Best Indian Fiction Books (914 books)

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

Literary fiction only.

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1	The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy (Goodreads Author) 3.96 avg rating — 323,558 ratings score: 53,730, and 543 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	A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry 4.38 avg rating — 159,343 ratings score: 40,736, and 414 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	The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga 3.77 avg rating — 202,248 ratings score: 31,584, and 321 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	Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie 3.97 avg rating — 132,501 ratings score: 28,018, and 285 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	The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri 4.02 avg rating — 283,072 ratings score: 22,305, and 230 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	Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri 4.18 avg rating — 205,732 ratings score: 22,208, and 228 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	A Suitable Boy (A Bridge of Leaves, #1) by Vikram Seth 4.11 avg rating — 49,866 ratings score: 16,715, and 173 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	Malgudi Days by R.K. Narayan 4.21 avg rating — 19,098 ratings score: 16,623, and 170 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 Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai 3.46 avg rating — 55,521 ratings score: 11,465, and 121 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	Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri 4.14 avg rating — 96,529 ratings score: 10,682, and 112 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	Train to Pakistan by Khushwant Singh 3.94 avg rating — 31,818 ratings score: 10,394, and 109 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 Glass Palace by Amitav Ghosh really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 27,982 ratings score: 9,707, and 101 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	Sea of Poppies (Ibis Trilogy, #1) by Amitav Ghosh 3.97 avg rating — 29,698 ratings score: 9,552, and 101 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	Swami and Friends by R.K. Narayan 4.22 avg rating — 13,616 ratings score: 8,916, and 93 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	The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (Goodreads Author) 4.20 avg rating — 64,698 ratings score: 8,891, and 94 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	Family Matters by Rohinton Mistry 4.03 avg rating — 24,548 ratings score: 8,711, and 93 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	The Immortals of Meluha (Shiva Trilogy, #1) by Amish Tripathi (Goodreads Author) 4.14 avg rating — 127,238 ratings score: 8,464, and 87 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	The Bhagavad Gita by Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa 4.19 avg rating — 81,152 ratings score: 7,736, and 80 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	Gitanjali by Rabindranath Tagore 4.29 avg rating — 11,815 ratings score: 7,067, and 74 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	The Guide by R.K. Narayan 3.93 avg rating — 10,967 ratings score: 6,883, and 72 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	The Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh 3.99 avg rating — 19,927 ratings score: 6,463, and 68 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	The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie 3.71 avg rating — 71,531 ratings score: 6,288, and 66 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	The Secret of the Nagas (Shiva Trilogy #2) by Amish Tripathi (Goodreads Author) 4.11 avg rating — 93,761 ratings score: 6,279, and 65 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	The Discovery of India by Jawaharlal Nehru 4.09 avg rating — 8,593 ratings score: 5,718, and 62 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	Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese (Goodreads Author) 4.33 avg rating — 424,886 ratings score: 5,270, and 55 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	City of Djinns: A Year in Delhi by William Dalrymple 4.13 avg rating — 13,292 ratings score: 5,027, and 54 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	गोदान [Godaan] by Munshi Premchand 4.43 avg rating — 9,721 ratings score: 4,951, and 53 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	English, August: An Indian Story by Upamanyu Chatterjee 3.78 avg rating — 6,196 ratings score: 4,930, and 54 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 Space Between Us by Thrity Umrigar 4.03 avg rating — 52,873 ratings score: 4,873, and 53 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	Tell a Thousand Lies by Rasana Atreya (Goodreads Author) 3.70 avg rating — 1,287 ratings score: 4,865, and 50 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	Q & A by Vikas Swarup 4.02 avg rating — 38,408 ratings score: 4,569, and 50 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	Sacred Games by Vikram Chandra 3.93 avg rating — 9,024 ratings score: 4,419, and 48 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	Delayed Monsoon by Chitralekha Paul 3.58 avg rating — 445 ratings score: 4,396, 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
