3 Classics to Read this Summer

At Care of Carl, we have a fondness for classics – whether it is in menswear or literature. Is it time to start working through your classics list and make up for years of neglected reading? In this article, we recommend three classics that both reflect their time and speak to our own. From the glittering dreams of the 1920s to a satirical fable about the mechanisms of power – and a horror title that rounds out the list. Read in the hammock or listen from your sun lounger and start making your way through the books right away.

The great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald

You may already have seen the film of the same name, starring Leonardo DiCaprio as the mysterious millionaire Gatsby. The Great Gatsby was published in 1925 and written by F. Scott Fitzgerald – one of the most iconic authors in American literature. We follow Nick Carraway, who moves to Long Island and becomes the neighbor of Gatsby, an eccentric and immensely wealthy man who fills his mansion with glittering parties every night. In the Jazz Age, amid luxury, glamour, and champagne, a darker depth is revealed – a story of longing, lost love, and the American Dream that may not be as golden as it seems. The book is heavily inspired by Fitzgerald’s own life and captures an era marked by surface, money, and grand dreams.

Frankenstein, Mary Shelley

Frankenstein is a novel written by horror author Mary Shelley and was published in 1818. Mary Shelley's parents, William Godwin and Mary Wollstonecraft, were also well-known writers. The horror genre flourished during the Romantic era in the early 1800s, and after nightly conversations with her husband, the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, and their friend Lord Byron, the novel took shape and has since become a literary classic.

Many mistakenly believe that Frankenstein is the monster, but in fact, the book tells the story of the scientist Victor Frankenstein, who experiments to create a being in the hope of bringing the dead back to life. The creature comes to life, Frankenstein flees, and the monster is left to survive on his own and attempts to understand the people and the world he now finds himself in.

This horror novel explores themes such as man versus nature, science, revenge, and power. What happens when humans give life to matter and then abandon it? Should humans rule over nature? A book that, despite being over 200 years old, feels remarkably contemporary – especially today, as we face similar questions about AI and human responsibility.

The Animal Farm, George Orwell

George Orwell, or Eric Arthur Blair as he was actually named, was a writer, journalist, essayist, and critic active during the 1930s and 40s. His work is marked by a clear, direct language, sharp social criticism, and a commitment to democratic socialism. You have probably heard of 1984, the dystopian masterpiece from 1949? Animal Farm is another Orwellian classic, published in 1945, shortly after World War II.

The book tells the story of mistreated animals who seize control of a farm and dream of a place where all are equal, with no farmer in charge. But lust for power takes over, and the situation on the farm gradually shifts into a dictatorship. Animal Farm is an adult fable filled with idealism, slogans, and dreams of justice and equality. In its time, it was a sharp satire of Stalinism, but today it can be applied to almost any situation where freedom is under threat – making it the timeless classic that it is.

Lean back in your sun lounger, open the book or put in your headphones, and enjoy a summer in the spirit of literature.