Book Summary List - concise introductions to the books' comments and plots

Book Summary List

A Doll's House Summary
By Henrik Ibsen

A Doll's House is a famous play first published in 1879 and considered a landmark in modern drama. Set in Norway, it follows the story of Nora Helmer, a woman ...

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Summary
By Mark Twain

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a classic American novel published in 1884. It is often regarded as one of the greatest works of American literature. ...

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Summary
By Arthur Conan Doyle

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is a collection of twelve short stories first published in 1892, featuring the brilliant detective Sherlock Holmes and his ...

Adventures of Tom Sawyer Summary
By Mark Twain

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is a classic novel first published in 1876. It is often regarded as a delightful portrayal of childhood and small-town life along ...

The Aeneid Summary
By Arthur Virgil

The Aeneid is a Latin epic poem that tells the story of Aeneas, a Trojan prince, and his journey to fulfill his divine destiny of founding the city that would ...

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland Summary
By Lewis Carroll

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is a classic children’s novel published in 1865. The story follows Alice, a curious young girl, who falls down a rabbit hole ...

Andersen's Fairy Tales Summary
By Hans Christian Andersen

Hans Christian Andersen’s Fairy Tales are among the most cherished collections in children’s literature. First published in the mid-19th century, these ...

Animal Farm Summary
By George Orwell

Animal Farm, published in 1945, is a political allegory and satirical novella that critiques totalitarian regimes, particularly Stalinist Russia. The story is ...

Anna Karenina Summary
By Leo Tolstoy

Anna Karenina is a classic novel first published in 1878 and is widely regarded as one of the greatest works of literature. It is a sweeping novel that ...

Anthem Summary
By Ayn Rand

Anthem, a dystopian novella by Ayn Rand, was first published in 1938. It is set in a collectivist future where individualism has been entirely suppressed. The ...

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man Summary
By James Joyce

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce is a landmark modernist novel published in 1916. It tells the story of Stephen Dedalus, a fictionalized ...

Arms and the Man Summary
By George Bernard Shaw

Arms and the Man, a three-act play by George Bernard Shaw, is a comedic yet thought-provoking satire on romanticized notions of war, heroism, and love. Set ...

A Study In Scarlet Summary
By Arthur Conan Doyle

A Study in Scarlet, first published in 1887, is the first story to introduce the legendary detective Sherlock Holmes and his loyal companion, Dr. John Watson. ...

The Awakening Summary
By Kate Chopin

Kate Chopin’s The Awakening, published in 1899, is a pioneering work of early feminist literature that explores themes of identity, independence, and societal ...

Between the Acts Summary
By Virginia Woolf

Between the Acts, set on a single day in June 1939, just before the outbreak of World War II, unfolds at Pointz Hall, the Oliver family's country estate in ...

Brave New World Summary
By Aldous Huxley

Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, published in 1932, is a dystopian novel that explores a futuristic society driven by technological advancements, consumerism, ...

The Call of the Wild Summary
By Jack London

Jack London's "The Call of the Wild" is a powerful and evocative tale of a domesticated dog's transformation into a wild, primal creature. Set during the ...

Candide Summary
By Voltaire

Candide begins in the idyllic Westphalian castle of Baron Thunder-ten-trench, where young Candide is raised. He is taught by the philosopher Pangloss, who ...

The Catcher in the Rye
By J. D. Salinger

J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye follows the experiences of Holden Caulfield, a troubled 16-year-old boy who narrates the story from a mental ...

A Christmas Carol Summary
By Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is a timeless novella that tells the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a miserly and cold-hearted businessman who undergoes a ...

The Count of Monte Cristo Summary
By Alexandre Dumas

Alexandre Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo is a sweeping tale of betrayal, vengeance, and redemption set in 19th-century France. The novel follows Edmond ...

Crime and Punishment Summary
By Fyodor Dostoevsky

Crime and Punishment, set in the sweltering, impoverished streets of 1860s St. Petersburg, follows the psychological descent of Rodion Raskolnikov, a ...

David Copperfield Summary
By Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield is a richly detailed and semi-autobiographical novel that chronicles the life of its titular character, David Copperfield, ...

Dead Souls Summary
By Nikolai Gogol

Nikolai Gogol’s Dead Souls is a satirical novel published in 1842, considered one of the greatest works of Russian literature. The novel follows the ...

Discourses on the First Decade of Titus Livius Summary
By Niccolò Machiavelli

Niccolò Machiavelli, a name synonymous with political pragmatism and cunning, is often remembered for his treatise The Prince. However, his more extensive and ...

Dracula Summary
By Bram Stoker

Bram Stoker’s Dracula is a gothic horror novel about a group of individuals who attempt to defeat the ancient vampire Count Dracula. The book is told through ...

