20th Century Genre Books Summary at Celsius 233

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – F Scott Fitzgerald (1922)

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a short story about a man born old who ages in reverse, exploring time, identity, and societal norms.

Kurt Vonnegut Jr

Classics Satire Science Fiction

God Bless You, Mr Rosewater – Kurt Vonnegut Jr (1965)

Eliot Rosewater, a wealthy heir, defies greed to uplift the forgotten poor, battling madness, love, and betrayal in a biting, darkly funny portrait of American life.

Franz Kafka

Classics Psychological

The Castle – Franz Kafka (1926)

A man arrives in a snowbound village, seeking purpose, but finds only silence, shadows, and a distant authority that evades all reason - a haunting tale of endless pursuit.

Hermann Hesse

Classics Historical Psychological

Narcissus and Goldmund – Hermann Hesse (1930)

A tale of two souls - one rooted in reason, the other lost in desire - tracing the eternal dance between mind and flesh, spirit and beauty, in a world both sacred and wild.

F Scott Fitzgerald

Romance Satire

The Beautiful and the Damned – F Scott Fitzgerald (1922)

The Beautiful and the Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald explores the lavish yet doomed lives of Anthony and Gloria Patch, capturing the excess and moral decay of the Jazz Age.

Vladimir Nabokov

Classics

Pale Fire – Vladimir Nabokov (1962)

A poet’s final work becomes the battleground for truth, madness, and obsession in a haunting tale where meaning splinters under the weight of one man’s delusion.

DH Lawrence

Psychological Satire

Sons and Lovers – DH Lawrence (1913)

Sons and Lovers by D.H. Lawrence delves into the emotional struggles of Paul Morel, caught between devotion to his mother and romantic relationships.

John Steinbeck

Classics Historical Psychological

The Winter of Our Discontent – John Steinbeck (1961)

Ethan Hawley struggles with morality and ambition in mid-century America, questioning whether success is worth compromising integrity.

Virginia Woolf

Classics

The Waves – Virginia Woolf (1931)

The Waves by Virginia Woolf is an experimental novel that captures the inner monologues of six characters from childhood to old age in a poetic, stream-of-consciousness style.

Hermann Hesse

Classics Fantasy Science Fiction

The Glass Bead Game – Hermann Hesse (1943)

In a world ruled by intellect, one man's quiet defiance reveals the cost of isolation and the enduring power of wisdom rooted in life rather than abstraction.