Contemporary British Novels (507 books)

Novels by British authors, originally published within the last 20 years (currently 2005-present).

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1	Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (Goodreads Author) 3.85 avg rating — 846,350 ratings score: 10,214, and 105 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	One Day by David Nicholls 3.87 avg rating — 407,769 ratings score: 7,754, and 79 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan (Goodreads Author) 3.62 avg rating — 101,935 ratings score: 4,351, and 45 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	Wolf Hall (Thomas Cromwell, #1) by Hilary Mantel 3.91 avg rating — 232,179 ratings score: 3,343, and 35 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby 3.44 avg rating — 91,329 ratings score: 2,991, and 31 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	Saturday by Ian McEwan (Goodreads Author) 3.64 avg rating — 73,396 ratings score: 2,598, and 27 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	Me Before You (Me Before You, #1) by Jojo Moyes (Goodreads Author) 4.26 avg rating — 1,790,903 ratings score: 2,584, and 28 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	Bring Up the Bodies (Thomas Cromwell, #2) by Hilary Mantel 4.30 avg rating — 104,546 ratings score: 2,339, and 25 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield (Goodreads Author) 3.98 avg rating — 326,073 ratings score: 2,239, and 24 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	World Without End (Kingsbridge, #2) by Ken Follett (Goodreads Author) 4.32 avg rating — 274,575 ratings score: 2,094, and 22 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling 3.31 avg rating — 336,889 ratings score: 2,090, and 22 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett 3.73 avg rating — 59,929 ratings score: 2,068, and 22 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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 Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes 3.74 avg rating — 191,577 ratings score: 1,887, and 21 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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 Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry (Harold Fry, #1) by Rachel Joyce 3.94 avg rating — 193,464 ratings score: 1,826, and 21 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	Life After Life (Todd Family, #1) by Kate Atkinson 3.78 avg rating — 240,763 ratings score: 1,772, and 19 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	Black Swan Green by David Mitchell 3.98 avg rating — 43,776 ratings score: 1,592, and 17 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson (Goodreads Author) 3.90 avg rating — 367,054 ratings score: 1,518, and 16 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman 4.23 avg rating — 1,413,445 ratings score: 1,325, and 14 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	Fall of Giants (The Century Trilogy, #1) by Ken Follett (Goodreads Author) 4.32 avg rating — 345,860 ratings score: 1,197, and 13 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	Arthur & George by Julian Barnes 3.73 avg rating — 18,780 ratings score: 1,190, and 13 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	Slam by Nick Hornby 3.25 avg rating — 27,008 ratings score: 1,178, and 13 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	Ten Years by Pernille Hughes (Goodreads Author) 3.80 avg rating — 1,944 ratings score: 1,100, and 11 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	Sovereign (Matthew Shardlake, #3) by C.J. Sansom 4.26 avg rating — 32,706 ratings score: 1,044, and 12 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman (Goodreads Author) 4.04 avg rating — 229,457 ratings score: 1,042, and 11 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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 Secret Keeper by Kate Morton (Goodreads Author) 4.16 avg rating — 173,498 ratings score: 1,030, and 11 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese (Goodreads Author) 4.33 avg rating — 425,048 ratings score: 1,007, and 12 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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 Rain Before it Falls by Jonathan Coe (Goodreads Author) 3.71 avg rating — 7,551 ratings score: 970, and 10 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman (Goodreads Author) 4.01 avg rating — 656,215 ratings score: 953, and 10 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	The Valley of Unknowing by Philip Sington 3.85 avg rating — 372 ratings score: 900, and 9 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	Stone's Fall by Iain Pears 3.87 avg rating — 8,744 ratings score: 879, and 10 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	What Milo Saw by Virginia Macgregor (Goodreads Author) 3.77 avg rating — 2,422 ratings score: 790, and 8 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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 Stranger's Child by Alan Hollinghurst 3.33 avg rating — 11,877 ratings score: 712, and 8 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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 Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell (Goodreads Author) 3.94 avg rating — 53,271 ratings score: 676, and 8 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier (Goodreads Author) 3.89 avg rating — 55,406 ratings score: 