Editor’s Picks: 10 Soulful Classics to Savour — Curated by Cuppa Classics

1. The Picture of Dorian Gray

“Some things are more precious because they don't last long.”

A heavy but rewarding start for soulful reading, Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray tells the story of Dorian, a young man whose beauty captivates all. Desperate to stay eternally young, he makes a Faustian bargain: while his appearance remains untouched, a hidden portrait bears the marks of his moral decay. As Dorian indulges in vanity, pleasure, and sins, the portrait grows darker and gruesome, reflecting his soul’s corruption.

A truly soulful classic and an invitation to ponder over choices, values, and the essence of your soul over a warm cuppa.

Buy here: The Picture of Dorian Gray

2. Things Fall Apart

“The world has no end, and what is good among one people is an abomination with others.”

What happens when the world you know starts to crumble—but your spirit keeps holding on? Step into the life of Okonkwo, a fearless and respected Igbo leader, as everything he values begins to unravel. Things Fall Apart, the first novel in Chinua Achebe’s acclaimed African Trilogy, presents an unflinching look at the impact of European colonialism on traditional African society.

Through Okonkwo’s eyes, you witness his struggle to uphold Igbo traditions while British political and religious forces reshape his community. His pride, resistance, and eventual despair make this a deeply soulful classic.

Buy here: Things Fall Apart

3. Persuasion

“You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope...I have loved none but you.”

Love, regret, and second chances—these are the heart of life, and the essence of Jane Austen’s Persuasion. It lets you slip into the world of Anne Elliot, a woman who was forced to give up the love of her life because he had no fortune or social standing. Years later, fate brings Captain Wentworth back into her life, rekindling feelings she thought were long buried.

Full of wit, heart, and understated drama, this soulful classic is about choices, regrets, and the courage to follow your heart—even when the world expects otherwise. Grab a cosy spot and a warm cuppa, and let Anne’s journey remind you of the power of patience, love, and resilience.

Buy here: Persuasion

4. One Hundred Years of Solitude

“He really had been through death, but he had returned because he could not bear the solitude.”

Get ready to lose yourself in the spellbinding magic realism of One Hundred Years of Solitude. Follow the multi-generational saga of the Buendía family in the mythical town of Macondo, beginning with José Arcadio Buendía and his wife Úrsula Iguarán. Their family history, marked by unusual quirks and tragic choices, leads to astonishing consequences—even a child born with a pig’s tail.

Set against the backdrop of Latin America’s turbulent history, the novel weaves political and social realities into its fantastical narrative. The narrative loops and turns, with descendants repeating the mistakes and destinies of those before them. Full of solitude, generational trauma, and the interplay of history and myth, this classic is as mesmerising as it is thought-provoking.

Also read: 10 Classics That’ll Rekindle Your Love for Reading

5. Notes from the Underground

“Is the light truly the source of darkness or vice versa? Is the soul a source of hope or despair?”

If your soul is drawn to Dostoevsky, Notes from the Underground could be your next soulful classic. Dive into the mind of a man who resists society, rejects conventional morality, and wrestles with his own contradictions.

Part confession, part philosophical reflection, the book explores isolation, free will, and the intricate workings of the human psyche. Prepare to question, reflect, and confront parts of your soul along the way.

Buy here: Notes from the Underground

6. Mrs Dalloway

“Human beings have neither kindness, nor faith, nor charity beyond what serves to increase the pleasure of the moment.”

Mrs Dalloway presses play on a single day in the life of Clarissa Dalloway, a woman preparing to host a grand party in London. As she moves through her day, Virginia Woolf masterfully weaves together her thoughts, memories, and observations, capturing the fleeting beauty and quiet tensions of life.

First published in 1925, this soulful classic turned 100 in 2025—yet its themes feel as fresh and resonant as ever. Exploring time, identity, love, and the invisible struggles people carry, Woolf’s lyrical, intimate prose invites you to pause, reflect, and wander through the rich inner worlds of her characters.

Buy here: Mrs Dalloway

Also read: Beyond Mrs Dalloway: 5 Most Underappreciated Works of Virginia Woolf Worth Reading

7. A Farewell to Arms

“The world breaks every one and afterward many are strong at the broken places.”

Finding love amidst conflict, chaos, and brutality seems impossible, but A Farewell to Arms proves otherwise. Ernest Hemingway tells the story of Lieutenant Frederic Henry and nurse Catherine Barkley, whose love blossoms against the backdrop of World War I. This classic navigates courage, loss, and the fleeting nature of happiness, capturing both the intensity of love and the unforgiving realities of war.

In short, it checks all the boxes that make a soulful classic.

Buy here: A Farewell to Arms

8. Anna Karenina

“Rummaging in our souls, we often dig up something that ought to have lain there unnoticed.”

How far will you go for love? Anna Karenina shows the full extent of it. The story follows Anna, a married aristocrat, who falls passionately in love with the dashing Count Vronsky, setting off a chain of events that upend her life and those around her.

Filled with tragedy, passion, and moral complexity, Tolstoy explores the conflicts between desire, duty, and societal expectations in 19th-century Russia. With the right mix of melancholy, love, and conflict, it will please readers who don’t shy away from feeling emotions deeply.

Buy here: Anna Karenina

9. To the Lighthouse

“And all the lives we ever lived and all the lives to be are full of trees and changing leaves.”

What does it mean to truly see the world around you? In To the Lighthouse, Virginia Woolf follows the Ramsay family over a decade of summers on Scotland’s Isle of Skye. The story moves through three perspectives: Mrs. Ramsay’s gentle warmth, Mr. Ramsay’s intense rationality, and Lily Briscoe’s artistic eye.

As time passes and the children grow, the novel explores memory, change, and the subtle tensions between masculine and feminine ways of understanding life. A soulful classic, it blends emotion, observation, and artistry into a portrait of a family.

Buy here: To the Lighthouse

10. Frankenstein

“There is something at work in my soul, which I do not understand.”

Mix horror, grief, and the tragic consequences of ambition—and you’ll find Frankenstein. Victor Frankenstein, a brilliant but obsessive scientist, brings a creature to life, only to be horrified by what he has created. Rejected and alone, the Creature experiences profound loneliness, longing, and heartbreak, forcing readers to confront what it means to be human.

It’s a story that will disturb, haunt, and move your soul in the right way.

Buy here: Frankenstein

This is definitely not the end of soulful classics, but it’s where our editors had to pause to return to their work. The classics they shared are a rich, scrumptious mix of stories that touch every corner of the soul—balancing the mind, the will, and the emotions, or, in other words, reason, feeling, and desire. So grab one of these timeless reads, brew a warm cup of tea, and lose yourself in the worlds, the emotions, and the wisdom they offer.

Happy reading, and may your journey through these soulful classics leave you inspired, moved, and ever-curious for the next story.

Your next read: Paulo Coelho’s World: Where the Universe Is Always Conspiring in Your Favour