Classics That Made a Difference
Books that have stood the test of time, loved by Oprah, Gwyneth, Julia and more...
From the book finder
Middlemarch by George Eliot
A work of genius. But more important—and from a purely selfish point of view—a woman wrote it. That might seem ridiculous to male writers, but a man never has to think twice about the gender of genius. He's got too many examples on his side of the fence. Eliot was the first woman I read who could go toe-to-toe with, say, Tolstoy. I was 15. Since then, I've learned how many grand achievements in the novel have been female, but when I was a teenager, that was news to me.
— Zadie Smith
See all the books that made a difference to Zadie Smith and
read Middlemarch with Oprah's Book Club producer Jill!
Print the complete list of classics that made a difference
More Summer Reading:
From the
July 2009 issue of
O, The Oprah Magazine