645, and 8 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	The Fourth Bear (Nursery Crime, #2) by Jasper Fforde (Goodreads Author) 4.08 avg rating — 23,951 ratings score: 643, and 7 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	The Lighthouse (Adam Dalgliesh, #13) by P.D. James 3.86 avg rating — 19,234 ratings score: 626, and 7 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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 Cuckoo's Calling (Cormoran Strike, #1) by Robert Galbraith 3.89 avg rating — 623,697 ratings score: 622, and 7 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	Into the Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes (Goodreads Author) 4.07 avg rating — 71,623 ratings score: 561, and 7 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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 Big Over Easy (Nursery Crime, #1) by Jasper Fforde (Goodreads Author) 3.94 avg rating — 34,464 ratings score: 543, and 6 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	On Beauty by Zadie Smith 3.78 avg rating — 90,659 ratings score: 535, and 6 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	When Will There Be Good News? (Jackson Brodie, #3) by Kate Atkinson really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 52,664 ratings score: 507, and 6 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	Heartstone (Matthew Shardlake, #5) by C.J. Sansom 4.36 avg rating — 22,768 ratings score: 494, and 6 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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 Shock of the Fall by Nathan Filer 3.76 avg rating — 49,394 ratings score: 461, and 5 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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 Night Watch by Sarah Waters 3.71 avg rating — 33,169 ratings score: 460, and 5 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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 Absolutist by John Boyne (Goodreads Author) 4.11 avg rating — 23,336 ratings score: 458, and 5 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins (Goodreads Author) 3.96 avg rating — 3,265,588 ratings score: 454, and 5 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	The Kingmaker's Daughter (The Plantagenet and Tudor Novels, #4; Cousins War, #4) by Philippa Gregory (Goodreads Author) really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 50,244 ratings score: 452, and 5 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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 Children's Book by A.S. Byatt 3.69 avg rating — 18,991 ratings score: 427, and 5 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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 End of Mr. Y by Scarlett Thomas (Goodreads Author) 3.77 avg rating — 18,330 ratings score: 421, and 5 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	The Glass Painter's Daughter by Rachel Hore (Goodreads Author) 3.81 avg rating — 2,691 ratings score: 420, and 5 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	Started Early, Took My Dog (Jackson Brodie, #4) by Kate Atkinson 3.93 avg rating — 48,445 ratings score: 418, and 5 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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 Other Hand by Chris Cleave (Goodreads Author) 3.72 avg rating — 248,282 ratings score: 414, and 5 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell 4.03 avg rating — 67,546 ratings score: 411, and 5 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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 Book of Human Skin by Michelle Lovric 3.91 avg rating — 2,410 ratings score: 397, and 5 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	Hater (Hater, #1) by David Moody (Goodreads Author) 3.65 avg rating — 10,763 ratings score: 383, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	Revelation (Matthew Shardlake, #4) by C.J. Sansom 4.37 avg rating — 27,252 ratings score: 383, and 5 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	The Orchid House by Lucinda Riley 4.04 avg rating — 40,568 ratings score: 376, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	Our Kind of Traitor by John le Carré 3.46 avg rating — 13,673 ratings score: 375, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	A Lesson in Secrets (Maisie Dobbs, #8) by Jacqueline Winspear (Goodreads Author) 4.06 avg rating — 27,336 ratings score: 372, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby 3.50 avg rating — 46,788 ratings score: 363, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	The Noise of Time by Julian Barnes 3.75 avg rating — 26,623 ratings score: 362, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	The Blackhouse (Lewis Trilogy, #1) by Peter May (Goodreads Author) 4.09 avg rating — 44,684 ratings score: 354, and 5 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	Engleby by Sebastian Faulks 3.75 avg rating — 10,926 ratings score: 353, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	The Last Letter from Your Lover by Jojo Moyes (Goodreads Author) really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 138,485 ratings score: 352, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	After You (Me Before You, #2) by Jojo Moyes (Goodreads Author) 3.75 avg rating — 416,734 ratings score: 345, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	One Plus One by Jojo Moyes (Goodreads Author) 3.97 avg rating — 