My favourite book as a teenager was The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy. I loved the rural setting and the dramatic irony that is prevalent throughout the book. The Mayor, who at the start of the book is a young hay trusser who in a drunken rage sells his wife and daughter, turns his life around and becomes a successful grain merchant and eventually the Mayor of Casterbridge, only to suffer another downfall. Despite his faults, you cannot help feeling sorry for the tragic mayor. His eventual death brought tears to my eyes. If an author makes you do that, you know you're a good book!