I’m actually going to cheat with this prompt and opt for three books. There are two that have surprised me because they are regarded as ‘classics’ but you come away from the reading experience wondering how that could be the case. The positive surprise is from one that is largely viewed as a children’s book but on many levels turns out not to be.
There are undoubtedly some (many?) amusing passages in ‘Catch 22’ by Joseph Heller. However while its take on the chaos of war is also an excellent message it is often diluted for the reader by the constant shifts back and forward in time of the chapters and the dizzying arraying of characters. Similarly surprisingly disappointing is ‘Republic’ by Plato. Purporting to explore justice through an ideal state ruled through philosophers its constant plodding pondering made my doubt how anyone could read it to completion.
At the other end of the spectrum, Black Beauty by Anna Sewell is an expertly constructed story about the life of a horse and its various adventures both good and bad. Each chapter is a self contained tale in itself and all the loose ends are tied together at the conclusion of the book. I wasn’t expecting it though to also be brilliant in terms of how it expounds animal rights (ground breaking at the time it seems) while delving at various points into the morality of mankind.
Big Dave 
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