Books by Henry Fielding
“People love Tom Jones because it’s hilarious. It’s the great mid-century novel. It’s intimidatingly long, but it’s another page-turner. It’s about an illegitimate foundling called Tom Jones, who gets adopted by the lovely, benevolent Squire Allworthy. Tom has a heart of gold, but he’s a total ne’er do well, and he’s always getting himself into scrapes. He has an evil half-brother called Blifil and one of the great tensions of the novel is, will Blifil’s misdeeds be discovered? Is Tom or Blifil going to end up with the upper hand?” Read more...
Sophie Gee, Literary Scholar
Interviews where books by Henry Fielding were recommended
Public Domain Books
Public domain books are books on which the copyright has expired, which means they are often available for free on the internet. Copyright rules vary by country, but some of the classics of literature were written more than a century ago and are now in the public domain.
The Best 18th-Century Novels, recommended by Sophie Gee
There’s nothing in modern works of fiction that wasn’t already there in the great novels of the 18th century, argues Sophie Gee, a professor of English at Princeton University and co-host of the Secret Life of Books podcast. She talks us through five of her favourites, from the irrepressible Moll Flanders to the melancholic beauty of Sense and Sensibility.
The Best Long Novels, recommended by Five Books
If you’re stuck in lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic, it might be time to finally crack open that one long read you always meant to get around to, but slid down your list of books for whatever reason—not enough time, too many pages. Problem is, there are so many monster doorstoppers, and it can be hard to tell which are worth your time. The Five Books editors weigh in:
