The Sorrows of Young Werther by Goethe

For our September read, we're tackling a classic! This is Goethe's first novel, published in 1774. Written in diary form, it tells the tale of an unhappy, passionate young man hopelessly in love with Charlotte, the wife of a friend - a man who he alternately admires and detests. 'The Sorrows of Young Werther' became an important part of the 'Sturm und Drang movement, and greatly influenced later 'Romanticism'. The work is semi-autobiographical - in 1772, two years before the novel was published, Goethe had passed through a similar tempestuous period, when he lost his heart to Charlotte Buff, who was at that time engaged to his friend Johann Christian Kestner.

" Two small housekeeping notes: * We will choose the Sept book (10.09) during the meetup, so please fill in the recommendations question when you sign up! And we typically try to keep the books around 300 pages so that it's achievable to finish it in 3-4 weeks. * If you can not make the meetup, please cancel in good time so that those joining from the waiting list have a fair chance to read the book.