I almost hate to suggest this....but what about the first Harry Potter? It's certainly well written and if it can hold the interest of zillions of English and American readers of all ages, it might just interest her.

perhaps Little Women?

Hey, how about the Sherlock Holmes stories? English is (officially) my second language as well and I remember immersing myself in those books when I was in high school.

I personally think they're well-written and think they have a pretty strong storyline. Oh, but I'd stick to the first half of Conan Doyle's career -- stick to the novellas such as "A Study in Scarlet", "Sign of Four", and "The Hound of the Baskervilles". (Yes, yes, purists would say that "Hound of the Baskervilles" came into being in the second half but .....)

Maybe The Great Gatsby?

It seems to me that what you really need are the "children's classics" which also appeal to grown-ups. The writing tends to be good, but the stories are a little more "direct". So, The Secret Garden, The Railway Children and Anne of Green Gables are three which spring to my mind.

A Christmas Carol??

Martin got there before me, as so often - I was going to mention Edith Nesbit, my favourite classic children's hour. Her language is beautiful, crisp and clear.

What kind of books does your d-i-l enjoy generally? When I was still fairly new to the English language, I read a lot of Agatha Christie and Dorothy L Sayers. Christie is easier, but Sayers definitely has the edge in quality!

I am wondering that if the "classics" are really what she wants. Does she need the "classic" outlook of life in England? In particular, the dated view of society, the class structure, etc. The role of men and women has changed so much since Jane Austin and others of that time.

There are so many well written recent books that would give her a better grasp of English life today and at the same time, help her with a more conversational speech.

Thank you for your suggestions so far. anyanka, I don't know what sort of J books she enjoys as I have only met her about half-a-dozen times and hardly ever had a one-to-one conversation with her.
Rie (d-in-l) asked for 'English classics' but I did feel the language might be rather difficult for her.Although her conversational English is not bad she is very diffident about meeting people or getting a job . . . although she must realise that only by doing the above will her confidence increase. She doesn't even answer the telephone and is really 'protected' by our son who, of course, she gives way to in everything!
Agnes the different culture thing is interesting because she has been brought up in a traditional Japanese way with what appears to us to be a veneer of Americanisation, but our two worlds are so different once below the surface of wearing jeans, watching TV and worrying about up-coming exams etc that a 'course' in Understanding your New Country would be really useful.
The idea of well-written children's books is excellent. Can anyone suggest any faily up-to-date ones that don't speak 'down' to the reader please?

These are a selection of books covered on my 20th Century Children's Literature course last year. They were all fantastic and I regularly recommend them to adults.
Nina Bawden, 'CarrieÂs War'; R. Westall, 'Gulf'; Natalie Babbitt,'Tuck Everlasting'; Louis Sachar,'Holes'; Melvin Burgess, 'Junk'; Jennifer Donnelly, 'A Gathering Light'; Mark Haddon, 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time'.

Vee,

German colleges & places for advanced & adult learning etc. for many years have used Stan Barstow's short novel JOBY as a text: it's good English, reasonably modern, a good story with great characters and it's not too long. Also good for discussion points. I have used it myself as a school text for GCSE - it has been on many syllabusses in this country. It's one of his books which is still in print - since it's a school text of course.

Dido