The Greatest Books of All Time on Novels

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This list represents a comprehensive and trusted collection of the greatest books. Developed through a specialized algorithm, it brings together 759 'best of' book lists to form a definitive guide to the world's most acclaimed books. For those interested in how these books are chosen, additional details can be found on the rankings page.

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  1. 201. Overstaying by Ariane Koch

    A darkly comic, absurdist novel about an impudent young woman who continues to live in her parents’ empty house in a small hometown she hates but can’t bring herself to leave. When a mysterious visitor turns up, she takes him in and becomes consumed by his ambiguous presence—part lover, part freeloader, part absence—while her imagination and memories send the narrative into surprising, room-like episodes rather than a straightforward plot.

    The 11480th Greatest Book of All Time
    Purchase from Bookshop.org
  2. 202. Ultramarine by Mariette Navarro, Eve Hill-Agnus

    A female captain aboard a cargo ship lets her crew stop the engines for a swim; when they return there are twenty-one people and the vessel begins to behave strangely. As the captain’s perceptions unravel, the story blurs the line between hallucination and reality while she struggles to understand what is happening and to keep control of the ship.

    The 11496th Greatest Book of All Time
    Purchase from Bookshop.org or Amazon
  3. 203. The Coming Bad Days by Sarah Bernstein

    A woman leaves the man she lives with and moves to a low stone cottage in a university town. She joins an academic department and begins a research project on the poet Paul Celan from an office on the thirteenth floor. As she navigates an atmosphere of paranoia, worsening weather, and an unexplained curfew she forms an intimate friendship with Clara, a decisive and assured woman, until an act of violence threatens to sever their connection.

    The 11506th Greatest Book of All Time
  4. 204. Le Recensement Des Intellos De Gauche by Giacomo Papi

    Ou Comment Reconnaître Un Intellectuel De Gauche Sans Se Tromper

    Set in a satirical world where intellectuals are systematically hunted down and cataloged, this novel explores themes of censorship, freedom of thought, and the absurdity of bureaucratic control. The narrative follows a protagonist who navigates a society obsessed with labeling and suppressing intellectualism, offering a humorous yet poignant critique of the lengths to which authorities might go to stifle dissent and creativity. Through its witty prose and sharp observations, the story serves as both a cautionary tale and a celebration of the resilience of the human spirit in the face of oppressive regimes.

    The 11513th Greatest Book of All Time
  5. 205. Money To Burn by Asta Olivia Nordenhof

    Maggie and Kurt are a married couple in an old farmhouse whose relationship has frayed after their daughter leaves home. When their past becomes entangled with the Scandinavian Star ferry disaster — later revealed to involve an insurance scam — they face how money, greed and desire have shaped their choices and their ability to connect.

    The 11649th Greatest Book of All Time
  6. 206. The Meursault Investigation by Kamel Daoud

    Set in Algeria, this novel serves as a counter-narrative to a classic existential tale, offering a fresh perspective from the brother of an Arab man who was namelessly killed in the original story. Through a series of reflective monologues, the narrator grapples with themes of identity, colonialism, and the enduring impact of historical injustices. As he recounts his brother's life and untimely death, he challenges the indifference and anonymity imposed by the colonial gaze, seeking to reclaim his brother's humanity and voice in a world that had rendered him invisible.

    The 11805th Greatest Book of All Time
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  7. 207. The Wax Child by Olga Ravn, Martin Aitken

    Set in seventeenth-century Denmark, The Wax Child follows noblewoman Christenze Kruckow as she tries to escape rumors that she practices witchcraft — blamed for illness, misfortune, and even for fashioning a sinister wax child. She moves to the port city of Aalborg, but suspicion and fear follow her, exploring how rumor and superstition can upend a life.

    The 11824th Greatest Book of All Time
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  8. 208. I Gave You Eyes And You Looked Toward Darkness by Irene Solà

    At dawn in the Guilleries mountains, a remote farmhouse called Mas Clavell gathers family and caretakers as an impossibly old woman nears death. Over the course of a single day and night, the house fills with voices and memories that span four centuries, tracing the lives, labors, desires, and rituals of the women who have lived there. Lush with folklore and natural detail, the novel weaves together personal history and the land’s own presence into a portrait of community and memory.

