Best Indian Books (381 books)

Best Indian Books

Vote for books that you feel reflect India and the Indian diaspora or books written by Indian authors that left a strong impression.

all votes add books to this list

1	The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy 3.86 of 5 stars 3.86 avg rating — 90,621 ratings score: 16,747, and 170 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
2	A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry 4.31 of 5 stars 4.31 avg rating — 51,865 ratings score: 13,593, and 140 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
3	Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie 4.02 of 5 stars 4.02 avg rating — 44,007 ratings score: 11,428, and 116 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
4	The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga 3.67 of 5 stars 3.67 avg rating — 62,414 ratings score: 10,270, and 105 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
5	The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri 3.9 of 5 stars 3.90 avg rating — 107,247 ratings score: 9,910, and 102 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
6	Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri 4.09 of 5 stars 4.09 avg rating — 69,214 ratings score: 8,544, and 88 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
7	Life of Pi by Yann Martel 3.84 of 5 stars 3.84 avg rating — 483,593 ratings score: 7,498, and 77 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
8	Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts 4.22 of 5 stars 4.22 avg rating — 40,955 ratings score: 7,437, and 76 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
9	A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth 4.06 of 5 stars 4.06 avg rating — 17,492 ratings score: 6,689, and 69 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
10	Truly, Madly, Deeply by Faraaz Kazi (Goodreads Author) 3.94 of 5 stars 3.94 avg rating — 1,056 ratings score: 6,678, and 67 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
11	Malgudi Days by R.K. Narayan 4.16 of 5 stars 4.16 avg rating — 4,257 ratings score: 5,542, and 57 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
12	Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri 4.08 of 5 stars 4.08 avg rating — 40,038 ratings score: 5,288, and 55 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
13	A Passage to India by E.M. Forster 3.6 of 5 stars 3.60 avg rating — 25,911 ratings score: 4,220, and 45 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
14	2 States: The Story of My Marriage by Chetan Bhagat 3.39 of 5 stars 3.39 avg rating — 22,835 ratings score: 4,174, and 43 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
15	Delayed Monsoon by Chitralekha Paul 3.64 of 5 stars 3.64 avg rating — 143 ratings score: 4,075, and 41 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
16	The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai 3.32 of 5 stars 3.32 avg rating — 23,089 ratings score: 4,035, and 43 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
17	Swami and Friends by R.K. Narayan 4.16 of 5 stars 4.16 avg rating — 3,046 ratings score: 3,876, and 41 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
18	The Glass Palace by Amitav Ghosh 3.89 of 5 stars 3.89 avg rating — 7,600 ratings score: 3,812, and 40 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
19	Five Point Someone: What Not to Do at IIT by Chetan Bhagat 3.45 of 5 stars 3.45 avg rating — 27,447 ratings score: 3,573, and 37 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
20	Sea of Poppies (Ibis Trilogy, #1) by Amitav Ghosh 3.89 of 5 stars 3.89 avg rating — 7,613 ratings score: 3,450, and 37 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
21	Gitanjali by Rabindranath Tagore 4.35 of 5 stars 4.35 avg rating — 2,215 ratings score: 3,430, and 36 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
22	The Story of My Experiments With Truth by Mahatma Gandhi 4.03 of 5 stars 4.03 avg rating — 9,817 ratings score: 3,388, and 36 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
23	Family Matters by Rohinton Mistry 3.94 of 5 stars 3.94 avg rating — 8,308 ratings score: 3,234, and 36 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
24	The Guide by R.K. Narayan 3.84 of 5 stars 3.84 avg rating — 2,367 ratings score: 3,059, and 32 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
25	Tell a Thousand Lies by Rasana Atreya (Goodreads Author) 3.87 of 5 stars 3.87 avg rating — 192 ratings score: 2,973, and 30 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
26	The Bhagavad Gita by Anonymous 4.03 of 5 stars 4.03 avg rating — 22,358 ratings score: 2,903, and 30 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
27	The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie 3.72 of 5 stars 3.72 avg rating — 22,905 ratings score: 2,585, and 27 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
28	I Too Had A Love Story.. by Ravinder Singh 3.63 of 5 stars 3.63 avg rating — 7,836 ratings score: 2,541, and 26 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
29	City of Djinns: A Year in Delhi by William Dalrymple 4.02 of 5 stars 4.02 avg rating — 2,859 ratings score: 2,540, and 27 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
30	Wings of Fire: An Autobiography by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam 3.99 of 5 stars 3.99 avg rating — 6,235 ratings score: 2,522, and 26 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
31	Sacred Games by Vikram Chandra 3.92 of 5 stars 3.92 avg rating — 2,657 ratings score: 2,495, and 27 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
32	The Discovery of India by Jawaharlal Nehru 3.96 of 5 stars 3.96 avg rating — 1,301 ratings score: 2,468, and 27 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
33	The Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh 3.83 of 5 stars 3.83 avg rating — 4,747 ratings score: 2,301, and 25 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
34	Train to Pakistan by Khushwant Singh 3.74 of 5 stars 3.74 avg rating — 3,501 ratings score: 2,229, and 24 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
35	Q & A by Vikas Swarup 3.95 of 5 stars 3.95 avg rating — 11,706 ratings score: 2,125, and 23 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
36	Sister of My Heart by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (Goodreads Author) 3.94 of 5 stars 3.94 avg rating — 8,628 ratings score: 1,955, and 22 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
37	English, August: An Indian Story by Upamanyu Chatterjee 3.74 of 5 stars 3.74 avg rating — 1,748 ratings score: 1,911, and 21 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
38	The Secret of the Nagas (Shiva Trilogy #2) by Amish Tripathi 3.93 of 5 stars 3.93 avg rating — 13,479 ratings score: 1,848, and 19 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
39	India After Gandhi: The History of the World's Largest Democracy by Ramachandra Guha 4.32 of 5 stars 4.32 avg rating — 2,222 ratings score: 1,840, and 19 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
39	Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse 3.91 of 5 stars 3.91 avg rating — 177,979 ratings score: 1,840, and 21 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
41	Cricket till I die! by Upneet Grover (Goodreads Author) 4.25 of 5 stars 4.25 avg rating — 52 ratings score: 1,798, and 18 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
42	Godan: A Novel Of Peasant India by Munshi Premchand 4.14 of 5 stars 4.14 avg rating — 933 ratings score: 1,794, and 20 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
43	The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (Goodreads Author) 4.0 of 5 stars 4.00 avg rating — 4,636 ratings score: 1,776, and 19 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
44	The Argumentative Indian: Writings on Indian History, Culture and Identity by Amartya Sen 3.75 of 5 stars 3.75 avg rating — 1,973 ratings score: 1,772, and 20 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
45	The Space Between Us by Thrity Umrigar 3.94 of 5 stars 3.94 avg rating — 15,768 ratings score: 1,737, and 19 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
46	Kim by Rudyard Kipling 3.67 of 5 stars 3.67 avg rating — 12,072 ratings score: 1,730, and 20 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
47	Haroun And The Sea Of Stories by Salman Rushdie 4.03 of 5 stars 4.03 avg rating — 12,787 ratings score: 1,566, and 17 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
48	The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling 3.93 of 5 stars 3.93 avg rating — 27,841 ratings score: 1,523, and 18 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
49	The Upanishads by Anonymous 4.12 of 5 stars 4.12 avg rating — 3,890 ratings score: 1,510, and 17 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
