Class

This thematic collection covers texts that investigate the particularly fraught dynamics and divisions of class, including Upton Sinclair's The Jungle and Ernesto Galarza's Barrio Boy.

The Fifth Of March

by Ann Rinaldi

Publication year 1993

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes War, Conflict, Hate & Anger, Love, Revenge, Gender Identity, Coming of Age, Friendship, Self Discovery, Social Class, Colonialism, Community, Nation, Politics & Government, Justice

Tags Historical Fiction, Children`s Literature, American Revolution

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The Fine Art of Lying

by Alexandra Andrews

Publication year 2026

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Mothers, Self Discovery, Social Class

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense

Alexandra Andrews’s second novel, The Fine Art of Lying (2026), is a psychological thriller set in the rarified worlds of New York City’s hedge funds and high-stakes art market. Following her critically acclaimed debut, Who Is Maud Dixon? (2021), Andrews returns to the suspense genre with the story of Clare Bast, an unfulfilled art history scholar and stay-at-home mother. Feeling alienated from her affluent life, Clare begins a passionate affair with Gabriel Prévost, a charismatic... Read The Fine Art of Lying Summary

The Firm

by John Grisham

Publication year 1991

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Loyalty & Betrayal, Death, Social Class, Safety & Danger, Siblings, Revenge, Mothers, Guilt, Fear, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Marriage, Justice, Trust & Doubt, Hate & Anger, Politics & Government, Appearance & Reality, Truth & Lies, Conflict, Perseverance

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Crime & Law

OverviewBook DetailsThe Firm is the second legal thriller written by attorney John Grisham. It followed his 1988 debut novel A Time to Kill. The Firm was the top-selling novel of 1991 on the New York Times bestseller list, bringing its author international fame. It focuses on new Harvard Law School graduate Mitch McDeere, who accepts a financially lucrative position with a Memphis law firm that he discovers is embroiled in unethical and illegal activities.Author HighlightsGrisham... Read The Firm Summary

The First Seven Years

by Bernard Malamud

Publication year 1950

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Social Class, Marriage, Love

Tags Immigration & Refugeeism, Religion & Spirituality, Holocaust

“The First Seven Years” is a short story that Bernard Malamud originally published in 1950. The story subsequently appeared in several collections, including The Magic Barrel, which won the 1959 National Book Award for fiction. Malamud’s exploration of the complications of the American Dream for immigrants and the aftermath of the Holocaust make the story an important contribution to American Jewish literature of the twentieth century. This guide is based on the short story as... Read The First Seven Years Summary

The French Lieutenant's Woman

by John Fowles

Publication year 1969

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Self Discovery, Social Class

Tags Historical Fiction, World History, Classic Fiction, Romance, Victorian Period, British Literature, Postmodernism

The French Lieutenant’s Woman is a 1969 historical novel by English author John Fowles. The novel provides a postmodern exploration of Victorian society, telling a story from the era in a manner which also function as a social critique. The French Lieutenant’s Woman was widely praised on release and in the decades after. In 1981, it was adapted into a film of the same name.This guide was written using the 2004 Vintage edition of the... Read The French Lieutenant's Woman Summary

The Frozen River

by Ariel Lawhon

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Gender Identity, Indigenous Identity, Masculinity, Sexual Identity, Birth, Animals, Family, Mothers, Social Class, Colonialism, Community, Equality, Justice, Power & Greed, Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Gender & Feminism

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The Garden Party

by Katherine Mansfield

Publication year 1922

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Social Class, Death, Coming of Age, Family

Tags Coming of Age, Social Class, Modernism, Education, Education, World History, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction

Katherine Mansfield’s “The Garden Party” was published in her 1922 short story collection The Garden Party and Other Stories, and many critics consider it the best example of her renowned prose style. Like many Modernists, Mansfield was most interested in rendering not objective realities but characters’ subjective perspectives; her third-person narrators often have intimate insight into a character’s interior world, to the extent that the narrative voice embodies elements of that character’s psychology. The world... Read The Garden Party Summary

The Ghost Bride

by Yangsze Choo

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Death, Coming of Age, Social Class

Tags Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Romance, Asian Literature, Science Fiction, Horror & Suspense, World History, Religion & Spirituality

The Ghost Bride (2013) is the first novel by Malaysian Chinese author Yangsze Choo. The novel bridges multiple genres, including mystery, ghost story, and coming-of-age romance to explore the rich and complicated world of colonial Malacca at the end of the 19th century, the relationship between life and death, and how the afterlife can contain just as many complexities as the living world. Widely praised, the novel was adapted into a Netflix original series in... Read The Ghost Bride Summary

The Ghost In The Tokaido Inn

by Dorothy Hoobler, Thomas Hoobler

Publication year 1999

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Revenge, Childhood & Youth, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Social Class, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Emotions/Behavior: Courage

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, World History, Japanese Literature, Action & Adventure

The Ghost in the Tokaido Inn (1999), by Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler, is the first novel in the Samurai Detective young adult series, currently comprised of seven books. The novel follows Seikei, the son of a merchant who aspires to be a samurai, as he helps the judge investigate the theft of a ruby from a samurai lord. It explores the themes of Personal Ambition Versus Societal Expectations, The Deceptiveness of Appearances, and The Importance... Read The Ghost In The Tokaido Inn Summary

The Girls in the Garden

by Lisa Jewell

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Forgiveness, Mental Health, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Appearance & Reality, Family, Siblings, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Truth & Lies

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

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