    The 11835th Greatest Book of All Time
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  9. 209. Highwire Moon by Susan Straight

    Serafina is an illegal migrant worker in California who is caught by police and sent back to Mexico without her three-year-old daughter. Twelve years later, with a pair of silver barrettes her only tangible memory, she undertakes a difficult journey across the border to find Elvia. Elvia, now fifteen and pregnant, resolves to track her mother, and both travel through a landscape of poor migrants, truckers living hand-to-mouth in seedy motels, and lost children in foster homes as they seek connection and home.

    The 11859th Greatest Book of All Time
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  10. 210. Sololand by Hassan Blasim

    Sololand je dvodelni roman koji prati živote ljudi iz Iraka i drugih raseljenih regiona — njihovu emigraciju, potrage za azilom i posledice ratova, korupcije i represije. Kroz lične priče i oštru društvenu kritiku, knjiga spaja emotivni prikaz sudbina migranata sa napetim, gotovo detektivskim zapletom u drugom delu, bez otkrivanja ključnih obrta.

    The 11878th Greatest Book of All Time
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  11. 211. The Land In Winter by Andrew Miller

    December 1962, in a small village near Bristol: two neighbouring young couples—one in a newly appointed doctor’s cottage, the other in a run-down farm—find themselves bound by the easy friendship of the two expectant women. When an unusually severe winter isolates them from the outside world, the enforced quiet removes everyday distractions and brings simmering resentments and unforeseen discoveries to the surface, forcing each couple to reckon with their relationships and futures.

    The 11931st Greatest Book of All Time
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  12. 212. La Danseuse by Patrick Modiano

    Set against the backdrop of post-war Paris, this evocative narrative delves into the life of a young woman navigating the complexities of identity and memory. As she becomes entangled in the vibrant yet shadowy world of dance, her journey is marked by encounters with enigmatic figures and the haunting echoes of the past. Through a tapestry of fleeting moments and introspective reflections, the story explores themes of longing, self-discovery, and the elusive nature of truth, capturing the essence of a city and a soul in perpetual motion.

    The 12017th Greatest Book of All Time
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  13. 213. Strange And Perfect Account From The Permafrost by Donald Niedekker

    In januari 1597 sterft op Nova Zembla een ongedentificeerde bemanningsman. Vierhonderdvijfentwintig jaar later ontdooit de permafrost en hij ontwaakt uit zijn ijsgraf. Als dichter die meevoer op de expeditie van Willem Barentsz krijgt hij nu de kans zijn verhaal te doen. Het boek verweeft historische gebeurtenissen met fictie en sprookjesachtige elementen, zonder de plot te verklappen.

    The 12044th Greatest Book of All Time
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  14. 214. The Death Of Napoleon by Simon Leys

    In this imaginative historical fiction, the story unfolds with the premise that Napoleon Bonaparte has secretly escaped from his exile on the island of St. Helena, leaving a double in his place. Disguised as a common sailor, he embarks on a journey across Europe, hoping to reclaim his empire. As he navigates through a world that has moved on without him, he encounters a series of misadventures and reflections on power, identity, and the passage of time. The narrative explores the poignant irony of a once-great leader grappling with anonymity and the mundane realities of life, ultimately leading to a profound meditation on the nature of ambition and legacy.

    The 12048th Greatest Book of All Time
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  15. 215. The Visit Of The Royal Physician by Per Olov Enquist

    Set in 18th-century Denmark, this historical novel delves into the tumultuous life of Johann Friedrich Struensee, a German physician who becomes the personal doctor to the mentally unstable King Christian VII. As Struensee rises to power, he implements progressive reforms and begins a controversial affair with Queen Caroline Mathilde, leading to political intrigue and courtly machinations. The narrative explores themes of enlightenment, power, and the complexities of human relationships against the backdrop of a society on the brink of change.

    The 12048th Greatest Book of All Time
    Purchase from Bookshop.org
  16. 216. Red April by Santiago Roncagliolo

    Set against the backdrop of Peru's tumultuous political landscape, the story follows a timid prosecutor, Félix Chacaltana Saldívar, who is thrust into a chilling investigation of a gruesome murder during Holy Week in Ayacucho. As he delves deeper, he uncovers a web of corruption, violence, and terror linked to the remnants of the Shining Path insurgency. Torn between his duty and the dark truths he unearths, Félix grapples with his own moral compass, revealing the complexities of justice and the haunting shadows of a nation scarred by conflict.

