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Best Literary Fiction
Literary fiction is serious fiction with claims to literary merit, and focuses more on style, psychological depth, and character. (As opposed to genre or popular fiction).

What are your favorites of literary fiction?
Tags: fiction, literary, literature, novel, and novella

1
To Kill a Mockingbird
To Kill a Mockingbird
by Harper Lee 51 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 5045
vote
2
The Power of Persuasion
The Power of Persuasion
by Shelagh Watkins (Goodreads author) 26 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 2594
vote
3
The Catcher in the Rye
The Catcher in the Rye
by J.D. Salinger 26 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 2553
vote
4
Lord of the Flies
Lord of the Flies
by William Golding 22 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 2163
vote
5
Crime and Punishment
Crime and Punishment
by Fyodor Dostoevsky, Alex Jennings (Narrator) 19 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 1885
vote
6
Jane Eyre
Jane Eyre
by Charlotte Brontë 19 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 1783
vote
7
Gone With The Wind
Gone With The Wind
by Margaret Mitchell 18 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 1757
vote
8
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
by C.S. Lewis 17 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 1556
vote
9
The Secret Magdalene: A Novel
The Secret Magdalene: A Novel
by Ki Longfellow (Goodreads author) 15 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 1488
vote
10
Memoirs of a Geisha
Memoirs of a Geisha
by Arthur Golden 15 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 1429
vote
11
Beloved
Beloved
by Toni Morrison 14 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 1378
vote
12
Beyond the Quiet
Beyond the Quiet
by Brenda Hill (Goodreads author) 14 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 1359
vote
13
For the May Queen
For the May Queen
by Kate Evans (Goodreads author) 13 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 1262
vote
14
One Hundred Years of Solitude
One Hundred Years of Solitude
by Gabriel García Márquez, Gregory Rabassa (Translator) 12 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 1179
vote
15
The Shadow of the Wind
The Shadow of the Wind
by Carlos Ruiz Zafón 12 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 1172
vote
16
The Color Purple
The Color Purple
by Alice Walker 12 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 1156
vote
17
The Thirteenth Tale
The Thirteenth Tale
by Diane Setterfield 12 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 1129
vote
18
Forgotten
Forgotten
by Chelle Cordero (Goodreads author) 10 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 973
vote
19
Wuthering Heights
Wuthering Heights
by Emily Brontë 10 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 943
vote
20
The Picture of Dorian Gray
The Picture of Dorian Gray
by Oscar Wilde 10 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 920
vote
21
Anna Karenina
Anna Karenina
by Leo Tolstoy, David Magarshack (Translator) 10 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 896
vote
22
Bartlett's Rule
Bartlett's Rule
by Chelle Cordero (Goodreads author) 9 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 880
vote
23
Within the Law
Within the Law
by Chelle Cordero (Goodreads author) 9 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 878
vote
24
The Grapes of Wrath
The Grapes of Wrath
by John Steinbeck 9 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 874
vote
25
Courage of the Heart
Courage of the Heart
by Chelle Cordero (Goodreads author) 9 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 870
vote
26
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
by Ken Kesey 9 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 818
vote
27
Anne of Green Gables (Anne of Green Gables, #1)
Anne of Green Gables (Anne of Green Gables, #1)
by L.M. Montgomery 9 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 817
vote
28
The House on the Shore
The House on the Shore
by Victoria Howard (Goodreads author) 8 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 769
vote
29
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
by Patrick Süskind 8 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 751
vote
30
Great Expectations
Great Expectations
by Charles Dickens 8 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 742
vote
31
Life of Pi
Life of Pi
by Yann Martel 7 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 687
vote
32
The Alchemist
The Alchemist
by Paulo Coelho (Goodreads author) 7 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 677
vote
33
Pygmalion
Pygmalion
by George Bernard Shaw 7 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 676
vote
34
Loving Her
Loving Her
