Legendary Canadian novelist Margaret Atwood has written more than 30 books, including The Handmaid's Tale and most recently The Testaments. Here, she shares the books she loves to read, from her favourite classics to historical fiction...
The Ghost Of The Mary Celeste by Valerie Martin
I read a lot of contemporary fiction and one novel I love is The Ghost Of The Mary Celeste. It’s based on the famous ship that was found empty and abandoned in the Atlantic Ocean. No one has ever solved the mystery of what happened to the crew and passengers. Valerie Martin has created a gripping fictionalisation of their stories.
Pride And Prejudice by Jane Austen/ Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
Two books that made a big impact on me as a teenager were Pride And Prejudice by Jane Austen and Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. They both taught me a lot about the type of men I probably shouldn’t get involved with. Not every man who is rude to you has a secret heart of gold and not every boy who acts like a biker ought to be your true love!
Kamouraska by Anne Hebert
Kamouraska by French author Anne Hebert is the intensely passionate story of a woman torn between two men.
Seven Gothic Tales by Isak Dinensen
Karen Blixen was a fascinating woman who wrote under the male pen name Isak Dinesen. She grew up in an aristocratic Danish family but ran away to Africa with her husband. Their company went bust and he cheated on her so she came home with nothing. Then she wrote Seven Gothic Tales in a white-hot heat, it took off like a shot and made her famous.
The Strange Case Of Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Stevenson based The Strange Case Of Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde on a real-life Edwardian figure who led a respectable life by day but stole by night. It's a book with so many different layers – and a proper page-turner.
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