    The 12048th Greatest Book of All Time
    Purchase from Bookshop.org
  17. 217. Discontent by Beatriz Serrano, Mara Faye Lethem

    Marisa, a young professional in Madrid, has built a fragile persona to survive the monotony and small humiliations of corporate life. She hides at work, seeks refuge in art and substances, and rests on a shaky foundation of stolen credit. When a mandatory company retreat in the Segovia forests forces her into close quarters with coworkers and retreat staff, isolation and pressure push her toward risky impulses and a personal unraveling. The novel is a darkly comic exploration of identity, boredom, and self-deception.

    The 12066th Greatest Book of All Time
  18. 218. Basti by Intizar Husain

    Set against the backdrop of the partition of India and the subsequent creation of Pakistan, this novel intricately weaves the personal and the political through the eyes of its protagonist, Zakir. As he navigates the tumultuous changes in his homeland, the narrative delves into themes of displacement, memory, and identity. The story unfolds through a series of fragmented memories and dreams, capturing the essence of a society in transition and the enduring impact of historical upheavals on individual lives. The novel poignantly reflects on the loss of a once harmonious world and the quest for belonging in a divided land.

    The 12076th Greatest Book of All Time
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  19. 219. The Ten Year Affair by Erin Somers

    When Cora and Sam, both happily married young parents, connect at a baby group, their unexpected chemistry splits their story into two parallel timelines — one where they pursue their feelings and one where they resist. The novel alternates between these possibilities, using Cora’s everyday life and relationships to examine marriage, temptation, and the roads not taken without revealing what actually happens.

    The 12080th Greatest Book of All Time
    Purchase from Bookshop.org or Amazon
  20. 220. The Ferryman And His Wife by Frode Grytten, Alison McCullough

    Nils Vik, an aging ferry driver, wakes certain that today will be his last. On his final route along the fjord, memories and figures from his past quietly reappear to accompany him as he revisits ordinary moments that shaped his life while he waits for his late wife, Marta.

    The 12106th Greatest Book of All Time
    Purchase from Bookshop.org
  21. 221. Dwelling by Emily Hunt Kivel

    Evie, newly orphaned and evicted as New York falls apart, sets out for a distant cousin’s town called Gulluck — a surreal Texas place where reality bends. In a landscape of albino cicadas, eccentric residents, and strange happenings, she searches for a house and a sense of belonging. The novel blends magical realism and dark humor to explore housing, family, and what “home” means.

    The 12105th Greatest Book of All Time
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  22. 222. What Girls Learn by Karin Cook

    Set in the 1970s, this poignant coming-of-age story follows two sisters, Tilden and Elizabeth, as they navigate the complexities of adolescence amidst their mother's battle with breast cancer. The narrative delves into themes of family, resilience, and the bittersweet journey of growing up, capturing the sisters' struggles and triumphs as they grapple with the challenges of illness, identity, and the bonds that hold them together. Through their eyes, readers experience the raw emotions and transformative moments that shape their understanding of love, loss, and the enduring strength of sisterhood.

    The 12148th Greatest Book of All Time
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  23. 223. Trip by Amie Barrodale

    A vivid, emotionally charged novel about a mother and her teenage son on parallel journeys—one moving through an otherworldly limbo, the other fleeing a treatment center and traveling south. As they encounter strange companions, storms, and the ache of memory, the book explores motherhood, childhood, and the fragile ties that bind family.

    The 12169th Greatest Book of All Time
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  24. 224. The Catch by Yrsa Daley-Ward

    Twin sisters Clara and Dempsey — long estranged after their mother disappeared into the Thames — are pulled back together when Clara spots a woman in London who looks exactly like her. Clara becomes convinced the woman is their missing mother while Dempsey suspects a con, and their clash forces both sisters to confront the past and reckon with questions of identity, family and the cost of choosing yourself.

    The 12173rd Greatest Book of All Time
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  25. 225. The Rest Of Our Lives by Benjamin Markovits

    Tom Layward, who once vowed to leave his wife after their youngest daughter turned eighteen following her affair, puts that plan into motion while driving their daughter to college and keeps heading west. The novel follows his solitary road trip and memories as it examines the emotional complexities and aftermath of a long-term marriage.

    The 12186th Greatest Book of All Time
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Reading Statistics

Click the button below to see how many of these books you've read!

Download

If you're interested in downloading this list as a CSV file for use in a spreadsheet application, you can easily do so by clicking the button below. Please note that to ensure a manageable file size and faster download, the CSV will include details for only the first 500 books.

Download

To download this list as a CSV file, please log in to your account. Once logged in, you'll be able to download the data for use in spreadsheet applications.

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