192,726 ratings score: 338, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	First Among Sequels (Thursday Next, #5) by Jasper Fforde (Goodreads Author) 4.02 avg rating — 27,553 ratings score: 337, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters 3.57 avg rating — 59,490 ratings score: 323, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	NW by Zadie Smith 3.48 avg rating — 45,195 ratings score: 321, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	One Moment, One Morning by Sarah Rayner (Goodreads Author) 3.46 avg rating — 6,390 ratings score: 318, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	Sweetness in the Belly by Camilla Gibb (Goodreads Author) 3.91 avg rating — 9,505 ratings score: 311, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	The Owl Killers by Karen Maitland (Goodreads Author) 3.82 avg rating — 4,376 ratings score: 311, and 5 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	One Good Turn (Jackson Brodie, #2) by Kate Atkinson 3.82 avg rating — 50,460 ratings score: 309, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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 Girl on Paper by Guillaume Musso 3.98 avg rating — 24,317 ratings score: 306, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	Stoning the Devil by Garry Craig Powell (Goodreads Author) 3.87 avg rating — 54 ratings score: 298, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	You Had Me At Hello (You Had Me At Hello, #1) by Mhairi McFarlane (Goodreads Author) 3.78 avg rating — 35,081 ratings score: 293, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	The Quickening Maze by Adam Foulds 3.12 avg rating — 2,635 ratings score: 293, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	King of the Badgers by Philip Hensher 3.38 avg rating — 781 ratings score: 288, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	The Lady of the Rivers (The Plantagenet and Tudor Novels, #1) by Philippa Gregory (Goodreads Author) 4.05 avg rating — 92,749 ratings score: 288, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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 Red Queen (The Plantagenet and Tudor Novels, #3) by Philippa Gregory (Goodreads Author) 3.83 avg rating — 77,868 ratings score: 284, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	Funny Girl by Nick Hornby 3.41 avg rating — 32,181 ratings score: 282, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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
82	Until You're Mine by Samantha Hayes (Goodreads Author) 3.89 avg rating — 10,408 ratings score: 277, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	The Girl with No Shadow (Chocolat, #2) by Joanne Harris (Goodreads Author) 3.87 avg rating — 20,352 ratings score: 269, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka 3.45 avg rating — 36,904 ratings score: 266, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece by Annabel Pitcher really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 16,735 ratings score: 264, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	Pardonable Lies (Maisie Dobbs, #3) by Jacqueline Winspear (Goodreads Author) 4.10 avg rating — 42,309 ratings score: 261, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	Some Kind of Fairy Tale by Graham Joyce 3.60 avg rating — 9,864 ratings score: 258, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	Past Imperfect by Julian Fellowes 3.62 avg rating — 6,673 ratings score: 254, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	Transcription by Kate Atkinson 3.49 avg rating — 60,089 ratings score: 254, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	The Dog Stars by Peter Heller 3.95 avg rating — 71,785 ratings score: 253, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	The Rose Petal Beach by Dorothy Koomson (Goodreads Author) 4.04 avg rating — 9,074 ratings score: 251, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	Utterly Monkey by Nick Laird 3.19 avg rating — 593 ratings score: 250, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	The Northern Clemency by Philip Hensher 3.49 avg rating — 2,463 ratings score: 248, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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 House of Silk (Horowitz's Holmes, #1) by Anthony Horowitz (Goodreads Author) 4.01 avg rating — 61,003 ratings score: 247, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry 3.52 avg rating — 68,478 ratings score: 246, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	Skagboys (Mark Renton, #1) by Irvine Welsh 4.07 avg rating — 17,798 ratings score: 241, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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 Summer of the Bear by Bella Pollen (Goodreads Author) 3.71 avg rating — 2,483 ratings score: 241, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton (Goodreads Author) 4.16 avg rating — 237,804 ratings score: 236, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	Harvest by Jim Crace 3.58 avg rating — 9,515 ratings score: 232, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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	Fury by Salman Rushdie 3.30 avg rating — 9,473 ratings score: 230, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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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507 books · 431 voters · list created November 14th, 2008 by Michael (votes) .