Dubliners Summary
By James Joyce

James Joyce’s Dubliners is a seminal collection of short stories published in 1914. It vividly and unflinchingly portrays life in early 20th-century Dublin. ...

Ethan Frome Summary
By Edith Wharton

Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome is a tragic novella set in the bleak, isolated landscape of rural Starkfield, Massachusetts, at the turn of the 20th century. The ...

Fahrenheit 451 Summary
By Ray Bradbury

Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 is a dystopian novel published in 1953 that explores themes of censorship, conformity, and the power of knowledge. Set in a ...

A Farewell to Arms Summary
By Ernest Hemingway

A Farewell to Arms is set during World War I and narrated by Frederic Henry, an American serving as an ambulance driver in the Italian army. The novel opens ...

Fathers and Children Summary
By Ivan Turgenev

Fathers and Children is set in the backdrop of 19th-century Russia, a society undergoing significant social and intellectual change. The novel centers on the ...

Frankenstein Summary
By Mary Shelley

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein opens with a series of letters written by Captain Robert Walton to his sister, Margaret. Walton, on an Arctic expedition, ...

Gone With The Wind Summary
By Margaret Mitchell

Margaret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind is an epic tale set in the American South during the tumultuous years of the Civil War and Reconstruction. It centers ...

Great Expectations Summary
By Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations is a richly woven tale of ambition, love, and self-discovery. It follows the life of Pip, an orphan raised by his harsh ...

The Great Gatsby Summary
By F. Scott Fitzgerald

Set in the summer of 1922, The Great Gatsby is narrated by Nick Carraway, a Yale graduate and World War I veteran who moves to West Egg, Long Island, to work ...

Grimms' Fairy Tales Summary
By Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm's Children's and Household Tales, more commonly known as Grimms' Fairy Tales, are a cornerstone of Western literary tradition. ...

Gulliver's Travels Summary
By Jonathan Swift

Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels is more than an adventure story; it is a sharp, satirical critique of human nature, politics, and society. Swift uses ...

Hamlet Summary
By William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare’s Hamlet is one of his most renowned tragedies. The play explores themes of revenge, madness, betrayal, and existential crisis through the ...

Hard Times Summary
By Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens’ Hard Times is a powerful critique of industrialization and utilitarianism set in the fictional Coketown, a grim and polluted industrial city. ...

Heart of Darkness Summary
By Joseph Conrad

Heart of Darkness begins on the Thames River, aboard the yawl Nellie, where a group of men, including the narrator, Marlow, are waiting for the tide to turn. ...

The Hound of the Baskervilles Summary
By Arthur Conan Doyle

The Hound of the Baskervilles, published in 1902, is one of the most famous and beloved stories in the Sherlock Holmes canon. It is a masterful blend of ...

House of Mirth Summary
By Edith Wharton

Edith Wharton's The House of Mirth is a tragic novel set in the opulent but unforgiving world of New York society at the turn of the 20th century. The story ...

The Importance of Being Earnest Summary
By Oscar Wilde

Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, first performed in 1895, is a satirical comedy that critiques Victorian society, particularly its emphasis on ...

The Inspector General Summary
By Nikolai Gogol

Nikolai Gogol’s The Inspector General is a satirical play that exposes the corruption, hypocrisy, and absurdity of bureaucratic systems in 19th-century Russia ...

Ivanhoe Summary
By Walter Scott

Ivanhoe is set in 12th-century England, a time of conflict between the Norman rulers and the native Saxons, and also during the return of King Richard the ...

Jane Eyre Summary
By Charlotte Bronte

Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, first published in 1847, is a groundbreaking novel that combines elements of romance, Gothic fiction, and social critique. The ...

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Summary
By Robert Louis Stevenson

Robert Louis Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a chilling exploration of the duality of human nature, set against the backdrop of Victorian London. The ...

Julius Caesar Summary
By William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, written in 1599, is a historical tragedy that explores themes of power, ambition, betrayal, and fate. The play dramatizes ...

The Jungle Summary
By Upton Sinclair

Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle, published in 1906, is a powerful social and political novel that exposes the harsh realities of labor exploitation and unsanitary ...

To Kill a Mockingbird Summary
By Harper Lee

Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, published in 1960, is a timeless classic that explores themes of racial injustice, moral growth, and empathy through the ...

King Lear Summary
By William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare’s King Lear, written around 1606, is a tragic play that explores themes of power, betrayal, madness, and redemption. The story follows ...

Lady Chatterley's Lover Summary
By D H Lawrence

Lady Chatterley's Lover is set in post-World War I England, a time of social and industrial change. Constance (Connie) Reid marries Sir Clifford Chatterley, a ...

