Tess of the D'Urbervilles

Thomas Hardy

Book cover for Tess of the D'Urbervilles

For a book published in 1891 I actually found it to be quite spicy (compared to something like Pride and Prejudice). It makes commentary on the double standard when it comes to a woman having to be "pure" while men get to go and sow their wild oats, which I was surprised by and thought was quite progressive (for its time) especially considering the book was written by a man. Unfortunately a lot of misfortune befalls the main character Tess so don't go into this if you want a wholesome read.