un/readable classics

I'm coming to the conclusion that Henry James is the most readable of all the classic writers. I recently read (but didn't finish) Dickens's Oliver Twist, and though I really like Dickens, I didn't like this book. It's puerile, nasty, racist, and melodramatic (but not in a fun way, like Ann Radcliffe).

But now I'm reading Henry James - one of his early novels - and it's like a palate cleanser. I'm looking forward to more. 

I still like Dickens though.