# How do you read a classic novel without giving up? Canonical: https://zestasy.com/wiki/finishing-classic-novels/ Section: Zestasy Wiki > Books & ideas · Updated: 2026-10-14 · Publisher: Zestasy *Zestasy Wiki: our reference answers. Checked for facts and sources; less curated than the magazine.* Choose a readable modern translation and a well-made edition, then set a small, steady pace, such as a chapter a day, instead of waiting for long free evenings. Use a character list or a friend reading alongside you, give yourself permission to skim the slow stretches, and judge the book after a third of it, not after ten pages. Most classic novels are not abandoned because they are bad. They are abandoned on page 60, on a Tuesday, because the reader was tired, the font was tiny and there were four characters with the same surname. Almost all of that can be fixed before you start. ## Pick the right translation If the book was not written in English, the translation is half the experience. Older translations are often free or cheap, which is exactly why they are everywhere, and some read stiffly today. Tolstoy's *Anna Karenina* (serialised 1875-77, published as a book in 1878) is a good example: the [Wikipedia article on the novel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Karenina) lists English versions from Constance Garnett in 1901 through the Maudes in 1918 to Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky in 2000 and Rosamund Bartlett in 2014. Our rule: read the first page of two translations side by side, in a shop or a free sample, and pick the one you would happily read for several hundred more pages. There is rarely a single "correct" choice, only the one that keeps you going. For the bigger question of what gets lost, see [reading in translation](https://zestasy.com/wiki/reading-in-translation/). ## Pick the right physical edition This sounds fussy and it is not. Small type, tight margins and a spine you have to crack all add friction. A good edition has readable type, a short introduction (read it *after* the novel if it gives away the plot), notes at the back and, ideally, a list of characters. Our page on [which edition of a classic to buy](https://zestasy.com/wiki/which-edition-of-a-classic/) goes into the details. ## Set a pace, not a deadline Big novels are finished by small, regular sessions. A chapter a day works for most of them, and many nineteenth-century novels first reached readers in instalments anyway: *Anna Karenina* was serialised, and *Middlemarch* came out in eight parts. A fixed time helps more than a fixed target: ten pages with your coffee every morning will beat "a long session at the weekend" almost every time. If you fall behind, don't try to catch up. Just carry on from where you are. ## Get help with the cast Russian novels give people several names each, and Italian classics bring their own crowds. Write a simple list of characters on a bookmark as you go: name, who they are, one detail. Ten minutes of this in the first fifty pages saves hours of confusion. Manzoni's *The Betrothed* (*I promessi sposi*), first published in 1827 and heavily revised for the 1840-42 edition, is the classic case for Italian readers: most Italians meet it at school, usually around age fifteen, [according to Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Betrothed_%28Manzoni_novel%29). Reading it again as an adult, with no test at the end, is a completely different experience. ## Read with someone A friend reading the same book at the same pace changes everything. Agree on a weekly chunk and one message at the end of it: favourite moment, least favourite character. A book club works too, but a single reading partner is easier to organise and harder to let down. ## Allow yourself to skim Every long classic has passages that were written for readers with different tastes or more time. A long digression, a debate about farming, a chapter of sermon. Skimming one of these is not cheating; it is how most people read most novels. Slow down again when the people come back. ## Judge it at a third The first fifty pages of a classic are often the hardest, because the writer is setting up a whole world. Give it a third of the book before you decide. If you still dislike it then, stopping is a perfectly reasonable decision, and we make the case for it on [stopping a book halfway](https://zestasy.com/wiki/stopping-a-book-halfway/). ## FAQ ### Should I read a summary first? A brief, spoiler-free one can help with a crowded cast or an unfamiliar period. Avoid detailed plot summaries; the pleasure of most classics is still in not knowing what happens. ### Is an abridged edition a cop-out? It is a different book, and you will miss things, but it is better than not reading at all. If you finish an abridgement and loved it, the full version will feel like a reunion. ### What is a good first big classic? Something with a strong story and a narrator you like. *Middlemarch* rewards patience; see [whether Middlemarch is worth the effort](https://zestasy.com/wiki/middlemarch/). For the biggest of all, see our guide to [finishing War and Peace](https://zestasy.com/wiki/finishing-war-and-peace/). ### Audiobook or paper for a classic? Both can work. Many people find a well-narrated audiobook carries them through the dense opening chapters, and paper is easier for flipping back to check who someone is. ## Sources - [Wikipedia: Anna Karenina](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Karenina) - [Wikipedia: The Betrothed (Manzoni novel)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Betrothed_%28Manzoni_novel%29) - [Wikipedia: Middlemarch](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middlemarch) ## Related - [How do you actually finish War and Peace?](https://zestasy.com/wiki/finishing-war-and-peace/) - [Does it matter which edition of a classic you buy?](https://zestasy.com/wiki/which-edition-of-a-classic/) - [Is Middlemarch worth the effort?](https://zestasy.com/wiki/middlemarch/) - [Is it OK to stop reading a book halfway through?](https://zestasy.com/wiki/stopping-a-book-halfway/) - [How do you read more books when you're busy?](https://zestasy.com/books/reading-more-when-busy/) - [All Books & ideas answers in the Wiki](https://zestasy.com/wiki/#books)