50	White Mughals: Love and Betrayal in Eighteenth-Century India by William Dalrymple 3.82 of 5 stars 3.82 avg rating — 1,305 ratings score: 1,508, and 17 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
51	Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found by Suketu Mehta 3.89 of 5 stars 3.89 avg rating — 4,001 ratings score: 1,499, and 17 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
52	The Great Indian Novel by Shashi Tharoor 3.82 of 5 stars 3.82 avg rating — 1,502 ratings score: 1,491, and 16 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
53	Freedom at Midnight by Larry Collins 4.3 of 5 stars 4.30 avg rating — 2,077 ratings score: 1,362, and 15 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
54	The Mistress of Spices by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (Goodreads Author) 3.47 of 5 stars 3.47 avg rating — 5,927 ratings score: 1,344, and 15 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
55	Chokher Bali by Rabindranath Tagore 3.82 of 5 stars 3.82 avg rating — 747 ratings score: 1,339, and 15 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
56	Room On The Roof by Ruskin Bond 3.95 of 5 stars 3.95 avg rating — 970 ratings score: 1,321, and 14 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
57	Shalimar the Clown by Salman Rushdie 3.81 of 5 stars 3.81 avg rating — 6,685 ratings score: 1,306, and 14 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
58	The Ramayana: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic by R.K. Narayan 3.85 of 5 stars 3.85 avg rating — 1,626 ratings score: 1,290, and 14 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
59	Nine Lives by William Dalrymple 3.96 of 5 stars 3.96 avg rating — 1,786 ratings score: 1,288, and 14 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
60	The Immortals of Meluha (Shiva Trilogy #1) by Amish Tripathi 3.9 of 5 stars 3.90 avg rating — 18,038 ratings score: 1,260, and 13 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
61	An Equal Music by Vikram Seth 3.71 of 5 stars 3.71 avg rating — 4,202 ratings score: 1,193, and 14 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
62	Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert 3.4 of 5 stars 3.40 avg rating — 606,238 ratings score: 1,186, and 13 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
63	Om Chanting and Meditation by Amit Ray 4.81 of 5 stars 4.81 avg rating — 73 ratings score: 1,157, and 12 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
64	A House for Mr Biswas by V.S. Naipaul 3.78 of 5 stars 3.78 avg rating — 6,885 ratings score: 1,155, and 14 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
65	The Siege of Krishnapur by J.G. Farrell 3.9 of 5 stars 3.90 avg rating — 2,004 ratings score: 1,084, and 12 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
66	The Inscrutable Americans by Anurag Mathur 3.24 of 5 stars 3.24 avg rating — 2,971 ratings score: 1,055, and 12 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
67	The Mahabharata: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic by R.K. Narayan 4.0 of 5 stars 4.00 avg rating — 557 ratings score: 1,012, and 12 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
68	Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard by Kiran Desai 3.39 of 5 stars 3.39 avg rating — 2,053 ratings score: 927, and 10 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
69	The Death of Vishnu by Manil Suri 3.6 of 5 stars 3.60 avg rating — 4,490 ratings score: 917, and 11 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
70	The Raj Quartet (1): The Jewel in the Crown, The Day of the Scorpion by Paul Scott 4.34 of 5 stars 4.34 avg rating — 108 ratings score: 886, and 10 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
71	Selected Poems by Rabindranath Tagore 4.15 of 5 stars 4.15 avg rating — 375 ratings score: 882, and 10 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
72	Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo 4.01 of 5 stars 4.01 avg rating — 19,068 ratings score: 881, and 9 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
73	Right Fit Wrong Shoe by Varsha Dixit 3.25 of 5 stars 3.25 avg rating — 463 ratings score: 849, and 9 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
74	The Zoya Factor by Anuja Chauhan 3.6 of 5 stars 3.60 avg rating — 944 ratings score: 830, and 9 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
75	Fasting, Feasting by Anita Desai 3.25 of 5 stars 3.25 avg rating — 1,368 ratings score: 807, and 9 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