34	The Great Indian Novel by Shashi Tharoor 3.89 avg rating — 6,778 ratings score: 4,069, and 43 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	A House for Mr Biswas by V.S. Naipaul 3.80 avg rating — 22,256 ratings score: 3,895, and 44 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	Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found by Suketu Mehta 3.95 avg rating — 11,269 ratings score: 3,884, and 43 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	Haroun and the Sea of Stories (Khalifa Brothers, #1) by Salman Rushdie 3.98 avg rating — 37,738 ratings score: 3,767, and 41 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	Sister of My Heart (Anju and Sudha #1) by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (Goodreads Author) 4.01 avg rating — 21,323 ratings score: 3,558, and 39 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	Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse 4.08 avg rating — 870,500 ratings score: 3,426, and 36 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	Such a Long Journey by Rohinton Mistry 3.96 avg rating — 11,542 ratings score: 3,219, 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
41	The Argumentative Indian: Writings on Indian History, Culture and Identity by Amartya Sen 3.83 avg rating — 8,774 ratings score: 3,169, 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
42	Freedom At Midnight by Dominique Lapierre 4.33 avg rating — 11,175 ratings score: 3,146, and 34 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	Mahabharata by Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa (Original Author) 4.32 avg rating — 12,125 ratings score: 3,096, and 33 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	Nine Lives: In Search of the Sacred in Modern India by William Dalrymple 4.07 avg rating — 8,592 ratings score: 2,964, and 32 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	Ramayana by Vālmīki 4.19 avg rating — 5,321 ratings score: 2,910, 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
46	An Equal Music by Vikram Seth 3.80 avg rating — 11,077 ratings score: 2,793, 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
47	The Death of Vishnu by Manil Suri 3.62 avg rating — 9,370 ratings score: 2,786, 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
48	The Mistress of Spices by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (Goodreads Author) 3.48 avg rating — 14,858 ratings score: 2,766, and 30 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 Upanishads by Anonymous 4.25 avg rating — 17,640 ratings score: 2,705, and 30 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 Blue Bar (Blue Mumbai, #1) by Damyanti Biswas (Goodreads Author) 3.71 avg rating — 4,808 ratings score: 2,699, 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
51	The Room on the Roof by Ruskin Bond 4.15 avg rating — 10,209 ratings score: 2,664, and 29 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 Shadow Lines by Amitav Ghosh 3.86 avg rating — 8,966 ratings score: 2,649, and 29 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	A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (Goodreads Author) 4.45 avg rating — 1,722,957 ratings score: 2,616, 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
54	Ignited Minds: Unleashing the Power Within India by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam 4.03 avg rating — 11,913 ratings score: 2,589, and 29 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	Untouchable by Mulk Raj Anand 3.74 avg rating — 6,586 ratings score: 2,475, 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
56	Em and The Big Hoom by Jerry Pinto 4.19 avg rating — 7,697 ratings score: 2,426, 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
57	Curiosity kills the KatHA by Ashok Kallarakkal (Goodreads Author) 3.68 avg rating — 75 ratings score: 2,355, 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
58	The Illicit Happiness of Other People by Manu Joseph (Goodreads Author) 4.07 avg rating — 7,061 ratings score: 2,347, 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
59	Brick Lane by Monica Ali 3.46 avg rating — 35,654 ratings score: 2,311, 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
60	A Man with A White Shadow by Vikram Suryawanshi (Goodreads Author) 4.62 avg rating — 233 ratings score: 2,300, and 23 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	White Mughals: Love and Betrayal in Eighteenth-Century India by William Dalrymple 3.97 avg rating — 5,126 ratings score: 2,295, and 26 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	Shalimar the Clown by Salman Rushdie 3.92 avg rating — 14,856 ratings score: 2,281, 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
63	The Inscrutable Americans by Anurag Mathur 3.27 avg rating — 6,853 ratings score: 2,221, 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
64	Chokher Bali by Rabindranath Tagore 3.94 avg rating — 5,976 ratings score: 2,184, 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
65	The Siege of Krishnapur (Empire Trilogy, #2) by J.G. Farrell 3.93 avg rating — 8,529 ratings score: 2,131, and 23 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	The Far Pavilions by M.M. Kaye 4.20 avg rating — 45,053 ratings score: 2,100, and 23 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	The Home and the World by Rabindranath Tagore 3.83 avg rating — 6,001 ratings score: 2,063, 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
