The 100 best novels written in English
The Guardian / Observer, 2015. A critics list. See the original list
We use only the titles, authors and places from this list. 100 novels from it are in The Novel Index.
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A Single Man
Christopher Isherwood, 1964
On 1 of the 19 lists it was eligible for
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
Anita Loos, 1925
On 1 of the 16 lists it was eligible for
Hadrian the Seventh
Frederick Rolfe, 1904
On 1 of the 15 lists it was eligible for
Lolly Willowes
Sylvia Townsend Warner, 1926
On 1 of the 16 lists it was eligible for
The Heat of the Day
Elizabeth Bowen, 1948
On 1 of the 15 lists it was eligible for
The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman
Laurence Sterne, 1759
On 7 of the 13 lists it was eligible for
The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket
Edgar Allan Poe, 1838
On 1 of the 12 lists it was eligible for
The Red Badge of Courage
Stephen Crane, 1894
On 1 of the 12 lists it was eligible for
The Sign of Four
Arthur Conan Doyle, 1890
On 1 of the 13 lists it was eligible for
The lists that agree with this one most
| List | Books in common |
|---|---|
| The 100 greatest novels of all time (The Observer, 2003) | 50 |
| 100 novels everyone should read (The Telegraph, 2009) | 35 |
| 100 Best Novels (board's list) (Modern Library, 1998) | 34 |
| The 100 greatest British novels (BBC Culture, 2015) | 32 |
| The 100 best novels of all time (The Guardian, 2026) | 29 |