The Last of the Mohicans Summary
By James Fenimore Cooper

James Fenimore Cooper's The Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757 is set during the French and Indian War, which pitted the British and their colonial ...

Les Misérables Summary
By Victor Hugo

Victor Hugo's Les Misérables is a sweeping historical novel that spans several decades in 19th-century France. It follows the life of Jean Valjean, a man who ...

Little Women Summary
By Louisa May Alcott

Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women is a heartwarming and timeless coming-of-age novel that follows the lives of the four March sisters—Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy—as ...

Lord of the Flies Summary
By William Golding

William Golding's Lord of the Flies is a thought-provoking novel that examines the fragile boundaries between civilization and savagery through the ...

Macbeth Summary
By William Shakespeare

Macbeth is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare and first performed in the early 1600s. It explores themes of ambition, fate, and the destructive effects ...

Main Street Summary
By Sinclair Lewis

Main Street opens with Carol Milford, a bright, idealistic young woman who is graduating from Blodgett College in Minnesota. She dreams of transforming ...

Mansfield Park Summary
By Jane Austen

Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park begins with the story of three sisters and their differing marriages. The eldest marries Sir Thomas Bertram, a wealthy baronet ...

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes Summary
By Arthur Conan Doyle

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes is a collection of eleven short stories first published in 1893. This sequel to The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes continues to ...

The Merchant of Venice Summary
By William Shakespeare

The Merchant of Venice is a play by William Shakespeare. It is classified as a comedy but incorporates serious themes such as justice, mercy, prejudice, and ...

Metamorphosis Summary
By Franz Kafka

The Metamorphosis opens with Gregor Samsa, a traveling salesman, waking up to find himself transformed into a giant insect. He lies on his back, his numerous ...

Of Mice and Men
By John Steinbeck

John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men is a poignant novella set during the Great Depression. It explores themes of friendship, loneliness, and the American Dream. ...

A Midsummer Night’s Dream Summary
By William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a comedy. The play intertwines multiple storylines involving love, transformation, and magical interference ...

Moby Dick
By Herman Melville

Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick is a complex novel that blends adventure, philosophy, and allegory. The story follows Ishmael, a restless young man who embarks on ...

My Ántonia Summary
By Willa Cather

Willa Cather’s My Ántonia is a classic novel that explores themes of immigration, hardship, and the American frontier through the lens of its narrator, Jim ...

The Narrative of the Life Summary
By Frederick Douglass

Published in 1845, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, is a monumental work in American literature and a crucial document in the ...

1984 Summary
By George Orwell

George Orwell’s1984 was published in 1949. It is a dystopian novel set in a totalitarian society where the government, led by the Party and its figurehead, ...

Northanger Abbey Summary
By Jane Austen

Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey is a coming-of-age story that satirizes Gothic novels while exploring themes of self-awareness, love, and societal expectations ...

Notes from the Underground Summary
By Fyodor Dostoevsky

Fyodor Dostoevsky's Notes from Underground is a seminal work of existentialist literature that explores the depths of human alienation, irrationality, and the ...

The Odysse Summary
By Homer

Homer’s The Odyssey is an epic poem that chronicles Odysseus's long and treacherous journey as he attempts to return home to Ithaca after the Trojan War. The ...

The Old Man and the Sea Summary
By Ernest Hemingway

The Old Man and the Sea tells the story of Santiago, an aging Cuban fisherman who has gone 84 days without catching a fish. Once a respected and successful ...

Oliver Twist Summary
By Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist is a gripping tale of poverty, crime, and redemption, chronicling the life of Oliver Twist, an orphan born in a workhouse in ...

Othello Summary
By William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare’s Othello is a tragedy that explores themes of jealousy, deception, and race. The play is structured into five acts, each contributing to ...

The Outsiders
By S. E. Hinton

S. E. Hinton’s The Outsiders is a coming-of-age novel that explores themes of class conflict, identity, and belonging. The story follows Ponyboy Curtis, a 14 ...

Persuasion Summary
By Jane Austen

Jane Austen’s Persuasion tells the story of Anne Elliot, a 27-year-old woman navigating love, regret, and societal expectations. The novel opens with Anne’s ...

The Picture of Dorian Gray Summary
By Oscar Wilde

Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray is a novel that explores themes of aestheticism, morality, corruption, and the consequences of vanity. The story ...

Pride and Prejudice Summary
By Jane Austen

Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice follows the lives, loves, and societal challenges of the Bennet family in early 19th-century England. The story centers on ...

The Prince Summary
By Niccolò Machiavelli

Niccolò Machiavelli's The Prince, a concise yet profoundly influential treatise on political philosophy, remains one of the most controversial and widely ...

Pygmalion Summary
By George Bernard Shaw

Pygmalion, written by George Bernard Shaw, is a celebrated play that explores themes of class distinction, identity, and transformation. The play, first ...

