Divergent by Veronica Roth

In this futuristic dystopian society, life is divided into five distinct factions, Candor (the honest), Amity, (the peaceful), Erudite, (the intelligent), Abnegation (the selfless), and the Dauntless (the brave). Once a year, every year, all sixteen-year-olds are forced to make a decision: to choose one faction to belong to for the rest of their lives. If someone fails to “make it” as a member of their new faction, they are forced to live factionless for the rest of their lives, isolated from everyone and doing the jobs that no one wants.
Beatrice Prior and her family are from Abnegation, the selfless and modest sector. They live a humble life and are taught to put others ahead of themselves. Life with Abnegation is be tolerable, but boring and Beatrice is not sure she’s cut out for it. She has to choose between staying to be with her family, or leaving to find a faction that truly reflects her for what she is–a brave, intelligent, and selfless woman. But what if Beatrice doesn’t fit into any one category? And what if she chooses wrong?
Tris, as she renames herself, battles with her fellow initiates for a place in her new highly competitive faction, making both friends and enemies in the process. In the midst of all this, Tris struggles to hide her terrible and dangerous secret. Tris also finds herself falling for a mysterious, withdrawn, and fascinating trainer they call Four. In the process of finding her niche, Beatrice discovers her true self.
This violent and fast-paced story explores the notion of choice and the subsequent power behind each choice.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

The novel begins with a ten-year-old orphan named Jane Eyre who is living with her uncle's family, the Reeds, as her uncle's dying wish. Jane's parents died of typhus. Jane’s aunt Sarah Reed does not like her and treats her like a servant. She and her three children are abusive to Jane, physically and emotionally. One day Jane gets locked in the room in which her uncle died, and panics after seeing visions of him. She is finally rescued when she is allowed to attend Lowood School for Girls.
Jane arrives at Lowood Institution, a charity school, with the accusation that she is deceitful. During an inspection, Jane accidentally breaks her slate, and Mr Brocklehurst, the self-righteous clergyman who runs the school, brands her as a liar and shames her before the entire assembly. Jane is comforted by her friend, Helen Burns. Miss Temple, a caring teacher, facilitates Jane's self-defense and writes to Mr. Lloyd whose reply agrees with Jane's. Ultimately, Jane is publicly cleared of Mr Brocklehurst's accusations.
The eighty pupils at Lowood are subjected to cold rooms, poor meals, and thin clothing. Many students fall ill when a typhus epidemic strikes. Jane's friend Helen dies of consumption in her arms. When Mr. Brocklehurst's neglect and dishonesty are discovered, several benefactors erect a new building and conditions at the school improve dramatically.
After eight years as a student and two years as a teacher, Jane decides to leave Lowood, like her friend and confidante Miss Temple. She advertises her services as a governess, and receives one reply. It is from Alice Fairfax, who is a keeper of Thornfield Hall. She takes the position, teaching Adele Varens, a young French girl. While Jane is walking one night to a nearby town, a horseman passes her. The horse slips on ice and throws the rider. She helps him. Later, back at the mansion she learns that this man is Edward Rochester, master of the house. He wonders whether she bewitched his horse to make him fall. Adele is his ward, who could be his daughter; she was left in Mr Rochester's care when her alleged mother was found with a rival of Mr Rochester, laughing at his faults. Mr Rochester denies he is her father and disowns her. Mr Rochester and Jane enjoy each other's company and spend many hours together, and Jane longs for him.
Odd things happen at the house, such as a strange laugh, a mysterious fire in Mr Rochester's room, on which Jane throws water, and an attack on Rochester's house guest, Mr Mason. Jane hears that her aunt was calling for her, after being in much grief because her son has died. She returns to Gateshead and remains there for a month caring for her dying aunt. Mrs. Reed gives Jane a letter from Jane's uncle, asking for her to live with him. Mrs Reed admits to telling her uncle that Jane had died of fever. Soon after, Jane's aunt dies, and Jane returns to Thornfield.
