Culture Talk

Gave up on a 'great classic' at page 80. Which classics are actually worth it?

I'm a PhD student, I read all day, I'm not scared of long books! But I picked up one of those huge 19th-century Russian novels and by page 80 I had a spreadsheet of names and zero idea who anyone was!

So: which classics are genuinely fun to read in 2026, and which ones are just homework with a nice cover? Be honest!