinity to the main character, but isn't overwhelmed in the story by this sensation of empathy. It is not dominant in the reading. Furthermore, I find the story quite sexist, as in it only men are capable of thinking for themselves from time to time; and despite this all the women are empty-headed. They are all completely superficial and easily influenced, and loud, and they represent the part of society that destroys the world.

 

Author's official web page: http://www.raybradbury.com/

Renglones Torcidos de Dios - Torcuato Luca de Tena

Criticism:

This is a really interesting book that I would recommend to anyone older than 12 years, and that gripped me a lot and also was, for me, very enriching. It made me ponder the subjects in it, and although it is quite calm and has very little action, it is not slow or dense. Contrarily, it is a very quick read, although there are some parts or descriptions that some people may think are unnecessary, but the author manages to make everything very reallistic; so much that I, personally, would beleive