List Challenges
Movies Books Travel Food Other
Trending
New
Popular
Sign In
 Make a List Browse Lists Search Lists Leaders Help / Contact Newsletter

Beyond the Modern Library: The 35 Greatest Novels of the 21st Century So Far (+15 Rejects)

Two sides of 21st century fiction, according to the 2013 source article by nighthawk4486.
1-35: The Greats
36-50: The Not-So-Goodies
nighthawk4486 gives interesting, sometimes vicious, reasons for his choices within each category.
Read More
955 users · 4,520 views
 
avg. score: 7 of 50 (15%)
required scores: 1, 3, 5, 7, 11 
type to search

How many have you read?

Page 1 of 2
Jonathan Sstrange and Mister Norrell
Jonathan Sstrange and Mister Norrell
1
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay (Michael Chabon)
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
2
Michael Chabon
White Teeth (Zadie Smith)
White Teeth
3
Zadie Smith
The Tiger's Wife (Tea Obreht)
The Tiger's Wife
4
Tea Obreht
Atonement (Ian McEwan)
Atonement
5
Ian McEwan
Empire Falls (Richard Russo)
Empire Falls
6
Richard Russo
The Imperfectionists (Tom Rachman)
The Imperfectionists
7
Tom Rachman
Freedom (Jonathan Franzen)
Freedom
8
Jonathan Franzen
No Country for Old Men (Cormac McCarthy)
No Country for Old Men
9
Cormac McCarthy
Bel Canto (Ann Pratchett)
Bel Canto
10
Ann Pratchett
Fun Home (Alison Bechdel)
Fun Home
11
Alison Bechdel
Shalimar the Clown (Salman Rushdie)
Shalimar the Clown
12
Salman Rushdie
The Night Circus (Erin Morgenstern)
The Night Circus
13
Erin Morgenstern
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (Mark Haddon)
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
14
Mark Haddon
The Plot Against America (Philip Roth)
The Plot Against America
15
Philip Roth
The Blind Assassin (Margaret Atwood)
The Blind Assassin
16
Margaret Atwood
Snow (Orhan Pamuk)
Snow
17
Orhan Pamuk
On Beauty (Zadie Smith)
On Beauty
18
Zadie Smith
Kafka on the Shore (Haruki Murakami)
Kafka on the Shore
19
Haruki Murakami
Where'd You Go, Bernadette (Maria Semple)
Where'd You Go, Bernadette
20
Maria Semple
Exit Ghost (Philip Roth)
Exit Ghost
21
Philip Roth
Everyman
Everyman
22
The Namesake (Jhumpa Lahiri)
The Namesake
23
Jhumpa Lahiri
Middlesex (Jeffrey Eugenides)
Middlesex
24
Jeffrey Eugenides
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (J.K. Rowling)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
25
J.K. Rowling
The Passage (Justin Cronin)
The Passage
26
Justin Cronin
The Girl Who Fell From the Sky (Heidi W. Durrow)
The Girl Who Fell From the Sky
27
Heidi W. Durrow
The Corrections (Jonathan Franzen)
The Corrections
28
Jonathan Franzen
True History of the Ned Kelly Gang
True History of the Ned Kelly Gang
29
American Gods (Neil Gaiman)
American Gods
30
Neil Gaiman
The Golem and the Jinni (Helene Wecker)
The Golem and the Jinni
31
Helene Wecker
Inherent Vice (Thomas Pynchon)
Inherent Vice
32
Thomas Pynchon
Bridge of Sighs
Bridge of Sighs
33
Oryx and Crake (Margaret Atwood)
Oryx and Crake
34
Margaret Atwood
Portrait of an Artist, as an Old Man
Portrait of an Artist, as an Old Man
35
The Historian (Elizabeth Kostova)
The Historian
36
Elizabeth Kostova
The Memory Keeper's Daughter (Kim Edwards)
The Memory Keeper's Daughter
37
Kim Edwards
Absurdistan (Gary Shteyngart)
Absurdistan
38
Gary Shteyngart
Special Topics in Calamity Physics (Marisha Pessl)
Special Topics in Calamity Physics
39
Marisha Pessl
Everything Is Illuminated (Jonathan Safran Foer)
Everything Is Illuminated
40
Jonathan Safran Foer
Page 1 of 2
Click books you've read
Lists Similar to 'Beyond the Modern Library: The 35 Greatest Novels of the 21st Century So Far (+15 Rejects)'
Best 21st Century Novels (So Far...)
Best 21st Century Novels (So Far...)
880
145
The Best Novels of the 21st Century (So Far)
The Best Novels of the 21st Century (So Far)
747
50
The Greatest Books of the 21st Century (So Far)