76	Difficult Daughters by Manju Kapur 3.43 of 5 stars 3.43 avg rating — 705 ratings score: 804, and 9 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
77	Untouchable by Mulk Raj Anand 3.65 of 5 stars 3.65 avg rating — 866 ratings score: 796, and 10 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
78	Ignited Minds: Unleashing the Power Within India by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam 3.77 of 5 stars 3.77 avg rating — 1,973 ratings score: 761, and 9 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
79	The Moor's Last Sigh by Salman Rushdie 3.91 of 5 stars 3.91 avg rating — 6,259 ratings score: 749, and 8 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
80	The Shadow Lines by Amitav Ghosh 3.83 of 5 stars 3.83 avg rating — 2,002 ratings score: 736, and 8 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
81	The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century by Thomas L. Friedman 3.59 of 5 stars 3.59 avg rating — 43,840 ratings score: 732, and 8 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
81	The Last Mughal: The Fall of a Dynasty: Delhi, 1857 by William Dalrymple 4.04 of 5 stars 4.04 avg rating — 1,622 ratings score: 732, and 8 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
83	Gently Falls the Bakula by Sudha Murty 3.69 of 5 stars 3.69 avg rating — 574 ratings score: 728, and 8 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
84	The Mahabharata by Anonymous (Translation) 4.14 of 5 stars 4.14 avg rating — 665 ratings score: 711, and 8 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
85	Two Lives by Vikram Seth 3.55 of 5 stars 3.55 avg rating — 1,526 ratings score: 695, and 8 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
86	The Far Pavilions by M.M. Kaye 4.15 of 5 stars 4.15 avg rating — 15,450 ratings score: 646, and 7 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
87	The Home and the World by Rabindranath Tagore 3.76 of 5 stars 3.76 avg rating — 991 ratings score: 638, and 7 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
88	The Man-Eater of Malgudi by R.K. Narayan 3.71 of 5 stars 3.71 avg rating — 994 ratings score: 628, and 7 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
89	The Vendor of Sweets by R.K. Narayan 3.72 of 5 stars 3.72 avg rating — 648 ratings score: 624, and 7 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
90	Brick Lane by Monica Ali 3.3 of 5 stars 3.30 avg rating — 13,234 ratings score: 614, and 7 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
91	What the Body Remembers by Shauna Singh Baldwin 3.88 of 5 stars 3.88 avg rating — 853 ratings score: 608, and 7 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
92	Life is What You Make It by Preeti Shenoy 3.44 of 5 stars 3.44 avg rating — 2,404 ratings score: 595, and 6 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
93	Beneath a Marble Sky by John Shors (Goodreads Author) 3.97 of 5 stars 3.97 avg rating — 7,330 ratings score: 592, and 6 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
94	The Enchantress Of Florence by Salman Rushdie 3.49 of 5 stars 3.49 avg rating — 8,512 ratings score: 588, and 7 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
95	Heat and Dust by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala 3.57 of 5 stars 3.57 avg rating — 2,430 ratings score: 586, and 7 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
96	The Last Song of Dusk by Siddharth Dhanvant Shanghvi 3.68 of 5 stars 3.68 avg rating — 634 ratings score: 583, and 7 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
97	The Unknown Errors of Our Lives: Stories by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (Goodreads Author) 3.8 of 5 stars 3.80 avg rating — 1,086 ratings score: 573, and 6 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
98	Shame by Salman Rushdie 3.86 of 5 stars 3.86 avg rating — 4,753 ratings score: 561, and 6 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
99	A Son of the Circus by John Irving (Goodreads Author) 3.53 of 5 stars 3.53 avg rating — 10,545 ratings score: 551, and 6 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
100	Anil's Ghost by Michael Ondaatje 3.5 of 5 stars 3.50 avg rating — 7,378 ratings score: 545, and 6 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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381 books · 929 voters · list created January 15th, 2010 by Ayushi (votes) .

