Do you want to up your reading game this Autumn? I have narrowed down Rory Gilmore’s substantial reading list into 5 of the novels I find most fascinating.
Getting into the Autumnal spirit is simple when you watch re-runs of Gilmore Girls. The colours, the music and the small-town-feel are essential to make you feel like it’s October again. However, it can be difficult to find the perfect reading list that matches the aesthetic of Autumn. We all know that Rory Gilmore, a notorious bibliophile who loves all things literary, has quite the extensive reading list throughout director Amy Sherman-Palladino’s show, ‘Gilmore Girls’. Rory consumed a whopping 339 books across the seven seasons of filming. Even so, there are 5 novels from that list that I think are worth a read (and Rory does too).
1. ‘The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath’ By Sylvia Plath
This is possibly the most famous ‘reading scene’ in Gilmore girls, where Rory is seen reading ‘The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath’. These journals are raw, uncensored works by poet and author, Sylvia Plath. They transcribe her final 12 years of life and were originally published in 1982 as a densely abridged version, executed by her husband, Ted Hughes. The majority of her writing is new material that was not made public before her death, thus making it an essential read if you are interested in the different mental struggles that Plath had to undergo during her life. The journals are a profound and absorbing read which provides a depth to Sylvia Plath’s soul and notable works.
2. ‘Anna Karenina’ By Leo Tolstoy
‘Anna Karenina’ is Rory’s favourite book and for good reason! The tragic story by Leo Tolstoy was first published in 1878 and remains to be one of the most famous of Tolstoys works, he combines the struggles of love, family, marriage and happiness against a background of Russia’s liberal reforms and the conflict between tradition and new societal transformations. I will be honest, I expected it to be a slow and much heavier read considering the intense themes, however, it took me by suprise as it is a fast paced, interesting and easy read. It is so easy to get engrossed in the story filled with odd and intriguing characters.
3. ‘Atonement’ By Ian McEwan
In the beginning of season 4, we see Rory reading a novel called ‘Atonement’ by Ian McEwan. This is a time of change and transition for Rory as she navigates Yale and starts a new adventure. In the novel, the main character Briony is trapped between childhood innocence and adulthood remorse. She is old enough to understand the darkness that affects her family, yet she is still too young to be able to analyse the interactions and judge them. Her partial innocence and understanding of how her world works leads her to misinterpret and exaggerate events. McEwan captures the readers attention by his thought provoking and artistic style that really makes the book a captivating and fascinating read.
4. ‘The Da Vinci Code’ By Dan Brown
We spot the novel ‘The Da Vinci Code’ in season 5 and there is no surprise that main character Rory loves this book so much. ‘The Da Vinci Code’ is the second book in the ‘Robert Langdon’ series. This novel is a fast-paced, thrilling and exciting tale about a Harvard symbologist, Robert Langdon. He receives a late night phone call to tell him there has been a murder; he must work together with a cryptologist to solve the clues which are related to the artist Da Vinci before it is too late. It is a captivating novel that is a must read if you are after mystery and thrill.
5. ‘Moby Dick’ By Herman Melville
Rory said it was her “first Melville”. As cliché as it is, ‘Moby Dick’ is a great novel to get into Herman Melville. The bizarre and different characters – both the primary and secondary – that transport you to a different world. The parallels Melville draws on, or his madness that becomes obsession enthrals the readers. In general, the way Herman Melville writes his novels is so beautiful and tragic. This novel is complex but it is so worth the read, I won’t spoil anything but the ending is what I would describe to be… satisfying. As you begin to understand what Melville is trying to say, the better the novel becomes – it is larger than ‘leave nature alone’. For a novel published in 1851, his work still resonates today.
In my opinion, these are all novels that everyone should read at least once in their lifetime. They provide such a depth to humanity that, without literature, would not exist. So, if you ever feel as though you are in need of a new and exciting read: turn to Rory, as she has some unequivocally spectacular novels on her list.