After returning to Thornfield, Jane broods over Mr Rochester's impending marriage to Blanche Ingram. But on a midsummer evening, he proclaims his love for Jane and proposes. As she prepares for her wedding, Jane's forebodings arise when a strange, savage-looking woman sneaks into her room one night and rips her wedding veil in two. As with the previous mysterious events, Mr Rochester attributes the incident to drunkenness on the part of Grace Poole, one of his servants. During the wedding ceremony, Mr Mason and a lawyer declare that Mr Rochester cannot marry because he is married to Mr Mason’s sister Bertha. Mr Rochester admits this is true, but explains that his father tricked him into the marriage for her money. Once they were united, he discovered that she was rapidly descending into madness and eventually locked her away in Thornfield, hiring Grace Poole as nurse to look after her. When Grace gets drunk, his wife escapes, and causes the strange happenings at Thornfield. Mr Rochester asks Jane to go with him to the south of France, and live as husband and wife, even though they cannot be married. Refusing to go against her principles, and despite her love for him, Jane leaves Thornfield in the middle of the night.
Jane travels through England using the little money she had saved. She leaves her bundle of her possessions on the coach and has to sleep on the moor, trying to trade her scarf and gloves for food. Exhausted, she makes her way to the home of Diana and Mary Rivers, but is turned away by the housekeeper. She faints on the doorstep, preparing for her death. St. John Rivers, Diana and Mary's brother, saves her. After she regains her health, St. John finds her a teaching position at a nearby charity school. Jane becomes good friends with the sisters, but St. John is too reserved.
The sisters leave for governess jobs and St. John becomes closer with Jane. St. John discovers Jane's true identity, and astounds her by showing her a letter stating that her uncle John has died and left her his entire fortune of £20,000. When Jane questions him further, St. John reveals that John is also his and his sisters' uncle. They had once hoped for a share of the inheritance, but have since resigned themselves to nothing. Jane, overjoyed by finding her family, insists on sharing the money equally with her cousins, and Diana and Mary come to Moor House to stay.
Thinking she will make a suitable missionary's wife, St. John asks Jane to marry him and go with him to India, not out of love but out of duty. Jane initially accepts going to India, but rejects the marriage proposal. Jane's resolve begins to weaken when she mysteriously hears Mr Rochester's voice calling her name. Jane returns to Thornfield to find only blackened ruins. She learns that Mr Rochester's wife set the house on fire and committed suicide by jumping from the roof. In his rescue attempts, Mr. Rochester lost a hand and his eyesight. Jane reunites with him, but he fears that she will be repulsed by his condition. When Jane assures him of her love and tells him that she will never leave him, Mr. Rochester again proposes and they are married. He eventually recovers enough sight to see their first born son.

The Help by kathryn Stockett

The Help is set in the early 1960s in Jackson, Mississippi and told from the perspective of three women: Aibileen, Minny, and Skeeter. Aibileen is an African-American maid who cleans houses and cares for the young children of various white families. Her first job since her own 24-year-old son was killed on his job, is caring for toddler Mae Mobley Leefolt. Minny is Aibileen's confrontational friend who frequently tells her employers what she thinks of them. Her actions have led to her being fired from 19 jobs. Minny's most recent employer was Mrs Walters, mother of Hilly Holbrook. Hilly is the social leader of the community, and head of the Junior League. She is the nemesis of all three main characters.
Miss Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan is the daughter of a prominent white family whose cotton farm employs many African-Americans in the fields, as well as in the household. Skeeter has just finished college and comes home with big dreams of becoming a writer; her mother's big dream for her is to get her married, although Skeeter is not interested. What does interest her is that Constantine, the maid who raised her, is nowhere to be found. Skeeter's family tells her that Constantine abruptly quit and went to live with relatives in Chicago. Constantine had been writing to Skeeter the whole time she was away at college and the most recent letter had promised her a surprise upon her homecoming. Skeeter does not consider Constantine's unexplained absence a good surprise and wonders what happened, but nobody will discuss Constantine.