Tags: asian-literature, best, ethnic, ethnicity, indian, indian-authors, indian-literature, literature, south-asian-literature

97 likes · like

Lists are re-scored approximately every 500 seconds.

People Who Voted On This List (929)

Ayushi
1764 books
120 friends

Thomas
1039 books
328 friends

Lilyrose
877 books
69 friends

Casimir
311 books
36 friends

Epa
17 books
0 friends

Saf
279 books
60 friends

Christopher
942 books
67 friends

Murray
474 books
46 friends

More voters…

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Comments (showing 1-40 of 40) (40 new)

date

newest »

message 1: by Saf (new)

Jan 17, 2010 12:41am

Think we need to define Indian.

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message 2: by Loren (new)

May 29, 2010 02:34am

I'm Native and to me it's clear East Indian. Otherwise it would say Native American.

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message 3: by Renzen (new)

Mar 10, 2011 07:42am

My read list just got proliferated.

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message 4: by Ramya (new)

Mar 15, 2011 01:09am

Truly Madly Deeply is by far the best in the romance category.

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message 5: by Aditya (new)

May 17, 2011 12:10pm

I believe most of the votes for Truly Madly Deeply are fake ones voted for, by the author's friends or multiple accounts of the author himself. I lose respect for this poll now, though i'll keep note of all the classics listed here....

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message 6: by Ayushi (new)

May 17, 2011 05:56pm

Aacharya Didn't wrote: "I believe most of the votes for Truly Madly Deeply are fake ones voted for, by the author's friends or multiple accounts of the author himself. I lose respect for this poll now, though i'll keep no..."

Hi Aacharya, I made the list and have never read Truly Madly Deeply . Thoguh I am aware of your concern, please do read the other books on this list and don't be affected by stupid marketing gimmicks.

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message 7: by Ayushi (new)

May 17, 2011 06:07pm

Aacharya Didn't wrote: "I believe most of the votes for Truly Madly Deeply are fake ones voted for, by the author's friends or multiple accounts of the author himself. I lose respect for this poll now, though i'll keep no..."

I am also very very upset to see delayed monsoon on number 3 of best Indian books besides truly madly deeply. When I had started the list I had something else in mind but I guess since this is public and anyone can add to it, I can't really do anything at all. I didn't even add books by Chetan Bhagat in the first place even though more people know and read them than either Delayed Monsoon or Truly madly Deeply and now this !!

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message 8: by Chitralekha (new)

May 21, 2011 09:12am

Hi Ayushi please don't get upset by the voting. I can understand you are a serious reader and for you books like TMD or DM are nothing but trash. Its your personal opinion and I respect your opinion. But please try to understand if a book occupies first position because it has got 43 votes and another occupies third position because it has got 29 votes does it really mean much? Don't give too much weightage to this list. The main reason why I am saying this is our reading preferences are entirely subjective and many award winning and widely publicised books may appear trash to many of us. There is no universal standard to judge a book's worth. So best is to leave it to individual preferences. If you are a successful professional there is no way you can like Delayed Monsoon. It will not make any sense to you. Whereas many housewives, well- educated or not so educated will be able to identify with the character because many of them might have gone through similar experience of emptiness in their lives. So they may like it. Thus every book will have its own reader base and we should not be judgmental. You can not look down upon a reader because he likes to read Chetan Bhagat. Its his choice.. And can you stop such people from voting? Had it been your personal blog site you could have had some control over voting but Goodreads is for everyone so I guess you have to bear with such things. And the second reason is, well-known books have gone down in the list because very few people have voted for them not because they have not found them to be worth voting but because they don't need any more publicity as people are already aware that those books are master-pieces. .Like for example if people have not voted for the books of the noble prize winner Rabindranath Tagore does it mean that the author of Delayed Monsoon is superior to him? It’s simply that 29 people( known or unknown to me) felt like voting for Delayed Monsoon because they have liked this fiction. So my humble request is leave the matter at that. Any amount of publicity will fail to promote a book if it is devoid of substance.. After a while the artificially created hype will die down and a book will be judged by the readers only by it’s worth..

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message 9: by Ayushi (new)

May 21, 2011 10:17pm

Chitralekha wrote: "Hi Ayushi please don't get upset by the voting. I can understand you are a serious reader and for you books like TMD or DM are nothing but trash. Its your personal opinion and I respect your op..."

