Thomas Hardy
A Pair of Blue Eyes: what to read next?
Books close in genre, era, author or reading level, to read in bilingual editions.
Thomas HardyTwo on a TowerIn the English countryside of the nineteenth century, Lady Constantine lives alone on her estate while her husband hunts lions in Africa. She has promised him to see almost no one, and she is bored. At the top of an old tower she finds Swithin St Cleeve, a young man of twenty…By the same authorSame genreSame era
Charles DickensA Tale of Two CitiesCharles Darnay, a French aristocrat, renounces his origins to live a fairer life in England, while Sydney Carton, a disillusioned lawyer, struggles with his own inner emptiness. Their destinies intersect against the backdrop of the French Revolution, where social tensions erupt…Same countrySame genreSame era
Emily BrontëWuthering HeightsAn English novel from 1847. In the windswept hills of northern England, at the end of the eighteenth century, Mr Earnshaw brings home from Liverpool an abandoned child, who is named Heathcliff, and raises him in his old, isolated farmhouse alongside his own children, Hindley…Same countrySame genreSame era
Charles DickensGreat ExpectationsPip, a young orphan raised in modest circumstances, sees his life upended when a mysterious benefactor offers him a chance to become a gentleman. Fascinated by the world of wealth and by Estella, a cold and unattainable young woman, he distances himself from his origins. But…Same countrySame genreSame era
Charlotte BrontëJane EyreJane Eyre, an orphan with an independent spirit, grows up in difficult conditions before becoming a governess at Thornfield Hall. There, she meets Mr Rochester, a mysterious and troubled man, and gradually grows close to him. But hidden secrets threaten their relationship and…Same countrySame genreSame era
Giulio CarcanoDamianoAn Italian novel subtitled “The Story of a Poor Family”. In Milan, in May 1831, Vittore, a former soldier of Napoleon, dies in poverty. His eldest son, Damiano, becomes the support of his mother, his sister Stella and his younger brother. Damiano dreams of becoming a painter;…Same genreSame era
Mary BraddonLady Audley's SecretLucy Graham, an attractive young woman with a mysterious past, marries a wealthy man and settles into a comfortable life. But elements of her past resurface, raising the suspicions of Robert, a close acquaintance determined to uncover the truth. Tension builds around Lucy’s…Same countrySame genreSame era
Bram StokerDraculaJonathan Harker, a young solicitor, travels to an isolated castle where the mysterious Count Dracula lives. Very quickly, he realizes that he is facing a supernatural threat. As Dracula extends his influence, several characters unite in an attempt to stop him. The struggle…Same genreSame era
Gaston LerouxThe Phantom of the OperaA ghost haunts the backstage of a Paris opera house, imposing his presence and rules on the artists. Christine, a talented young singer, draws his attention and becomes the center of a strange bond between fascination and control. While another man tries to protect her, the…Same genre
E. SouthworthCruel as the GraveA romantic and dramatic novel set in a mountain valley in Virginia in the nineteenth century. Sybil Berners, a wealthy heiress with a passionate nature, has just married Lyon, a young lawyer without fortune whom she adores. On their way home from their honeymoon, the couple…Same genreSame era
Alfred OllivantOne WomanAn English novel, the second part of “a Romance of Sussex”. In 1908, in a seaside town in the south of England, Ruth, a former housemaid, marries Ernie Caspar, a working man who raises little Alice, born before their marriage, as his own daughter. The years pass: more children…Same countrySame genre
John MooreThe Bishop of CottontownAmerican novel published in 1906, set in northern Alabama from 1874 onward. A cotton mill that moved from New England has given rise to Cottontown, a mill village where children work from morning to night. Hillard Watts, a former plantation overseer turned preacher, whom his…Same genre