Toby Young is the author of How to Lose Friends and Alienate People, a memoir about his misadventures as a contributing editor at Vanity Fair magazine. A film version opens this weekend.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (Penguin Classics, $8). When the Oxford philosopher Gilbert Ryle was asked if he read novels, he replied, “Oh yes. All six, every year.” He meant the six novels of Jane Austen—and I feel the same way. Pride and Prejudice’s combination of humor, romance, social observation, and moral seriousness has never been surpassed.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Way We Live Now by Anthony Trollope (Oxford, $13). Trollope’s novel about financial and political chicanery is often praised for its contemporary relevance—plus ça change—but that’s hardly its only merit. It’s a wonderfully deft satire of a corrupt society, combining moral opprobrium with just the right lightness of touch.
Scoop by Evelyn Waugh (Back Bay, $15). As a journalist, I occasionally get the urge to write a comic novel set in Fleet Street, but then I remember why so few have attempted it: because no one can hope to improve on Scoop. It’s probably the funniest novel in the English language.
Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis (Penguin, $14). Martin Amis said of his father, Kingsley, that his mind was like a machine that had been designed to make people laugh. That is certainly evident in Kingsley’s debut novel. The reason I like it so much is because I identify with the central character—a feeling that is entirely due to his skill as a novelist. Jim Dixon experiences one comic misadventure after another, and you end up rooting for him.
Radical Chic and Mau-Mauing the Flak Catchers by Tom Wolfe (Bantam, $14). The most impressive thing about this very impressive piece of journalism is Wolfe’s utter fearlessness. He took on the most fashionable strata of New York society—and won.
-
The 8 best dark comedies of the 21st centuryFrom Santa Claus to suicide terrorism, these movies skewered big, taboo subjects
-
France’s ‘red hands’ trial highlights alleged Russian disruption operationsUNDER THE RADAR Attacks on religious and cultural institutions around France have authorities worried about Moscow’s effort to sow chaos in one of Europe’s political centers
-
Crossword: October 30, 2025The Week's daily crossword
-
Beth Macy’s 6 favorite books about living in a divided nationFeature The journalist recommends works by Nicholas Buccola, Matthew Desmond, and more
-
Gilbert King’s 6 favorite books about the search for justiceFeature The journalist recommends works by Bryan Stevenson, David Grann, and more
-
Nathan Harris’ 6 favorite books that turn adventures into revelationsFeature The author recommends works by Kazuo Ishiguro, Ian McGuire, and more
-
Marisa Silver’s 6 favorite books that capture a lifetimeFeature The author recommends works by John Williams, Ian McEwan, and more
-
Lou Berney’s 6 favorite books with powerful storytellingFeature The award-winning author recommends works by Dorothy B. Hughes, James McBride, and more
-
Elizabeth Gilbert’s favorite books about women overcoming difficultiesFeature The author recommends works by Tove Jansson, Lauren Groff, and more
-
Fannie Flagg’s 6 favorite books that sparked her imaginationFeature The author recommends works by Johanna Spyri, John Steinbeck, and more
-
Jessica Francis Kane's 6 favorite books that prove less is moreFeature The author recommends works by Penelope Fitzgerald, Marie-Helene Bertino, and more
