Why am I passionate about this?
Before fan fiction was popular, I would often daydream about the lives of my favorite book characters. Did Jane Eyre gain more confidence from her inheritance? Did Ponyboy find a way to survive his tragic childhood? Decades later, I gravitate toward retellings, often picking them up simply because I like the source material. Still, when I started working on this list, I realized what a daunting task Iād set myself. There are so many! And I havenāt even read two recently lauded titles: Barbara Kingsolverās Demon Copperhead and Percival Everettās James. So hat in my hand, I present these favorites ranging from serious to light-hearted.
Erica's book list on retelling classic stories
Why did Erica love this book?
This book is the first retelling that I remember reading, so in some ways, itās the standard by which I judge all others. Jane Smileyās Pulitzer-Prize-winning novel imagines King Lear in a contemporary setting with an aging farmer signing over his land to his three daughters.
What I find most remarkable about this project is how Smiley captures the original play's melancholic spirit. Thereās a sense of longing for a different past and sequence of events that might have prevented all this familial heartache.
4 authors picked A Thousand Acres as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.
This powerful twentieth-century reimagining of Shakespeare's King Lear centers on a wealthy Iowa farmer who decides to divide his farm among his three daughters. When the youngest objects, she is cut out of his will, which sets in motion a chain of events that brings dark truths to light. Ambitiously conceived and stunningly written, A Thousand Acres spins the most fundamental themes of truth, justice, love, and pride into a universally acclaimed masterpiece.