Chitralekha I absolutely agree with what you have to say . But I was just expressing my annoyance and grievance at the fact that there should be some control that a person must have over the list he /she makes as an admin.
I clearly stated that the books must reflect Indian diaspora and your book does but my aim was to make people aware about and make them read Indian books they ordinarily wouldn't get in a bookshop and if they would - shrug it off as boring .
I did not mean to be judgmental at all . I like you and am planning to read both Delayed Monsoon and Truly madly Deeply but people in the list expressed their displeasure and said they lost their faith in it coz popular fiction outraced classics as it always sadly tends to do, therefore I issued a clarification expressing my anguish .
But your views are very correct and welcome and absolutely right , my comment was in a different context altogether .
:)
This is the beauty of goodreads and books that two people can be wrong, right and still have respect for each other's literary skills and reading tastes
!
And don't be silly - I don't think your book would be trash to me
I love reading and all books are divine to me .
=D
As Nabokov said, don't identify with the book but the author ,
I think I just did !!

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message 10: by Ayushi (new)

May 21, 2011 10:19pm

Chitralekha wrote: "Hi Ayushi please don't get upset by the voting. I can understand you are a serious reader and for you books like TMD or DM are nothing but trash. Its your personal opinion and I respect your op..."

You know DM and TMD are still fine , but there are a number of completely unrelated books , even books about Red Indians , so I was fuming and you can see why !
But I 'll take your advice and not fret over it.

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message 11: by [deleted user] (new)

May 21, 2011 11:14pm

One major flaw in the democratic process. There ought to be something called as the license to vote. People who have read like a single book in their entire lifetime should not be allowed to vote, plus these should be an IQ level cut-off too :)

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message 12: by Ayushi (new)

May 21, 2011 11:48pm

Abid wrote: "One major flaw in the democratic process. There ought to be something called as the license to vote. People who have read like a single book in their entire lifetime should not be allowed to vote, ..."

Thanks for the support vote . Even if it was sarcastic, was it ?

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message 13: by [deleted user] (new)

May 22, 2011 12:10am

I meant what i said. Don't know about sarcasm. The thing is i've never read any Indian authors except for rushdie. chetan, i tried but i found him crappy. Now, if truly madly deeply is your best i'd like to stay on the other side. That's the kind of effect such illogical and biased voting has.

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message 14: by Ayushi (new)

May 22, 2011 04:34am

Abid wrote: "I meant what i said. Don't know about sarcasm. The thing is i've never read any Indian authors except for rushdie. chetan, i tried but i found him crappy. Now, if truly madly deeply is your best i..."

thanks. i love reading Indian authors in English btw and have given up on illogical biased voting . Each to his own.
Democracy doesn't exist because its the best method but as a lesser evil !

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message 15: by [deleted user] (new)

May 22, 2011 04:39am

To die hating them, that is freedom.

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message 16: by Chitralekha (new)

May 22, 2011 08:21am

Thanks Ayushi for understanding my view point :)

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message 17: by Ayushi (new)

May 22, 2011 08:27am

Chitralekha wrote: "Thanks Ayushi for understanding my view point :)"

chitralekha, no blood , no foul !

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message 18: by [deleted user] (new)

May 22, 2011 08:34am

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message 19: by Ayushi (new)

May 22, 2011 09:39am

Chitralekha wrote: "Thanks Ayushi for understanding my view point :)"

My pleasure.

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message 20: by Shreya (new)

Jun 07, 2011 06:56am

+all books r too fab.......

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message 21: by Kadambari80 (new)

Sep 03, 2011 08:07pm

Thanks for this list! Happy to see Tagore and Premchand included!

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message 22: by Hitesh (new)

Dec 26, 2011 08:45pm

List of my choice

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message 23: by Aakanksha (new)

Dec 29, 2011 03:12am

why is there 'Wuthering Heights' in this list? It seems absurd. Also, maybe, 'ice candy man' by Bapsi Sidhwa and stories by Manto can be included in the list. Otherwise, the list is very good. I was very glad to see Difficult daughters and Premchand in the list.