During the weekly bridge club that Skeeter attends with Hilly. Mrs Walters and Elizabeth Leefolt discusses their belief that all homes should have separate bathroom facilities for the "colored" help. This discussion awakens Skeeter to the realization that her friends' maids are treated very differently from how white people are treated. Skeeter then decides that she wants to reveal the truth to the world from the maids' perspectives by writing a book about it. Written in the first person from the perspective of Aibileen, Minny and Skeeter, the struggles Skeeter experiences to communicate with the maids and gain their trust is revealed, as well as the issues of overcoming long-standing barriers in customs and laws by all of the characters. The daily lives of Southern homemakers and their maids during the early 1960s in Mississippi are explored. The dangers of undertaking writing a book about African-Americans speaking out in the South during the early '60s hover constantly over the three women.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

The story follows the main character, Elizabeth Bennet as she deals with issues of manners, upbringing, education and marriage in society of the early 19th century. Elizabeth's family reside at the Longbourn estate near the fictional town of Meryton in Hertfordshire, near London. As Mr and Mrs Bennet have no sons the estate is entailed to one of Mr Bennet's relatives by the legal terms of fee tail. This means that, if Mr Bennet dies, his wife and five daughters will be left without a home or income. Mrs Bennet continually worries about this predicament and wishes to find husbands for her five daughters quickly.
The novel opens with Mr Bingley, a wealthy young gentleman and a very eligible bachelor, renting Netherfield Park near the Bennets. He arrives accompanied by his fashionable sisters and his good friend, Mr Darcy. Attending the local assembly,  Bingley is well-received, while his friend Darcy makes a less favourable first impression by appearing proud and condescending. When Elizabeth overhears herself being insulted by Darcy, she forms a prejudice against him. Bingley, on the other hand singles out Elizabeth Bennet's sister, Jane, for particular attention and it becomes apparent that they have formed an attachment to one another.
On an invitation from Bingley's sister, Miss Bingley, Jane pays a visit to Netherfield Park. On her journey to the estate she is caught in a downpour and catches ill, forcing her to stay at Netherfield Park for several days. In order to tend to Jane, Elizabeth hikes through muddy fields and arrives with a spattered dress, much to the aloofness of Miss Bingley. Miss Bingley’s malice only increases when she notices that Darcy develops an attachment to Elizabeth.
Mr Collins, the male cousin who is to inherit Longbourn, makes an appearance and stays with the Bennets. Recently ordained a clergyman, he is employed as parish rector by the wealthy and patronising Lady Catherine de Bourgh of Kent. Mr Bennet and Elizabeth are amused by his self-important and pedantic behaviour. Though his stated reason for visiting is to reconcile with the Bennets, Mr Collins soon confides to Mrs Bennet that he wishes to find a wife from among the Bennet sisters. He first offers to pursue Jane; however, Mrs Bennet mentions that her eldest daughter is soon likely to be engaged, and redirects his attentions to Elizabeth.
At the same time, Elizabeth forms an acquaintance with Mr Wickham, a militia officer who claims to be seriously mistreated by the proud Mr Darcy. Elizabeth seizes on this news as further reason to dislike Darcy. Ironically, Darcy begins to find himself drawn to Elizabeth, unbeknownst to her.
At a ball given by Mr Bingley at Netherfield Park, Elizabeth intends to deepen her acquaintance with Mr Wickham who, fails to appear. She is asked to dance by Darcy; here she raises Wickham's fate with him, causing their harmonious dance to fall into a petulant discussion.  Darcy also becomes aware of a general expectation that Bingley and Jane will marry.
The next morning, Mr Collins proposes marriage to Elizabeth, who refuses him, much to her mother's anguish. Collins handily recovers and proposes to Elizabeth's close friend, Charlotte Lucas, who immediately accepts out of her desire to avoid dying a spinster.
Though appearing at the point of proposing marriage to Jane, Bingley abruptly quits Netherfield and returns to London, leaving the lady confused and upset. Elizabeth is convinced that Darcy and Bingley's sister have conspired to separate Jane and Bingley.
