Paris – The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
Sword fighting, intrigue, and dubious facial hair abound. It’s the classic tale of chivalry and running around 17th century Paris in pantaloons, the Three Musketeers.
Dumas’ classic novel has a story which is deceptively simple – D’Artagnan, vagabond nobleman, and a washed-up trio of musketeers, Athos, Porthos and Aramis band together for what is an absolute tour de force of boy’s own adventure and historical thrills.
Vengeful cardinals, femme fatales and of course, duels for one’s honour are the order of the day, all set against the backdrop of the power struggles of 17th century Paris – home to a cavalcade of rogues working behind the scenes to try and foil the swashbuckling friends at every turn. Romance and feathery hats ensue.
Moscow – War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
An epic of incredible scale, it’s fair to say that the reputation of War and Peace precedes it – all 1,225 pages of it. If you can manage to lift it, Tolstoy’s masterpiece is one of the greatest depictions of Russian culture ever written, taking in Napoleon’s grand invasion of Russia and the five aristocratic families that have to cope with being hurled from a life of ballroom soirees into the chaos of war.
It’s a weighty tome to be sure, but Tolstoy’s book is only seventh on the list of the longest books ever written, so there’s no excuse not to try and read this remarkable odyssey for yourself. The plot can take readers from the gardens of Moscow palaces to musket strewn battlegrounds in the space of a few pages. The fact it’s been translated into nearly every language should more than convince you of its greatness.
Prague – The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
Travelling salesman Gregor Samsa misses his train to work. He’s also been transformed into a giant insect for reasons unknown. Kafka’s novella is studied all over the western world, and for very, very good reason.
Its central plot is just that simple. Man wakes up. Man discovers he is a horrible creature. Man tries to cope. In the end though, this basic premise becomes a brilliant psychological exploration of human nature, families and isolation, even if it’s main character is a beetle of unknown size and origin.
Amsterdam- The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
Not an easy read by any means, but the story of one girl’s ideas about fascism and family remains a vital part of literary history.
For over two years, Anne Frank and her family remained in hiding, and each and every day of their seclusion is recorded for posterity by Anne herself, taking in everything from the taste of rations to what her life was like the before the invasion. The book has gone on to be translated into over 60 languages, and the original manuscript remains in Amsterdam, complete with Anne’s original notations and changes.