by L.E. Harvey (Goodreads author) 7 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 674
vote
35
The Red Tent
The Red Tent
by Anita Diamant 7 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 658
vote
36
Heidi
Heidi
by Johanna Spyri 7 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 654
vote
37
Veronika Decides to Die: A Novel of Redemption
Veronika Decides to Die: A Novel of Redemption
by Paulo Coelho (Goodreads author) 7 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 646
vote
38
Flowers for Algernon
Flowers for Algernon
by Daniel Keyes 7 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 624
vote
39
Breakfast at Tiffany's
Breakfast at Tiffany's
by Truman Capote 7 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 612
vote
40
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
by Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows 7 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 607
vote
41
Rebecca
Rebecca
by Daphne du Maurier 7 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 604
vote
42
Catapult Soul
Catapult Soul
by Brian Celio (Goodreads author) 6 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 596
vote
43
Love in the Time of Cholera
Love in the Time of Cholera
by Gabriel García Márquez, Edith Grossman (Translator) 6 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 578
vote
44
The Sun Singer: A Novel
The Sun Singer: A Novel
by Malcolm R. Campbell (Goodreads author) 6 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 568
vote
45
The Giver
The Giver
by Lois Lowry 6 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 542
vote
46
Kane and Abel
Kane and Abel
by Jeffrey Archer 6 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 529
vote
47
Orchard of Dust
Orchard of Dust
by Brian Edward Bahr 5 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 500
vote
48
East of Eden
East of Eden
by John Steinbeck 5 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 485
vote
49
Finding Kylie
Finding Kylie
by Kimberly McKay (Goodreads author) 5 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 483
vote
50
The Virgin Suicides
The Virgin Suicides
by Jeffrey Eugenides 5 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 477
vote
51
The Pillars of the Earth
The Pillars of the Earth
by Ken Follett 5 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 472
vote
52
The Trumpet of the Swan
The Trumpet of the Swan
by E.B. White, Fred Marcellino (Illustrator) 5 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 460
vote
53
Year of Wonders
Year of Wonders
by Geraldine Brooks 5 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 455
vote
54
The Poisonwood Bible
The Poisonwood Bible
by Barbara Kingsolver 5 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 450
vote
55
Snow Falling on Cedars
Snow Falling on Cedars
by David Guterson 5 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 445
vote
56
Cheaper by the Dozen
Cheaper by the Dozen
by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr., Ernestine Gilbreth Carey 5 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 419
vote
57
Little House on the Prairie
Little House on the Prairie
by Laura Ingalls Wilder, Garth Williams (illustrator) 5 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 395
vote
58
Middlesex
Middlesex
by Jeffrey Eugenides 4 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 387
vote
58
Water for Elephants
Water for Elephants
by Sara Gruen 4 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 387
vote
60
The Blue Castle
The Blue Castle
by L.M. Montgomery 4 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 385
vote
61
A Thousand Splendid Suns
A Thousand Splendid Suns
by Khaled Hosseini 4 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 382
vote
62
Never Let Me Go
Never Let Me Go
by Kazuo Ishiguro 4 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 376
vote
63
Homesong
Homesong
by Misha Crews (Goodreads author) 4 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 366
vote
64
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
by Betty Smith 4 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 364
vote
65
Swiss Family Robinson
Swiss Family Robinson
by Johann D. Wyss, Pablo Marcos Studio 4 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 362
vote
66
A Confederacy of Dunces
A Confederacy of Dunces
by John Kennedy Toole 4 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 358
vote
67
The Remains of the Day
The Remains of the Day
by Kazuo Ishiguro 4 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 351
vote
68
Parable of the Sower
Parable of the Sower
by Octavia E. Butler 4 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 350
vote
69
Where the Heart Is
Where the Heart Is
by Billie Letts 4 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 341
vote
70
Revolutionary Road
Revolutionary Road