In the spring, Elizabeth is persuaded to join Charlotte and her cousin in Kent.The parsonage is adjacent to Rosings Park, the grand manor of Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Darcy's aunt, where Elizabeth and her hosts are frequently invited to socialize. After Darcy and his cousin Colonel Fitzwilliam arrive to visit Lady Catherine, Elizabeth renews her project of teasing Darcy, while his admiration for her grows in spite of his intentions otherwise. Elizabeth learns from Fitzwilliam that Darcy prides himself on having separated Bingley from Jane; and, with the poorest of timing, Darcy chooses this moment to admit his love for Elizabeth, and he proposes to her. Enraged by his high-handed and insulting manner, she abruptly refuses him. When he asks why, so uncivil her reply, Elizabeth confronts him with his sabotage of Jane and Bingley's budding relationship and with Wickham's account of Darcy's mistreatment of him, among other complaints.
Deeply shaken by Elizabeth's accusations, Darcy writes her a letter which reveals the true history between Wickham and himself. Wickham had renounced his legacy—a clergyman's 'living' in Darcy's patronage—for a cash payment; only to return after gambling away the money to again claim the position. After Darcy refused, Wickham attempted to elope with Darcy's 15 year-old sister Georgiana, and thereby secure his part of the Darcy family fortune. He was found out and stopped only a day before the intended elopement. Regarding Bingley and Jane, Darcy justifies his interference: he had observed in Jane no reciprocal interest for Bingley; thus he aimed to separate them to protect his friend from heartache. After reading the letter, Elizabeth begins to question Wickham's credibility and that her early impressions of Darcy's character might not have been accurate.
Some months later, during a tour, Elizabeth and her aunt and uncle Gardiner visit Pemberley. Darcy's estate, while he's away. The elderly housekeeper has known Darcy since childhood, and presents a flattering and benevolent impression of his character to Elizabeth and the Gardiners. As they tour the grounds Darcy unexpectedly returns home. Though shocked, as is Elizabeth, he makes an obvious effort to be gracious and welcoming, and treats the Gardiners, whom before he would have dismissed as socially inferior, with remarkable politeness. Later he introduces Elizabeth to his sister, a high compliment to Elizabeth. Elizabeth is surprised and hopeful of a possible new beginning with Darcy.
Elizabeth and Darcy's renewed acquaintance is cut short by news that Lydia, her youngest and most flirty sister, has run away with Wickham while joining a friend of hers at the militia camp at Brighton. Initially, the family believe they have eloped, but they soon learn that Wickham has no plans to marry Lydia. Lydia's antics threaten her family, especially the remaining Bennet sisters, with social ruin. Elizabeth and her aunt and uncle hurriedly leave for home; Elizabeth is tormented and convinced that Darcy will avoid her from now on.
Soon, thanks apparently to Elizabeth's uncle, Lydia and Wickham are found and married. Afterwards, they visit Longbourn; while bragging to Elizabeth, Lydia discloses that Darcy was present at the wedding. Surprised, Elizabeth sends an inquiry to her aunt, from whom she learns that Darcy himself was responsible for both finding the couple and arranging their marriage, at great expense to himself.
Bingley returns to Longbourn and proposes marriage to Jane who immediately accepts. Lady Catherine surprisingly visits Longbourn. She sternly tells Elizabeth she has heard rumours of Darcy proposing to her; she came to confront Elizabeth and to demand that she never accept such a proposal because Darcy is suppose to marry her daughter, Anne. Elizabeth refuses to bow to Lady Catherine's demands. Furious, Lady Catherine charges off and tells Darcy of Elizabeth's obstinacy, which convinces him that Elizabeth's opinion of him may have changed. He visits Longbourn, and once again proposes marriage. Elizabeth accepts, and the two become engaged.
The novel's final chapters establish the futures of the characters: Elizabeth and Darcy settle at Pemberley, where Mr Bennet visits often. Jane and Bingley eventually move to locate near the Darcys in Derbyshire. Elizabeth and Jane teach Kitty who had always been badly influenced by Lydia better social graces, and Mary who had been the most reclusive sister learns to mix more with the outside world at Meryton. At Pemberley, Elizabeth and Georgiana grow close; Georgiana is surprised by Elizabeth's playful treatment of Darcy, and she grows more comfortable with her brother. Lady Catherine holds out, indignant and abusive, over her nephew's marriage, but eventually Darcy is prevailed upon to reconcile with her sufficiently that she condescends to visit. Elizabeth and Darcy remain close to her uncle and aunt Gardiner—the agents of their reconciling and uniting.