'Classic' books you found surprisingly good

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Following on from the dreary 1000 books to read before you die, which books were you put off reading but then found to be absolute corkers?

For me: The Three Musketeers. Saw the film, knew the story, remembered that horrible doggy cartoon, but then finally read it and realised it is fab

Any votes for other closet ripsnortingly good reads?

Invisable Man by Ralph Ellison
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott. Fitzgerald
The Go-Between by L.P.Hartley
Brighton Rock by Graham Greene

Definitely Mrs Gaskell, she is a great writer.
Mrs Humphrey Ward (Helbeck of Bannisdale) is another goodie.
But the big one for me has to be War and Peace. Despite studying Russian and being a wide reader I was in my 30s before I finally squared up to this novel and I absolutely loved it - as choosyfloosy says, you have to hack your way through an unappetising start.

I forgot Wuthering Heights

Les Miserables - a huge book but one of the few books where I actually felt sad that I'd finished it

Wuthering Heights for me too.

The Heart of Darkness. Loved it.

I also love To Kill a mocking Bird

I was lucky and had a fantastic teacher at school who inspired even the most reluctant readers to enjoy reading.

Recently finished I,Robot by Asimov.

Initially I was very 'Oh this is badly written SciFi nonsence'. By the end I was 'oooooooooooooh that was deep, my mind has expanded, I feel enriched' etc etc.

It's nothing like the film btw.

George Elliott, Dickens, Thomas Hardy, Tolstoy, the Brontes and Vanity Fair - all wonderful. There's more too.

Ivanhoe

Tale of Two Cities (only book to make me cry - other than Black Beauty)

I could never get into Dickens. His style of wrting irritates me although i like the stories. I had to do Our Mutual Friend for A level and it was a struggle to get through it - relied heavily on revision notes in the exam

I wasn't expecting to like Wuthering Heights, but found it compelling.

Love Dickens -the way he throws characters at you and then they all gradually start to come together. I think people like JK Rowling and Salman Rushdie have been very influenced by his style. Also Wilkie Collins is another big fave.

the grapes of wrath
tess of the durbavilles
all quiet on the western front

The Moonstone and the Woman in White, both by Wilkie Collins. His humour and social observation has stood the test of time and I couldn't believe I was nearly crying with laughter during one chapter of the Moonstone. Recommended!

agnes grey but I was a teenager so I could be being a bit misguided

Oooh Hifi I love Steinbeck - East of Eden is my fave book.

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All the books in the Forsyte Saga, by Galsworthy. Love them.

Thomas Malory: Le Morte D'Arthur
Charles Darwin: Voyage of the Beagle
Dickens: David Copperfield
Kipling: Kim
CFloosy, you have inspired me to try and read War and Peace (again). Everytime I get going I drop it in the bath and by the time it dries out I have lost courage.