Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte

I love the classics, and Victorian literature is my favorite. A friend and I have both been wanting to read more classics lately, so we decided to read Wuthering Heights and then have a tea party (very Victorian!)/book discussion/movie viewing afterwards. 

When it was originally published in 1847, this novel was the basis for a great deal of controversy. Its rough and often abusive characters disturbed critics and readers, many of whom were convinced the novel was written by a man (all of the Bronte sisters used pseudonyms and Emily's was the androgynous "Ellis Bell") because of the violence and hatred the book contained. 

That said, the novel is rather complex, both in its storyline (where a boy and a girl grow up together, fall in love, marry other people, and then have children who love each other but are never happy or fulfilled) and narration (there are two different narrators, and the book spans two generations). I found myself consulting Cliffs Notes more than once just to make sure I was understanding everything that was going on. I loved reading it, though, and being transported to another time, where people lived in grand estates and had to walk a mile or two to visit their neighbors (who, it seems, they always ended up marrying). It's not satisfying in the sense that everyone lives happily ever after (I don't think a single character did), but at the same time it's rather nice sometimes to read a more realistic portrait of life and love. 

This summer I plan to read several more classics, including The Great Gatsby, which I always feel I should have read, but never actually have. Any more suggestions for me? I have twenty or so "must read" books currently sitting on my dresser waiting impatiently to be read, but I could always add a few more!