by Richard Yates 4 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 337
vote
71
84, Charing Cross Road
84, Charing Cross Road
by Helene Hanff 4 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 330
vote
72
The Woman in White
The Woman in White
by Wilkie Collins 4 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 327
vote
73
The Hobbit: Or There and Back Again
The Hobbit: Or There and Back Again
by J.R.R. Tolkien 3 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 293
vote
74
The Haunting of Hill House
The Haunting of Hill House
by Shirley Jackson 3 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 291
vote
75
The Hunger Games
The Hunger Games
by Suzanne Collins 3 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 290
vote
76
The Drama Unfolds
The Drama Unfolds
by Andrea M. Kulman (Goodreads author) 3 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 289
vote
77
Oryx and Crake
Oryx and Crake
by Margaret Atwood 3 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 282
vote
78
Sophie's Choice
Sophie's Choice
by William Styron 3 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 279
vote
79
The Secret Garden
The Secret Garden
by Frances Hodgson Burnett 3 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 272
vote
80
Redeeming Grace
Redeeming Grace
by Smoky Trudeau 3 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 271
vote
81
Painted Soul
Painted Soul
by Mary Quast (Goodreads author) 3 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 263
vote
82
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
by Mark Twain 3 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 262
vote
83
Forest Song: Finding Home
Forest Song: Finding Home
by Vila SpiderHawk 3 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 261
vote
84
A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian: A Novel
A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian: A Novel
by Marina Lewycka 3 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 256
vote
84
A Ring of Endless Light
A Ring of Endless Light
by Madeleine L'Engle 3 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 256
vote
86
The Book of Lost Things
The Book of Lost Things
by John Connolly 3 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 255
vote
87
The Good Earth
The Good Earth
by Pearl S. Buck 3 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 254
vote
88
Phantom
Phantom
by Susan Kay 3 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 244
vote
89
Poison Study
Poison Study
by Maria V. Snyder (Goodreads author) 3 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 241
vote
90
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
by Susanna Clarke 3 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 240
vote
91
The Namesake
The Namesake
by Jhumpa Lahiri 3 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 236
vote
92
Doctor Dolittle
Doctor Dolittle
by Hugh Lofting 3 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 208
vote
93
The Trees
The Trees
by Conrad Richter 2 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 200
vote
94
Fablehaven
Fablehaven
by Brandon Mull 2 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 197
vote
95
Deliverance
Deliverance
by James Dickey 2 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 196
vote
95
The Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby
by F. Scott Fitzgerald 2 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 196
vote
95
Lolita
Lolita
by Vladimir Nabokov, Craig Raine (Afterword) 2 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 196
vote
98
What You Owe Me
What You Owe Me
by Bebe Moore Campbell 2 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 192
vote
99
Garden Spells
Garden Spells
by Sarah Addison Allen (Goodreads author) 2 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 191
vote
100
The Ladies of Missalonghi
The Ladies of Missalonghi
by Colleen McCullough 2 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 190
vote
List started by: Shelagh (votes)
Lists are re-scored approximately every 500 seconds



people who voted on this list (194)

Brian
Brian
17 books
0 friends
Casey
Casey
1 book
0 friends
John
John
1 book
0 friends
Dana
Dana
1 book
0 friends
Corey
Corey
1 book
0 friends
Katie
Katie
147 books
7 friends
Dan
Dan
49 books
3 friends
Abbie
Abbie
657 books
0 friends

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post a comment »
comments (showing 1-3 of 3) (3 new)

dateDown_arrow    newest »

message 1: by Yvonne (new)
Feb 17, 2009 05:23AM

1515142 I highly recommend this writer, she is a excellent read.
Yvonne


message 2: by Stuart (new)
Feb 17, 2009 02:34PM

1216574 'The Power of Persuasion' by Shelagh Watkins is a masterpiece of modern day writing -- highly recommended.


message 3: by Kimberly (new)
Feb 19, 2009 11:50AM

1291851 Brillant!


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