Carpenter Adam Bede gives his name to George Eliot's first novel, set in the rural community of Hayslope in 1799. Adam is in love with beautiful Hetty Sorel, but she has been seduced by the local squire and is convicted of killing the resulting child. Adam ultimately marries Hetty's cousin, lay preacher Dinah Morris.
2. "Agnes Grey" (1847)
Answer: Anne Bronte
Agnes Grey is employed as a governess, working for two families, the Bloomfields and the Murrays. Based on Anne Bronte's own experiences as a governess, "Agnes Grey" draws attention to the isolation and ill-treatment of middle class women unable to earn a living in any other way. Written under the pen-name Acton Bell, the novel first appeared as the third volume of a combined edition with Emily Bronte's "Wuthering Heights".
3. "Forever Amber" (1944)
Answer: Kathleen Winsor
Beautiful, illegitimate Amber St Clair sleeps her way to the top of 17th century English society, marrying three times and, after a life of crime and a career on the stage, becoming mistress to Charles II before being exiled to America. The original bodice-ripper, "Forever Amber" was the best-selling novel of the 1940s despite being banned in Australia and a number of American states.
4. "Ann Veronica" (1909)
Answer: HG Wells
Scandalous in its day, the novel tells the story of biology student Ann Veronica Stanley's rebellion against her strict father. When her studies are interrupted, Ann Veronica becomes involved in the women's suffrage movement, storming Parliament and spending time in prison.
She falls in love with Capes, a married demonstrator at her laboratory, and at the close of the novel is pregnant with his child.
5. "Anna Karenina" (1878)
Answer: Leo Tolstoy
Originally serialised over several years, Tolstoy's sprawling novel deals not only with the eponymous Anna's adulterous affair with cavalry officer Count Vronsky, but also with the story of Kostya Levin and his pursuit of Kitty Shcherbatskaya, related to Anna by marriage and originally courted by Vronsky.
There have been many adaptations of the novel, most notably the 1935 MGM film starring Greta Garbo in the title role.
6. "Anna of the Five Towns" (1902)
Answer: Arnold Bennett
Like much of Arnold Bennett's fiction, the novel is set in the Staffordshire Potteries district. Anna Tellwright unexpectedly receives a large inheritance through her late mother's family, but her cruel, miserly father and the all-pervading influence of the Methodist chapel conflict with her yearning for freedom.
7. "Anne of Green Gables" (1908)
Answer: LM Montgomery
Red-haired orphan Anne Shirley is sent by mistake to Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, who wish to adopt a boy to help run their farm at Avonlea, Prince Edward Island. "Anne of Green Gables" has never been out of print and has been filmed and televised multiple times. Lucy Maud Montgomery wrote a number of sequels, the last one published being "Anne of Ingleside" in 1939.
8. "Artemis Fowl" (2001)
Answer: Eoin Colfer
Artemis Fowl II first appears as a twelve-year-old Irish criminal mastermind in this young adult fantasy novel. In an attempt to restore the family fortunes, imperilled by the Russian mafia, Artemis kidnaps Holly Short, elf captain of the Lower Elements Police Reconnaissance Force, hoping for a ransom of Fairy gold.
His story continues in a further seven novels, during which he develops a stronger moral compass.
9. "Aurora Leigh" (1856)
Answer: Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Aspiring poet Aurora Leigh is the narrator of this novel, consisting of nine books and written in blank verse. Intertwined with Aurora's story is that of Marian Erle, a working class woman subjected to horrific abuse. Both women are proposed to by Aurora's cousin, would-be social reformer Romney Leigh, whom Aurora eventually agrees to marry.
10. "The Adventures of Augie March" (1953)
Answer: Saul Bellow
In this picaresque novel, the eponymous Augie is buffeted from Chicago to France via Mexico and wartime service with the merchant marine, his various occupations including book stealing, dog grooming and selling shoes. "The Adventures of Augie March" won Saul Bellow the first of his three National Book Awards.
This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor looney_tunes before going online.
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