68	The Twentieth Wife (Taj Mahal Trilogy, #1) by Indu Sundaresan (Goodreads Author) 4.07 avg rating — 16,786 ratings score: 2,020, 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
69	Destiny of Shattered Dreams by Nilesh Rathod (Goodreads Author) 3.91 avg rating — 170 ratings score: 1,945, and 20 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	DeadAlive by Sandip Khade (Goodreads Author) 3.34 avg rating — 88 ratings score: 1,900, 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
71	The Enchantress of Florence by Salman Rushdie 3.61 avg rating — 19,461 ratings score: 1,889, 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
72	Heat and Dust by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala 3.55 avg rating — 8,595 ratings score: 1,858, 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
73	The Raj Quartet 1: The Jewel in the Crown/The Day of the Scorpion by Paul Scott 4.40 avg rating — 314 ratings score: 1,815, and 20 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	Cricket till I die! by Upneet Grover (Goodreads Author) 3.97 avg rating — 72 ratings score: 1,798, and 18 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	Arjun's Jenny by Payal Dedhia (Goodreads Author) 4.54 avg rating — 168 ratings score: 1,698, 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
76	A Passage to India by E.M. Forster 3.67 avg rating — 85,610 ratings score: 1,681, 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
77	The Oath of the Vayuputras (Shiva Trilogy, #3) by Amish Tripathi (Goodreads Author) 3.84 avg rating — 72,813 ratings score: 1,618, 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
78	The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri 3.88 avg rating — 96,368 ratings score: 1,608, and 18 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
79	Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard by Kiran Desai 3.47 avg rating — 6,441 ratings score: 1,570, 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
80	Fasting, Feasting by Anita Desai 3.36 avg rating — 5,300 ratings score: 1,528, 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
81	Shame by Salman Rushdie 3.87 avg rating — 13,106 ratings score: 1,515, 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
82	The Moor's Last Sigh by Salman Rushdie 3.94 avg rating — 14,671 ratings score: 1,514, 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
83	The Vendor of Sweets by R.K. Narayan 3.75 avg rating — 2,911 ratings score: 1,499, 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
84	Coinman: An Untold Conspiracy by Pawan Mishra (Goodreads Author) 3.81 avg rating — 267 ratings score: 1,484, and 15 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	River of Smoke by Amitav Ghosh 3.97 avg rating — 11,086 ratings score: 1,466, 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
86	The Mahabharata: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic by Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa 4.15 avg rating — 2,320 ratings score: 1,451, 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
87	The Calcutta Chromosome by Amitav Ghosh 3.49 avg rating — 7,090 ratings score: 1,450, 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
88	The Man-Eater of Malgudi by R.K. Narayan 3.84 avg rating — 3,449 ratings score: 1,447, 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
89	Chanakya's Chant by Ashwin Sanghi (Goodreads Author) 3.75 avg rating — 24,710 ratings score: 1,391, and 15 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	Pather Panchali: Song of the Road by Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay 4.61 avg rating — 7,276 ratings score: 1,364, and 15 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 Last Mughal: The Fall of a Dynasty: Delhi, 1857 by William Dalrymple 4.20 avg rating — 8,563 ratings score: 1,346, and 15 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	The Zoya Factor by Anuja Chauhan (Goodreads Author) 3.63 avg rating — 5,902 ratings score: 1,318, 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
93	Difficult Daughters by Manju Kapur 3.56 avg rating — 2,512 ratings score: 1,261, 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
94	Cuckold by Kiran Nagarkar 4.19 avg rating — 1,808 ratings score: 1,254, 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
95	Serious Men by Manu Joseph (Goodreads Author) 3.77 avg rating — 4,207 ratings score: 1,207, 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
96	12 Hours by Rohit Sharma (Goodreads Author) 3.93 avg rating — 462 ratings score: 1,193, 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
97	Two Lives by Vikram Seth 3.68 avg rating — 3,768 ratings score: 1,177, 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
98	Last Man in Tower by Aravind Adiga 3.57 avg rating — 7,927 ratings score: 1,173, 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
99	Clear Light of Day by Anita Desai 3.73 avg rating — 4,100 ratings score: 1,152, 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
100	What the Body Remembers by Shauna Singh Baldwin 3.90 avg rating — 2,990 ratings score: 1,149, 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