The Red Badge of Courage Summary
By Stephen Crane

Stephen Crane's "The Red Badge of Courage," set during the American Civil War, is a raw and realistic portrayal of a young soldier's psychological journey ...

Return of the Native Summary
By Thomas Hardy

Thomas Hardy’s The Return of the Native, first published in 1878, is a novel about the tensions between ambition, passion, and fate set against the backdrop ...

The Return of Sherlock Holmes Summary
By Arthur Conan Doyle

The Return of Sherlock Holmes was published in 1905. The book marks the thrilling comeback of the world's most famous detective, Sherlock Holmes, after his ...

Romeo And Juliet Summary
By William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is a tragic play about two young lovers from feuding families whose romance ends in catastrophe. Set in Verona, Italy, ...

The Scarlet Letter Summary
By Nathaniel Hawthorne

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter is a classic novel set in 17th-century Puritan Massachusetts. Through the lives of its central characters, Hester ...

The Sea-Wolf Summary
By Jack London

Jack London's "The Sea-Wolf" is a thrilling and philosophical adventure novel that explores the clash between civilization and savagery, intellect and brute ...

The Secret Garden Summary
By Frances Hodgson Burnett

The Secret Garden begins in India, where Mary Lennox, a spoiled and neglected ten-year-old English girl, lives with her wealthy but indifferent parents. Mary ...

Sense and Sensibility Summary
By Jane Austen

Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility follows the lives of the Dashwood sisters, Elinor and Marianne, as they navigate love, heartbreak, and societal ...

The Souls of Black Folk Summary
By W. E. B. Du Bois

W.E.B. Du Bois's "The Souls of Black Folk," published in 1903, stands as a monumental work in American literature and sociology. It is not merely a collection ...

A Tale of Two Cities Summary
By Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities is a sweeping historical novel set during the tumultuous period of the French Revolution. The story explores themes of ...

The Taming of the Shrew Summary
By William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew is a comedic play exploring themes of gender roles, power, and transformation. The play is framed by an ...

The Tempest Summary
By William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare’s The Tempest is one of his last plays. It is a story of magic, betrayal, revenge, and, ultimately, forgiveness. Set on a remote island, ...

Tess of the d'Urbervilles Summary
By Thomas Hardy

Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the d’Urbervilles, published in 1891, is a tragic novel that explores themes of fate, social injustice, purity, and the struggle ...

The Three Musketeers Summary
By Alexandre Dumas

Alexandre Dumas’ The Three Musketeers is an exhilarating tale of adventure, friendship, and political intrigue set in 17th-century France. The story follows ...

The Time Machine Summary
By H. G. Wells

H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine is a foundational work of science fiction, published in 1895. The novel begins with an English scientist and inventor known only ...

Treasure Island Summary
By Robert Louis Stevenson

Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island is a classic coming-of-age adventure story brimming with pirates, treasure maps, and thrilling escapades on the high ...

The Trial Summary
By Franz Kafka

The Trial opens on the morning of Josef K.'s thirtieth birthday. He is a respected chief clerk at a bank, living a seemingly ordinary life. However, his world ...

Uncle Tom's Cabin Summary
By Harriet Beecher Stowe

Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin, published in 1852, is a seminal anti-slavery novel that profoundly impacted American society. The book follows the ...

Up From Slavery Summary
By Booker T. Washington

"Up From Slavery: An Autobiography of Booker T. Washington" is a monumental work in American literature. It offers a profound and deeply personal account of ...

War and Peace Summary
By Leo Tolstoy

War and Peace is an epic novel first published in 1869 and considered one of the greatest works of world literature. Set during the Napoleonic Wars, it ...

The War of the Worlds Summary
By H. G. Wells

The War of the Worlds begins with astronomers observing unusual explosions on Mars. Over several years, these phenomena increase, culminating in the arrival ...

White Fang Summary
By Jack London

Jack London's White Fang is a companion piece to The Call of the Wild, but it reverses the narrative arc. The novel follows a wild wolfdog's journey into ...

The Wind in the Willows Summary
By Kenneth Grahame

The Wind in the Willows begins in the springtime, a time of renewal and adventure. Mole, a timid and industrious creature, grows weary of his spring cleaning ...

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Summary
By L. Frank Baum

Dorothy Gale, a young orphan girl, lives on a Kansas farm with her Aunt Em, Uncle Henry, and her little dog, Toto. One day, a powerful cyclone sweeps across ...

Wuthering Heights Summary
By Emily Bronte

Wuthering Heights unfolds through nested narratives, primarily told by Mr. Lockwood, a tenant at Thrushcross Grange, and Nelly Dean, the housekeeper. ...

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