Tags: 2000s, 2010s, 2020s, british, england, fiction, modern, northern-ireland, novels, scotland, uk, wales

240 likes · Like

Lists are re-scored approximately every 5 minutes.

People Who Voted On This List (431)

Michael 2783 books
148 friends

Susanna - Censored by GoodReads 3386 books
851 friends

Jasmine 3637 books
199 friends

Theda 569 books
88 friends

Oon 352 books
360 friends

Shirley 190 books
3 friends

Lobstergirl 5777 books
157 friends

Themis-Athena (Lioness at Large) 546 books
365 friends

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Comments Showing 1-33 of 33 (33 new)

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message 1: by Scott (new)

Oct 12, 2010 02:29PM

Nice list. Thanks.

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message 2: by Breanna (new)

May 25, 2012 07:32AM

great list, thanks so much!

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message 3: by Themis-Athena (Lioness at Large) (last edited Sep 29, 2012 09:00AM) (new)

Sep 29, 2012 08:48AM

Removed, for not being BRITISH novels:
11/22/63
The Shadow of the Wind
The Kite Runner
A Thousand Splendid Suns

Removed, for not qualifying as a work of MODERN British literature:
The Pilgrim's Progress

Removed for being neither by a British author nor a novel/work of fiction:
Imagined London: A Tour of the World's Greatest Fictional City

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message 4: by Bernadine (new)

Oct 12, 2012 05:05AM

Lionel Shriver, whilst brilliant, is not British

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message 5: by Ellie (new)

Feb 10, 2013 02:04PM

The author of Let the Right One In is Swedish as far as I am aware...

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message 6: by Ellie (last edited Feb 10, 2013 02:06PM) (new)

Feb 10, 2013 02:05PM

Diane Chamberlain & Stephen King are American...

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message 7: by Ellie (new)

Feb 10, 2013 02:05PM

Camilla Lackberg & the author of Let the Right One in are both Swedish...

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message 8: by Ellie (new)

Feb 10, 2013 02:11PM

Murakami is Japanese...

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message 9: by Alejandra (new)

Feb 20, 2013 07:09AM

Great list but they are not all British. Let the right one in, The hipnotist, etc.

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message 10: by Anindyta (new)

Jun 16, 2013 08:35AM

Gone Girl is not British

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message 11: by Jeana (new)

Aug 14, 2013 12:48PM

Suzanne Collins, Erin Morgenstern and R.J.Palacio are not British.

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message 12: by Lobstergirl (new)

Sep 04, 2013 06:50PM

How strictly is the "last 15-20 years" thing being enforced? Given that the list was started in 2008, the earliest pub date on here should be 1988.

Clockwork Orange, e.g., was published in 1962.

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message 13: by Jessica (new)

Jan 22, 2014 11:15AM

Suzanne Collins ('The Hunger Games') and Scott Westerfeld ('Uglies') are both American, though very good authors

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message 14: by Lobstergirl (new)

Jan 22, 2014 03:42PM

Jessica wrote: "Suzanne Collins ('The Hunger Games') and Scott Westerfeld ('Uglies') are both American, though very good authors"

Gone.

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message 15: by Grace (new)

Apr 22, 2014 03:22PM

Jane Eyre I would not classify as a modern British novel as published around 1845 or 6.

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message 16: by Lobstergirl (new)

Apr 22, 2014 05:45PM

Gone.

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message 17: by John (new)

Oct 01, 2014 05:14AM

I'm with lobstergirl on this one and would appreciate a more clearly defined and properly moderated premise. If this list is supposed to cover "the last 20 years" then I would suggest that any book published more than 20 years prior to the current date (let's say anything earlier than 1994 as I am writing in 2014) shouldn't be on this list.

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message 18: by Lobstergirl (new)

Oct 01, 2014 05:54PM

Removed for not being either British, or modern, or novels:

Shirley Jackson
Lemony Snicket
Tracy Chevalier
Sharon Maas
Evelyn Waugh
George Orwell
Malcolm Gladwell
E.M. Forster
Rohinton Mistry
Thomas Hardy
Khaled Hosseini
Vikram Seth
Anita Shreve
J.M. Coetzee

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message 19: by John (new)

Oct 11, 2014 05:36AM

I've added a more concrete time-span for admissible books: The last twenty years, or, 1994-2014. That's this current (incomplete) year plus the 20 whole years that preceded it. If this new, unambiguous premise is considered acceptable then we can start removing the inapplicable books i.e. anything from 1993 or earlier.
Here are the top 3 books that would be removed: Remains of the Day (1988), Possession (1990), Trainspotting (1993).