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914 books · 2,421 voters · list created January 15th, 2010 by Ayushi (votes) .

Tags: asian-fiction, author-by-country, best, ethnic, ethnicity, india, indian-authors, indian-fiction, indian-literature, literary-fiction, south-asia, south-asian-fiction, south-asian-literature, world

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Lists are re-scored approximately every 5 minutes.

People Who Voted On This List (2421)

Ayushi 4023 books
447 friends

Casimir 311 books
32 friends

Epa 17 books
0 friends

Saf 362 books
53 friends

Christopher 1482 books
89 friends

Murray 708 books
113 friends

Rebekah 23406 books
136 friends

Cynthia 64 books
9 friends

More voters…

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Comments Showing 1-50 of 71 (71 new)

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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 Addled head (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 5: 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 6: 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 7: 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 8: 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 9: 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 10: 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 11: 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 12: 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 13: 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 14: by [deleted user] (new)

May 22, 2011 04:39AM

To die hating them, that is freedom.

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message 15: 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 16: by [deleted user] (new)

May 22, 2011 08:34AM

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message 17: by Ayushi (new)

May 22, 2011 09:39AM

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

My pleasure.

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message 18: by Shreya (new)

Jun 07, 2011 06:56AM

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

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message 19: by Kadambari80 (new)

Sep 03, 2011 08:07PM

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

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message 20: by Book'd (new)

Dec 26, 2011 08:45PM

List of my choice

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message 21: 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 22: 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 23: 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 24: 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 25: 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 26: 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 27: 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 28: 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 29: 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 30: 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 31: by Laura (new)

Jan 06, 2013 02:45AM

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

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message 32: by Book'd (new)

Jan 06, 2013 06:06PM

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

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message 33: by Laura (new)

Jan 07, 2013 11:53AM

Done!!!

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message 34: by Book'd (new)

Jan 07, 2013 05:48PM

Thanks Laura !

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message 35: 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 36: by Laura (new)

Jan 08, 2013 02:02AM

My pleasure.

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message 37: 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 38: 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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message 39: by Manray9 (new)

Jul 25, 2013 02:23PM

"The Siege of Krishnapur" is a great literary exposition of the madness and absurdity of the British in India. J.G. Farrell wrote a historical trilogy with a comedic take on the decline of the British Empire: "The Siege of Krishnapur," "The Singapore Grip" and "Troubles." All three are great reads.

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message 40: by Laura (new)

Jul 25, 2013 06:36PM

Manray9 wrote: ""The Siege of Krishnapur" is a great literary exposition of the madness and absurdity of the British in India. J.G. Farrell wrote a historical trilogy with a comedic take on the decline of the Bri..."

Agreed, Siege was splendid, I must finish this trilogy some day.

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message 41: by Ignatius (new)

Aug 14, 2013 04:12AM

Indians in Pakistan is probably the most exciting novel to be written by an Indian author. It’s a must-read. I will advise all my friends and enemies to read it. Simply unputdownable.

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message 42: by Ignatius (new)

Aug 14, 2013 04:13AM

Indians in Pakistan is probably the most exciting novel to be written by an Indian author. It’s a must-read. I will advise all my friends and enemies to read it. Simply unputdownable.Indians in Pakistan

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message 43: by Julie (new)

Sep 25, 2013 08:17PM

Ayushi wrote: "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 an..."

Ayushi - If you have librarian status (easy to apply for) you may alter your list and delete books that do not meet your stated criteria.

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message 44: by Ayushi (new)

Sep 28, 2013 09:43AM

Julie wrote: "Ayushi wrote: "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 pers..."

I don't. I shall apply soon. thank you.

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message 45: by Kartik (new)

Oct 01, 2013 04:08AM

Is the criteria Indian Authors or is it novels set in India?

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message 46: by Ayushi (new)

Oct 03, 2013 10:18AM

Kartik wrote: "Is the criteria Indian Authors or is it novels set in India?"

Dear Kartik,

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

So, the answer to your question is both.

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message 47: by Shikha (new)

Apr 28, 2014 10:02PM

if "Life is What You Make It " figures in top 100 Indian books , we are bringing disrepute to Indian authors and wriitngs

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message 48: by John (new)

May 02, 2014 01:19AM

Byculla to Bangkok. It is a book in Mumbai Underworld. How lads become vengeful. http://www.snapdeal.com/product/bycul...

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message 49: by Ayushi (new)

May 02, 2014 05:57PM

Shikha wrote: "if "Life is What You Make It " figures in top 100 Indian books , we are bringing disrepute to Indian authors and wriitngs"

The list is based on popular opinion and upvotes.

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message 50: by Ellie (new)

May 29, 2014 04:19AM