The Greatest Books of the 21st Century (So Far)
8,777
240
Greatest Books of the 21st Century So Far - Multiple Lists
Greatest Books of the 21st Century So Far - Multiple Lists
945
481
The 21st Century's Greatest Novels According to BBC
The 21st Century's Greatest Novels According to BBC
862
20
Have You Read the 21st-Century's 'Greatest Novel So Far'?
Have You Read the 21st-Century's 'Greatest Novel So Far'?
530
20
The 21st Century's 12 Greatest Novels
The 21st Century's 12 Greatest Novels
453
20
Modern Library's 100 Best Novels
Modern Library's 100 Best Novels
32,382
100
The 121 Best Novels of the 20th/21st Centuries According to the Modern Novel
The 121 Best Novels of the 20th/21st Centuries According to the Modern Novel
9,583
121
100 Best Novels by Modern Library
100 Best Novels by Modern Library
2,804
100
Modern Library's 100 Best Novels (Readers' List)
Modern Library's 100 Best Novels (Readers' List)
2,673
100
The Modern Library: The Two Hundred Best Novels in English Since 1950
The Modern Library: The Two Hundred Best Novels in English Since 1950
2,570
203
The Modern Library: 100 Best Novels
The Modern Library: 100 Best Novels
2,361
100
Modern Library: 200 Best Novels in English Since 1950
Modern Library: 200 Best Novels in English Since 1950
1,677
209
Modern Library's 100 Best Novels - The Board and the Readers Agreed on These 32
Modern Library's 100 Best Novels - The Board and the Readers Agreed on These 32
933
32
45 Novels Written in the 19th Century That Deserve a Place on the Modern Bookshelf
45 Novels Written in the 19th Century That Deserve a Place on the Modern Bookshelf
2,534
45
100 Greatest Books - Modern Library
100 Greatest Books - Modern Library
758
100
100 Greatest Books, Public Choice - Modern Library
100 Greatest Books, Public Choice - Modern Library
684
100
Goodreads' Top 100 Books From the 21st Century (So Far)
Goodreads' Top 100 Books From the 21st Century (So Far)
10,153
100
The Guardian's 100 Best Books of the 21st Century (So Far)
The Guardian's 100 Best Books of the 21st Century (So Far)
4,896
100
Best Books of the 21st Century (So Far)
Best Books of the 21st Century (So Far)
4,203
100
The Most Important Novels of the 21st Century (At Least According to "Goodreads")
The Most Important Novels of the 21st Century (At Least According to "Goodreads")
3,778
100
100 21st Century Novels
100 21st Century Novels
2,347
100
100 21st-Century Novels to Love
100 21st-Century Novels to Love
2,257
100
Top 100 English Language Novels of the 20th Century (Madison Public Library)
Top 100 English Language Novels of the 20th Century (Madison Public Library)
2,023
100
The 50 Best Fantasy Books of the 21st Century (So Far)
The 50 Best Fantasy Books of the 21st Century (So Far)
1,805
50
Vulture's 100+ Best Books of the 21st Century (So Far)
Vulture's 100+ Best Books of the 21st Century (So Far)
1,480
108
50 Best Contemporary Novels From the 21st Century That You Should Read
50 Best Contemporary Novels From the 21st Century That You Should Read
1,387
50
200 Great Novels of the 21st Century
200 Great Novels of the 21st Century
1,230
200
Best Novels of the 21st Century (Core List)
Best Novels of the 21st Century (Core List)
1,097
37
All Similar Lists
Newsletter · Help/Contact · Privacy · Copyright Claim   © 2025 App Spring, Inc. · This product uses the TMDb API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDb.
Seen It - Movies & TV 
Android & iOS
Seen It is a new app from the creators of List Challenges. You can view movies and shows in one place and filter by streaming provider, genre, release year, runtime, and rating (Rotten Tomatoes, Imdb, and/or Metacritic). Also, you can track what you've seen, want to see, like, or dislike, as well as track individual seasons or episodes of shows. In addition, you can see the most watched/liked stuff amongst your friends. Learn more at SEENIT.FUN