The 2015 Classics Challenge set up by Stacey over at The Pretty Books. The goal is to read one classic a month and to blog about the experience. I've always wanted to read more classics and since I'm in a monthly classics book group, I thought this would be a great way to combine the two! This month, I've read Lord of the Flies, a book that I've wanted to read for years already.
WHEN I DISCOVERED THIS CLASSIC + WHY I CHOSE TO READ IT
I'm not sure when I discovered Lord of the Flies - it's one of those books that everyone has always read and yet I had no clue what it was about exactly. February is a short month, and a very busy month for me too, so I wanted to pick an easy-read classics (not realllyyyy the point of this challenge, I know). Lord of the Flies is short, only involves kids and has had great reviews so why not read it?
WHAT MAKES IT A CLASSIC
What doesn't make this book a classic? The writing is amazing and timeless - though the children are written like they're adults - and the moral of the story will never grow old. It shows the hideous side of human beings and how we fall apart as a group when there's no fixed structure. Even though the book focuses on kids, it doesn't take long for every reader to realise this could happen to them too.
WHAT I THOUGHT OF THIS CLASSIC
I'm kinda conflicted about this classics. It started off really slow and boring - I was confused by all the boys and they all seemed the same to me. However, about 50 pages in it, the action really starts and each boy develops a distinct personality. I loved it from that point on and read it in one go. Certain events even almost made me cry, which is very rare!
I wasn't extremely fond of the writing style. As I mentioned before, the kids are basically adults and there are a few unnecessarily descriptive paragraphs. But those things definitely didn't ruin the book at all for me.
WILL IT STAY A CLASSIC
Yes. Yes. Yes. The message of this book is so timeless that there is no way this will ever not be classics. As long as people and society doesn't suddenly do a 180, this book will always be a classic.
WHO I’D RECOMMEND IT TO
Anyone, but especially younger teens and teenagers. It can teach them so much about the world and I honestly think it could encourage them to change it. But if you're older and have never read it before, do pick it up.