If you had to recommend just one 'classic'

Grapes of wrath.

My dad said you will never forget the last page and he was right. Dh read it on our last holiday and he loved it and was moved by it.

Phantom of The Opera.

Lots of great recommendations here.

Would second "Great Expectations" or "David Copperfield" although perhaps not the latter if you are about to have another DC.

And can I say that the great Nevil Shute novel is "A Town LIKE Alice" not "A Town CALLED Alice." It's unusual to make that mistake if you've actually read it . . . the story is about turning a crappy little outback town into a thriving place people want to live, LIKE Alice Springs . . . sorry to be so pedantic but it makes me want to scream. Fantastic book though, might read it again myself soon (actually not sure about it for you in your condition, OP, as like DC it also has mothers and babies dying )

Different strokes for different folks I suppose. You are denying yourself a lot of beautifully written and thought-provoking literature if you insist on happy endings, though. I prefer to keep an open mind.

hitch hikers jolly well ought to count, thought provoking and amusing, that I can cope with.

Oooh phineyj I adore Dorothy L Sayers but when I made my book group read the Nine Tailors they all hated it and said "why i we reading this old-fashioned rubbish" which was a bit rich when they have made me read unreadable bobbins like rather long and wordy books like David Copperfield and Middlemarch, neither of which I feel I could recommend to the OP.

OOoh loads of good ideas here!

I luurve Great Gatsby, it's short and pretty easy-going in terms of language etc, in a way that the Brontes and Dickens IMO are not.

Jane AUsten esp Emma or P&P; To Kill a Mockingbird is a fabulous book that I didn't read until I was in my 30s. It's also shorter than some of those mentioned here, and more modern ie written in 20th not 19th century which may make it appeal.

ALso the Go Between and Catcher in the Rye are quicker reads than some and so so so good.

Want to read the Go Between again now actually but my copy is in a box somehere

Does Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy count as a classic yet?

I second Tender is the Night.

I'll add 'Brideshead Revisited'

Tess of the D'Ubervilles
To Kill a Mockingbird
Oscar Wilde short stories

Dracula
Can You Forgive Her? Trollope
Mill on the Floss
Rebecca or The House on the Strand

Rebecca, if I had to pick for a holiday read.

Lots of books are depressing though! Doesn't make them bad books, just not to your taste. I love LoTF

evilgiraffe that's why its vile!

I don't need to spend my leisure time reading a story that just gets nastier and nastier, you can guess this isn't going to end well from very early on.

I just can't conceive how anyone could sit down and write anything so depressing.

I only finished because we did it in school, but as the glasses wearing butt of the classes jokes I didn't exactly enjoy it.

I'm sorry, but reading and watching films should be an uplifting experience.

Happy Endings Only.

If I want to be depressed I'll watch the news.

If I could have only one classic I'd go for Vanity Fair. Great characters and Thackeray is generally pretty funny.

For a modern classic The Master and Margherita is bonkers.

The Secret History is fabulous :). Wish Donna Tartt would hurry up and write another novel. Nothing since The Little Friend. I thought there was a rumour of a third novel, but that was quite a while ago.

I still love Jamaica Inn - smuggling, murder, suspense, bit of romance and a strong female central character.

Sorry Bilbo I do love the hobbit and LOTR to make up to you

I didn't get the whole Alice thing either.
i absolutely fourth the The Secret History. My DH raved about it too.

You wouldn't read Alice in Wonderland as an adult though would you?

Wow - I didn't expect Alice in Wonderland to be so controversial.

Yeah I never got Alice in wonderland either. I did quite like the film.

I third The Secret History - is a classic as far as I am concerned.

I'm currently re-reading Pride and Prejudice, and absolutely loving it :). I've got Dracula sitting on my kindle :o for some time soon too, but I'm in the mood for Jane Austen atm. Recently read The Picture of Dorian Gray - not bad, but not a real favourite.

I love that you can get so many classics for free on kindle.

So many of your suggestions, brandy I've downloaded to read to DD because I want to re-read them :o I loved E Nesbitt's novels as a child and also The Secret Garden too. Not wild about Alice in Wonderland though, but will re-read to see if I change my mind.

If you're living in the States at the moment and haven't already read it, it HAS to be 'The Grapes of Wrath'. I was spellbound - words fail me, but you just HAVE to read this book.