Best Twentieth Century American Novels
1

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4.26 avg rating — 6,995,424 ratings
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2

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3.93 avg rating — 6,021,296 ratings
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3

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3.80 avg rating — 3,949,107 ratings
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4

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4.03 avg rating — 1,008,957 ratings
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5

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3.99 avg rating — 895,098 ratings
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6

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3.97 avg rating — 2,908,889 ratings
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7

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3.90 avg rating — 2,888,189 ratings
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8

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4.10 avg rating — 1,503,420 ratings
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9

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3.87 avg rating — 961,895 ratings
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10

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4.20 avg rating — 787,762 ratings
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11

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4.45 avg rating — 668,425 ratings
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12

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3.81 avg rating — 1,340,864 ratings
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13

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4.28 avg rating — 762,476 ratings
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14

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4.04 avg rating — 1,264,297 ratings
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15

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3.85 avg rating — 149,621 ratings
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16

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3.98 avg rating — 107,481 ratings
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17

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3.86 avg rating — 198,511 ratings
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18

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3.98 avg rating — 501,211 ratings
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19

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3.89 avg rating — 302,746 ratings
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20

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4.17 avg rating — 95,008 ratings
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21

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4.35 avg rating — 848,270 ratings
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22

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4.31 avg rating — 1,263,957 ratings
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22

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3.99 avg rating — 393,656 ratings
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24

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3.72 avg rating — 190,265 ratings
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25

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really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 1,061,080 ratings
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26

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3.92 avg rating — 204,415 ratings
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27

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4.21 avg rating — 2,074,518 ratings
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28

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3.99 avg rating — 48,613 ratings
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29

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4.11 avg rating — 240,645 ratings
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30

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4.06 avg rating — 157,747 ratings
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31

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4.11 avg rating — 802,029 ratings
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32

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3.61 avg rating — 453,824 ratings
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33

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3.82 avg rating — 360,181 ratings
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34

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3.97 avg rating — 199,872 ratings
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35

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3.88 avg rating — 153,721 ratings
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36

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4.01 avg rating — 262,679 ratings
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37

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3.97 avg rating — 39,084 ratings
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38

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3.79 avg rating — 501,708 ratings
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39

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3.99 avg rating — 322,480 ratings
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40

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4.06 avg rating — 282,956 ratings
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41

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4.59 avg rating — 259,127 ratings
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42

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3.89 avg rating — 109,563 ratings
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43

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4.33 avg rating — 92,939 ratings
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44

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3.96 avg rating — 242,892 ratings
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45

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3.99 avg rating — 121,408 ratings
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46

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3.97 avg rating — 44,209 ratings
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47

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3.46 avg rating — 140,170 ratings
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48

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4.27 avg rating — 955,716 ratings
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49

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4.16 avg rating — 103,505 ratings
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50

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4.15 avg rating — 231,559 ratings
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51

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3.86 avg rating — 117,213 ratings
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52

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3.77 avg rating — 151,545 ratings
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52

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4.15 avg rating — 350,453 ratings
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54

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3.59 avg rating — 64,118 ratings
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55

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4.04 avg rating — 106,077 ratings
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56

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3.76 avg rating — 23,137 ratings
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57

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4.06 avg rating — 84,718 ratings
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58

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3.90 avg rating — 59,568 ratings
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59

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4.17 avg rating — 197,737 ratings
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60

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4.28 avg rating — 1,736,319 ratings
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61

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3.79 avg rating — 39,097 ratings
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62

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3.78 avg rating — 27,068 ratings
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63

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4.31 avg rating — 282,662 ratings
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64

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4.15 avg rating — 1,644,449 ratings
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65

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4.15 avg rating — 1,072,754 ratings
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66

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4.02 avg rating — 49,230 ratings
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67

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3.63 avg rating — 13,070 ratings
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68

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4.10 avg rating — 228,585 ratings
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69

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3.73 avg rating — 66,216 ratings
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70

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4.25 avg rating — 103,399 ratings
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71

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3.83 avg rating — 64,863 ratings
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72

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4.24 avg rating — 62,587 ratings
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73

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3.78 avg rating — 17,645 ratings
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74

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4.01 avg rating — 16,545 ratings
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75

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3.99 avg rating — 121,561 ratings
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76

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4.05 avg rating — 23,884 ratings
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77

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3.91 avg rating — 15,942 ratings
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78

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3.83 avg rating — 73,146 ratings
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79

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3.63 avg rating — 80,937 ratings
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80

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4.01 avg rating — 28,838 ratings
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81

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4.09 avg rating — 67,212 ratings
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81

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4.04 avg rating — 88,619 ratings
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83

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3.99 avg rating — 863,106 ratings
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84

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3.83 avg rating — 19,043 ratings
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85

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4.16 avg rating — 52,151 ratings
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86

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3.46 avg rating — 99,630 ratings
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87

