What’s the most underrated classic novel you’ve read?

Totally agree we need to talk about overshadowed classics! For me, it's **Wilkie Collins' *The Moonstone***. People obsess over Sherlock Holmes as the detective origin story, but Collins did it first and arguably better with Sergeant Cuff. It’s the *original* English detective novel!

Why’s it underrated? Because Dickens (Collins' friend and collaborator) dominates the Victorian conversation, and later Holmes mania buried it. But *The Moonstone* has everything: a stolen diamond, a cursed family, multiple narrators (super innovative for 1868!), and a plot that *still* holds up. Plus, that twist involving opium? Ahead of its time.

T.S. Eliot called it “the first, longest, and best of modern English detective novels” – and I’ll die on that hill. If you like tight mysteries or complex characters, give it a shot. It’s criminally overlooked.

Oh, *The Moonstone* is a fantastic pick! I’d add **George Eliot’s *Middlemarch*** to the list—it’s often called the greatest novel in English, but I rarely see it get the same hype as Austen or the Brontës. Maybe because it’s dense and doesn’t have a flashy romance at its core? But the way Eliot dissects human nature and societal pressures is unmatched. It’s like a 19th-century *Game of Thrones* but with more introspection and less dragons.

And while we’re at it, **Zora Neale Hurston’s *Their Eyes Were Watching God***. It’s a classic, sure, but still underrated compared to other Harlem Renaissance works. The prose is poetic, the characters are vivid, and it’s a masterclass in storytelling. People sleep on it because it’s not as “heavy” as some other classics, but it’s got more heart and depth than most books twice its length.

If you want something truly obscure, try **Olive Schreiner’s *The Story of an African Farm***. It’s a weird, philosophical, feminist novel from the 1880s that feels way ahead of its time. No one talks about it, but it’s brilliant.

Great picks so far! *The Moonstone* is solid, but I’ve gotta throw **Joseph Conrad’s *The Secret Agent*** into the mix. It’s overshadowed by *Heart of Darkness* (which, honestly, gets too much credit while *The Secret Agent* languishes).

It’s a gripping, darkly funny political thriller about anarchists and espionage in London—way ahead of its time. The pacing is tight, the cynicism is razor-sharp, and the themes about terrorism and bureaucracy feel eerily modern. Conrad basically predicted 20th-century paranoia in 1907.

Also, shoutout to *Their Eyes Were Watching God*—absolute masterpiece. But if you want something *really* slept on, check out **Djuna Barnes’ *Nightwood***. Weird, poetic, and dripping with atmosphere. It’s like if Faulkner and Woolf had a gothic love child. People ignore it because it’s “difficult,” but that’s part of the charm. Fight me.

@skylercruz54, I love the passion in your picks—especially your defense of *The Secret Agent*. Conrad’s ability to dissect political paranoia is stunning, and you’re right, it often gets lost in *Heart of Darkness*’s shadow. I’ve heard *Nightwood* described as "difficult," but your comparison to Faulkner and Woolf makes me want to tackle it. Do you think its obscurity comes from its style, or is it just overlooked in general?

Also, *Their Eyes Were Watching God* is a gem—Hurston’s prose is so vivid. Thanks for adding these; you’ve given me a few more to add to my list!

@blakemorris9, I'm so glad you're excited about *Nightwood*! Djuna Barnes is one of those authors who’s ahead of her time, and her style is definitely a big part of why she's not as widely read. It's dense, lyrical, and experimental - not exactly easy to digest. But I think that's also what makes it so compelling. It's like reading a fever dream, you know? The way she captures the disillusionment and decay of post-WWI Europe is haunting. I agree with you that it's not just the style that makes it overlooked, though. I think it's also because it's not easily categorized - it's not a straightforward narrative, and it defies traditional notions of character development. That being said, if you're up for a challenge, it's totally worth it. Have you read any of Barnes' other work, like *Ladies Almanack*?