Best Books of the 20th Century > Ruth's Votes

1	Blindness (Blindness, #1) by José Saramago 3.99 of 5 stars 3.99 avg rating — 62,058 ratings Ruth rated it 5 stars see review	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	The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank 4.04 of 5 stars 4.04 avg rating — 906,956 ratings Ruth rated it 5 stars see review	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	Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov 3.83 of 5 stars 3.83 avg rating — 285,519 ratings Ruth rated it 5 stars see review	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	Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut 3.97 of 5 stars 3.97 avg rating — 472,345 ratings Ruth rated it 5 stars see review	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 Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath 3.91 of 5 stars 3.91 avg rating — 200,261 ratings Ruth rated it 5 stars see review	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	A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole 3.86 of 5 stars 3.86 avg rating — 97,221 ratings Ruth rated it 4 stars see review	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	In Cold Blood by Truman Capote 3.98 of 5 stars 3.98 avg rating — 232,215 ratings Ruth rated it 4 stars see review	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	The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner 3.84 of 5 stars 3.84 avg rating — 75,926 ratings Ruth rated it 5 stars see review	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	Lord of the Flies by William Golding 3.59 of 5 stars 3.59 avg rating — 912,751 ratings Ruth rated it 5 stars see review	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	Sophie's Choice by William Styron 4.14 of 5 stars 4.14 avg rating — 34,542 ratings Ruth rated it 5 stars see review	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	Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett 3.78 of 5 stars 3.78 avg rating — 51,415 ratings Ruth rated it 5 stars see review	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	A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess 3.93 of 5 stars 3.93 avg rating — 216,168 ratings Ruth rated it 5 stars see review	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	The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka 3.71 of 5 stars 3.71 avg rating — 163,070 ratings Ruth rated it 5 stars see review	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	The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien 4.09 of 5 stars 4.09 avg rating — 78,268 ratings Ruth rated it 5 stars see review	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	Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt 4.01 of 5 stars 4.01 avg rating — 212,807 ratings Ruth rated it 5 stars see review	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	Blood Meridian, or the Evening Redness in the West by Cormac McCarthy 4.21 of 5 stars 4.21 avg rating — 34,003 ratings Ruth rated it 4 stars see review	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	The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton 3.93 of 5 stars 3.93 avg rating — 33,338 ratings Ruth rated it 5 stars see review	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	As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner 3.72 of 5 stars 3.72 avg rating — 53,476 ratings Ruth rated it 5 stars see review	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	Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut 4.08 of 5 stars 4.08 avg rating — 101,869 ratings Ruth rated it 5 stars see review	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	The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X 4.25 of 5 stars 4.25 avg rating — 53,887 ratings Ruth rated it 5 stars see review	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	The Once and Future King (The Once and Future King, #1-4) by T.H. White 4.05 of 5 stars 4.05 avg rating — 49,723 ratings Ruth rated it 5 stars see review	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 Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton 3.91 of 5 stars 3.91 avg rating — 54,391 ratings Ruth rated it 5 stars see review	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	The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro 4.08 of 5 stars 4.08 avg rating — 53,910 ratings Ruth rated it 5 stars see review	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	Cannery Row by John Steinbeck 3.96 of 5 stars 3.96 avg rating — 42,361 ratings Ruth rated it 5 stars see review	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	The Bone People by Keri Hulme 4.06 of 5 stars 4.06 avg rating — 9,084 ratings Ruth rated it 5 stars see review	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 Tin Drum by Günter Grass 3.95 of 5 stars 3.95 avg rating — 15,194 ratings Ruth rated it 5 stars see review	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 Alexandria Quartet by Lawrence Durrell 4.21 of 5 stars 4.21 avg rating — 4,199 ratings Ruth rated it 5 stars see review	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	Rabbit, Run by John Updike 3.54 of 5 stars 3.54 avg rating — 21,777 ratings Ruth rated it 5 stars see review	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	All the Pretty Horses (The Border Trilogy, #1) by Cormac McCarthy 3.91 of 5 stars 3.91 avg rating — 37,569 ratings Ruth rated it 5 stars see review	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	Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson 3.84 of 5 stars 3.84 avg rating — 14,493 ratings Ruth rated it 5 stars see review	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	Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell 4.07 of 5 stars 4.07 avg rating — 17,453 ratings Ruth rated it 4 stars see review	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	West with the Night by Beryl Markham 4.16 of 5 stars 4.16 avg rating — 8,365 ratings Ruth rated it 5 stars see review	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	Out of Africa by Karen Blixen 3.96 of 5 stars 3.96 avg rating — 11,719 ratings Ruth rated it 5 stars see review	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	Stones from the River by Ursula Hegi 4.03 of 5 stars 4.03 avg rating — 39,109 ratings Ruth rated it 5 stars see review	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	Corelli's Mandolin by Louis de Bernières 3.87 of 5 stars 3.87 avg rating — 33,666 ratings Ruth rated it 5 stars see review	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	Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard 4.11 of 5 stars 4.11 avg rating — 9,198 ratings Ruth rated it 4 stars see review	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	The Third Policeman by Flann O'Brien 4.04 of 5 stars 4.04 avg rating — 5,707 ratings Ruth rated it 5 stars see review	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	The Painted Bird by Jerzy Kosiński 3.94 of 5 stars 3.94 avg rating — 7,459 ratings Ruth rated it 5 stars see review	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
40	Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman (Goodreads Author) 4.15 of 5 stars 4.15 avg rating — 126,250 ratings Ruth rated it 4 stars see review	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	Plainsong by Kent Haruf 3.9 of 5 stars 3.90 avg rating — 21,766 ratings Ruth rated it 5 stars see review	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	Babbit by Sinclair Lewis 3.58 of 5 stars 3.58 avg rating — 8,690 ratings Ruth rated it 5 stars see review	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 Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy 4.14 of 5 stars 4.14 avg rating — 6,882 ratings Ruth rated it 5 stars see review	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	Independent People by Halldór Laxness 4.18 of 5 stars 4.18 avg rating — 2,444 ratings Ruth rated it 5 stars see review	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	Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo 4.13 of 5 stars 4.13 avg rating — 12,879 ratings Ruth rated it 4 stars see review	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	Holes (Holes, #1) by Louis Sachar 3.9 of 5 stars 3.90 avg rating — 277,353 ratings Ruth rated it 5 stars see review	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	Waiting for the Barbarians by J.M. Coetzee 3.96 of 5 stars 3.96 avg rating — 8,678 ratings Ruth rated it 5 stars see review	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 Stories of John Cheever by John Cheever 4.27 of 5 stars 4.27 avg rating — 6,221 ratings Ruth rated it 5 stars see review	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	At Swim-Two-Birds by Flann O'Brien 3.97 of 5 stars 3.97 avg rating — 4,370 ratings Ruth added it to dof-didnotfinish see review	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	Play It as It Lays by Joan Didion 3.87 of 5 stars 3.87 avg rating — 7,651 ratings	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	Berlin Alexanderplatz by Alfred Döblin 3.79 of 5 stars 3.79 avg rating — 1,536 ratings Ruth rated it 5 stars see review	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	Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis 4.07 of 5 stars 4.07 avg rating — 8,082 ratings Ruth rated it 5 stars see review	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