We've got your back. With the Tough-O-Meter, you'll know whether to bring extra layers or Swiss army knives as you summit the literary mountain. (10 = Toughest)
(7) Snow Line
On one level, The Confessions can be read like a collection of overshare moments from one of your closest friends. Feel free to kick back and read about all the shameful stuff that the history books leave out about our guy Rousseau. On the other hand, Rousseau is trying out a pretty complicated literary experiment, which can make this a tough slog at times. We're always trying to figure out why Rousseau is throwing random details our way. It's like Rousseau's playing some of mind game with us. All of those unexpected twists and turns make the book worth reading, if only so we can say "Ha—game on, Rousseau!"