A Kind of Loving — Stan Barstow

Originally published in 1960, this popular novel about frustrated youth laid the groundwork for contemporary writers such as Tony Parsons and Nick Hornby. All about love, lust, and loneliness, the book introduces Vic Brown, a young working-class Yorkshireman. Vic is attracted to the beautiful but demanding Ingrid, and as their relationship grows and changes, he comes to terms -- the hard way -- with adult life and what it really means to love. The influence of Barstow's novel has been lasting: the literary label "lad-lit" was first applied to this book, and over the years it has been adapted for radio, television, and the big screen.