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message 20: by Lobstergirl (new)

Oct 11, 2014 12:46PM

I would suggest taking into consideration when the list was created, 2008. So the list creator intended books from 1988 forward to be on the list. I wouldn't therefore remove the books you mention. I would just allow books from 1988 to the present.

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message 21: by John (new)

Oct 11, 2014 03:30PM

On the other hand the word "modern" implies that the books are recent to a certain extent. The problem with a set date i.e. 1988, is that it does not remain recent. Books from this date therefore become increasingly less "modern" as time passes and so become increasingly less relevant to a list of "modern" books. This is why I suggest a constantly moving time-span of the latest 20 years because it conforms more closely to the premise of "modern books" than the "1988 to present" time-span.

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message 22: by BookLovingLady (deceased Jan. 25, 2023...) (last edited May 17, 2017 07:39AM) (new)

May 17, 2017 07:21AM

As far as I know, Aravind Adiga (The White Tiger, #56) is Indian, not British.

Mary Ann Shaffer (The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, #5) is not British either, as she is American.

Kane and Abel (#322) doesn't qualify as the book was first published in 1979.

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message 23: by BookLovingLady (deceased Jan. 25, 2023...) (last edited May 18, 2017 09:37AM) (new)

May 18, 2017 09:35AM

Deleted for not fitting the title and description of this Listopia (not being British or modern):
The White Tiger
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Kane and Abel

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message 24: by Glinsky (new)

Apr 05, 2018 09:06AM

According to the current rubric Money (’84) and The Information (’95) by Amis, as well as Fitzgerald’s The Blue Flower (’95), are ineligibly early.

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message 25: by Fiona (last edited Sep 11, 2018 03:43AM) (new)

Sep 11, 2018 03:42AM

Lionel Shriver (So Much for That) is American. Maeve Binchy (Evening Class) is Irish. Both are currently at joint #156.

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message 26: by BookLovingLady (deceased Jan. 25, 2023...) (new)

Sep 11, 2018 01:07PM

Fiona wrote: "Lionel Shriver (So Much for That) is American. Maeve Binchy (Evening Class) is Irish. Both are currently at joint #156."

Both have been removed.

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message 27: by Sue (new)

Oct 06, 2018 07:09AM

a number of mysteries on the list. should they be classified as novels? i think of it as a separate genre.

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message 28: by John (new)

May 07, 2019 04:51AM

Sue wrote: "a number of mysteries on the list. should they be classified as novels? i think of it as a separate genre."

I think that's being a bit pedantic. Horror novels, mystery novels, erotic novels, they're all novels right?

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message 29: by John (new)

May 07, 2019 05:04AM

Changed the definition to 1999 onwards.
1998 or earlier books removed:
About a Boy, The House of Sleep, Charlotte Gray, The Hanging Garden, Amsterdam, The Blue Flower, The Crow Road, Money

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message 30: by BookLovingLady (deceased Jan. 25, 2023...) (last edited May 07, 2019 12:34PM) (new)

May 07, 2019 07:55AM

John wrote: "Changed the definition to 1999 onwards.
1998 or earlier books removed:
About a Boy, The House of Sleep, Charlotte Gray, The Hanging Garden, [boo..."

I think Lobstergirl has a point here: The list was created in 2008, so the earliest publication date should be 1988...

I admit the creator (Michael) might have mentioned a begin date, as it would have come in handy, but that doesn't change the fact that the list was started in November 2008.

Except for Money by Martin Amis, I personally wouldn't have removed the books you mentioned...

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message 31: by BookLovingLady (deceased Jan. 25, 2023...) (new)

May 14, 2019 12:36AM

@John
As you changed the description of this list, are you going to keep it up? In other words, are you going to change it again next year and remove all books which are not within the criteria of the list by then? Just a question...

The title of this list says 'Modern British Novels' but what's modern for one isn't modern for the other, I guess. Might be my age...

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message 32: by Elanna (new)

Feb 09, 2020 07:33AM

Guys, eimear McBride is an irish author...
I strongly suggest we take it off the list :)
Can I proceed?

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message 33: by Elanna (new)

Feb 09, 2020 07:35AM

By the way, what we are really talking about here is "contemporary" novel. Modern British novel covers at least the Nineteenth Century, with authors as early as Defoe as prodromes. Not my opinion, just stating the meaning given to the terms in history of literature...

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