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message 24: by Ayushi (new)

Dec 30, 2011 10:16pm

Aakanksha wrote: "why is there 'Wuthering Heights' in this list? It seems absurd. Also, maybe, 'ice candy man' by Bapsi Sidhwa and stories by Manto can be included in the list. Otherwise, the list is very good. I wa..."

thanks a ton. someone must have added wuthering by mistake. You can add ice candy man and Manto here. Feel free. :)

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message 25: by Kalpesh (new)

Apr 08, 2012 01:49am

Hi friends,
If you are looking for a novel this summer then do try this love story of three friends its very hilarious. You will die of laughter!! :)
Book’s name is THE COMICAL SAGA and is available everywhere online like Homeshop 18 ( @ 90/- only) (Cash on delivery and free shipping), flipkart (@120/-), Amazon, Goodreads and many more.
Do read it and I bet you will enjoy it a lot :)
The Comical Saga

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message 26: by Ayushi (new)

May 27, 2012 09:37pm

Virender wrote: "Many worthwhile books are missing and a lot of trash has been enlisted."
hey Virender,

Feel free to add a lot of worthwhile books that you think deserve to be there:)

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message 27: by Sruthi (new)

May 28, 2012 02:35am

Do try Bombay Rains,Bombay Girls... by Anirban Bose Super light hearted book !!!! Proper Time pass!

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message 28: by Ayushi (new)

Jun 17, 2012 05:08pm

Virender wrote: "I am surprised that names like Chetan Bhagat and Faraaz Kazi are enlisted in the "BEST INDIAN BOOKS"."

hey Virender , these books weren't there on the original list. These have been added by other readers who thought they were worthy enough. Feel free to add your own :)

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message 29: by Sruthi (new)

Jun 18, 2012 10:10pm

http://www.indiabookstore.net/

Try this link, it shows the best price available from 9 online bookstores. Far better than flipkart and bookadda.coms

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message 30: by Yugandhar (new)

Nov 07, 2012 08:53pm

Hi Sruthi,

Thanks for link to comparison,it is very useful.

keep it up & let me know for any gooood books of india.

yugandhar kota

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message 31: by Laura (new)

Jan 05, 2013 01:51pm

There are some books misplaced in this list, such as:

The Scarlet Pimpernel
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
My Name is Red

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message 32: by Ayushi (new)

Jan 05, 2013 09:43pm

Laura wrote: "There are some books misplaced in this list, such as:

The Scarlet Pimpernel
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
My Name is Red"

Hey laura, these books have been added by other goodreads members and weren't there on the original list (for obvious reasons), however, I am unable to remove them. Sorry.

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message 33: by Laura (new)

Jan 06, 2013 02:45am

As a librarian, I can remove them. Can I do so?

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message 34: by Hitesh (new)

Jan 06, 2013 06:06pm

I think you should go ahead Laura. Please delete them.

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message 35: by Laura (new)

Jan 07, 2013 11:53am

Done!!!

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message 36: by Hitesh (new)

Jan 07, 2013 05:48pm

Thanks Laura !

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message 37: by Ayushi (new)

Jan 07, 2013 07:33pm

Laura wrote: "As a librarian, I can remove them. Can I do so?"

Thanks Laura :D

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message 38: by Laura (new)

Jan 08, 2013 02:02am

My pleasure.

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message 39: by Garth (new)

Mar 16, 2013 12:07pm

I vote for White Tiger. Here's my review of it on my blog about matching novels with current events: http://newsworthynovels.blogspot.com/...

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message 40: by Laura (new)

Mar 16, 2013 03:18pm

Garth wrote: "I vote for White Tiger. Here's my review of it on my blog about matching novels with current events: http://newsworthynovels.blogspot.com/..."

I just started to read this book, thanks for the link.

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