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3.76 avg rating — 49,698 ratings
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88

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3.70 avg rating — 74,780 ratings
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89

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3.58 avg rating — 279,327 ratings
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90

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3.81 avg rating — 59,526 ratings
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91

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4.10 avg rating — 671,822 ratings
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92

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4.03 avg rating — 6,799 ratings
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93

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3.96 avg rating — 149,892 ratings
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94

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3.81 avg rating — 16,674 ratings
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95

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4.01 avg rating — 6,474 ratings
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96

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3.78 avg rating — 156,232 ratings
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97

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3.92 avg rating — 83,405 ratings
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98

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4.19 avg rating — 279,112 ratings
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99

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4.16 avg rating — 131,290 ratings
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100

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4.06 avg rating — 129,142 ratings
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298 books · 227 voters · list created March 7th, 2010 by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (votes) .
Tags: 1900s, american, best
72 likes · 
Lists are re-scored approximately every 5 minutes.


Susanna - Censored by GoodReads 3388 books
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Irrelephant 2427 books
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Comments Showing 1-21 of 21 (21 new)

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message 1: by Lobstergirl (new)

Lobstergirl I feel like Philip Roth should be on here, but not sure what book. Also Cormac McCarthy. Are we calling Nabokov American? And I love Charlotte's Web, but I don't think it can properly be called a novel.

Other ideas: DeLillo, Toni Morrison, Helprin, Norman Mailer.


Susanna - Censored by GoodReads I would take Nabokov as an American novelist, as he became a citizen in 1945.

I just vote for the novels I really like.


message 3: by Lobstergirl (new)

Lobstergirl I had to remove "The Little Friend" as it was published in 2002.


message 4: by Lobstergirl (new)

Lobstergirl Only the fact that it's a children's or YA book, and I take the term "novel" to be something different, aimed at an older audience. If we were taking a college course on "the novel," a YA book wouldn't be on the curriculum. I'm not saying CW isn't a lovely, near-perfect book.


Susanna - Censored by GoodReads Removed for not being published in the 20th century:

Empire Falls, by Richard Russo (2001)


message 6: by Bakagh (new)

Bakagh I will finish most of them.


Susanna - Censored by GoodReads Removed, for not being first published in the 20th century:

Isn't It Pretty To Think So? (2012)


message 8: by Dennis (new)

Dennis I'm surprised that "And Ladies of the Club" isn't here.


Susanna - Censored by GoodReads You could add it.


message 10: by PatrickT (new)

PatrickT The Rhum Diary is pretty good, nearly as good as The Sun Also Rises and The Moveable Feast. I would have Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas too, though I can understand if there's reluctance. Ask the Dust, up there too. Basketball Diaries. Off the top of my head. Anything Mark Twain might have written between 1900 and 1910?


message 11: by Eva (new)

Eva Schiess The Goldfinch- Donna Tartt
Flight Behavior- Barbara Kingsolver
Should be in top 20.


message 12: by Emma (new)

Emma Susanna - Censored by GoodReads wrote: "I would take Nabokov as an American novelist, as he became a citizen in 1945.

I just vote for the novels I really like."


Makes sense. Also, Lolita was included in a course I took on the American novel at Yale, so I'd say there's a scholarly consensus that his works are American.


message 13: by Emma (new)

Emma Lobstergirl wrote: "Only the fact that it's a children's or YA book, and I take the term "novel" to be something different, aimed at an older audience. If we were taking a college course on "the novel," a YA book woul..."

I don't think intended audience has any bearing on whether or not something is a novel. Just my two cents :)


message 14: by Emma (new)

Emma Death in the Afternoon by Hemingway is nonfiction, and therefore not a novel. It should be removed.


Susanna - Censored by GoodReads Do you remember where on the list you saw it? (Makes it a lot easier to remove.)


message 16: by Emma (new)

Emma Susanna - Censored by GoodReads wrote: "Do you remember where on the list you saw it? (Makes it a lot easier to remove.)"

#91


Susanna - Censored by GoodReads Removed, as is The Woman Warrior (also non-fiction).


message 18: by Kinga (new)

Kinga Please remove How to Buy, Sell and Make a Fortune on eBay - Make Money Online From Home on eBay.
This user keeps spamming lists with his crappy book


BookLovingLady (deceased Jan. 25, 2023...) Kinga wrote: "Please remove How to Buy, Sell and Make a Fortune on eBay - Make Money Online From Home on eBay.
This user keeps spamming lists with his crappy book"


Done. (Next time, do mention the number you noticed a book on)


Susanna - Censored by GoodReads Yep, it's very handy; makes things a lot easier for the librarian removing the book.


message 21: by Steve (last edited Oct 02, 2024 09:39AM) (new)

Steve Shelby #263. Watership Down is British, not American.
#30. The Road is 2006, not 20th century.


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