Clarisse Perrette's Favorite Novels

I grew up in the Salinas Valley. To me, John Steinbeck's East of Eden was like a trip home. The characters were wonderful. The descriptions of the places were so realistic. I think I have read this book at least 10 times.

Excellent character study, even though it was difficult for me to sympathize with almost all of the characters (Sebastian touched me the most). Waugh skillfully weaves events of the times into the lives of all of those involved and uses flashbacks effectively. It's one of my favorite books; I also recommend the film adaptation, starring Jeremy Irons and Anthony Andrews.

This book captures the angst of the main character's loss of innocence during WWI and his subsequent quest to find spiritual enlightenment through explorations in non-western religions and philosophies. It captures the time period in a way that I find much more captivating than novels like The Great Gatsby, which fall into the same time period. This is one of my all-time favorite works of fiction and never fails to evoke the same sense of yearning for inner peace that it describes in the main character.

This non-fiction reads like a novel. Beryl Markham was an early aviator, but her story focuses on her childhood in Africa as well as her flying career servicing the remote hunters and doctors in the bush. She steers clear of her relationships with men, but speaks lovingly of Africa and flight.