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

Book Riot's 100 Must-Read Generational and Family Novels

Whether famous or fictional, reading about quirky/weird/mysterious kith and kin gives readers the ultimate voyeuristic peek into the secret anatomy of a family. When an author has the opportunity in a novel or a book to paint a cast of characters over a long period of time, they're able to plant family mysteries; unveil flaws that are passed down from ancestors to descendants; and slowly unravel secrets held tight for generations. These things, either combined or on their own, create great plot twists and reveal to us truths about our own dysfunctional families that we are too ashamed to admit.
Read More
10,907 users · 28,700 views
 
from bookriot.com · made by Peggy
avg. score: 14 of 100 (14%)
required scores: 1, 5, 9, 14, 22 
type to search

How many have you read?

Page 1 of 3
Commonwealth (Ann Patchett)
Commonwealth
1
Ann Patchett
The Corrections (Jonathan Franzen)
The Corrections
2
Jonathan Franzen
A Spool of Blue Thread (Anne Tyler)
A Spool of Blue Thread
3
Anne Tyler
East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
East of Eden
4
John Steinbeck
Homegoing (Yaa Gyasi)
Homegoing
5
Yaa Gyasi
Anna Karenina (Leo Tolstoy)
Anna Karenina
6
Leo Tolstoy
100 Years of Solitude (Gabriel Garcí­A Márquez)
100 Years of Solitude
7
Gabriel Garcí­A Márquez
We Were the Mulvaneys (Joyce Carol Oates)
We Were the Mulvaneys
8
Joyce Carol Oates
Freedom (Jonathan Franzen)
Freedom
9
Jonathan Franzen
Pachinko (Min Jin Lee)
Pachinko
10
Min Jin Lee
We Had It So Good (Linda Grant)
We Had It So Good
11
Linda Grant
Middlesex (Jeffrey Eugenides)
Middlesex
12
Jeffrey Eugenides
The Moor's Last Sigh (Salman Rushdie)
The Moor's Last Sigh
13
Salman Rushdie
Bone (Fae Myenne Ng)
Bone
14
Fae Myenne Ng
The Namesake (Jhumpa Lahiri)
The Namesake
15
Jhumpa Lahiri
Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (Rebecca Wells)
Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood
16
Rebecca Wells
The Joy Luck Club (Amy Tan)
The Joy Luck Club
17
Amy Tan
Song of Solomon (Toni Morrison)
Song of Solomon
18
Toni Morrison
In Babylon (Marcel Moring)
In Babylon
19
Marcel Moring
The Romanov Sisters (Helen Rapparport)
The Romanov Sisters
20
Helen Rapparport
Gilead (Marilynne Robinson)
Gilead
21
Marilynne Robinson
The Blind Assassin (Margaret Atwood)
The Blind Assassin
22
Margaret Atwood
I Capture the Castle (Dodie Smith)
I Capture the Castle
23
Dodie Smith
Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald)
Fall on Your Knees
24
Ann-Marie MacDonald
Family Matters (Rohinton Mistry)
Family Matters
25
Rohinton Mistry
Roots (Alex Haley)
Roots
26
Alex Haley
The Glass Castle (Jeannette Walls)
The Glass Castle
27
Jeannette Walls
White Teeth (Zadie Smith)
White Teeth
28
Zadie Smith
A Song of Ice and Fire Series
A Song of Ice and Fire Series
29
Chesapeake (James Michener)
Chesapeake
30
James Michener
The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
The Thorn Birds
31
Colleen McCullough
Anywhere but Here (Mona Simpson)
Anywhere but Here
32
Mona Simpson
Midnight's Children (Salman Rushdie)
Midnight's Children
33
Salman Rushdie
The God of Small Things (Arundhati Roy)
The God of Small Things
34
Arundhati Roy
Brooklyn (Colm Toibin)
Brooklyn
35
Colm Toibin
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
36
Betty Smith
The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
The Good Earth
37
Pearl S. Buck
Things Fall Apart (Chinua Achebe)
Things Fall Apart
38
Chinua Achebe
Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)
Anne of Green Gables
39
L.M. Montgomery
Buddenbrooks (Thomas Mann)
Buddenbrooks
40
Thomas Mann
Page 1 of 3
Click books you've read
Lists Similar to 'Book Riot's 100 Must-Read Generational and Family Novels'
100 Must-Read Generational and Family Novels
100 Must-Read Generational and Family Novels
915
100
Book Riot's 50+ Must-Read Gothic Novels and Stories
Book Riot's 50+ Must-Read Gothic Novels and Stories
979
54
Book Riot's 50 Must-Read Novels About Older Women
Book Riot's 50 Must-Read Novels About Older Women
580
50
Book Riot's 50 Must-Read Novels About Writers
Book Riot's 50 Must-Read Novels About Writers
532
49
Book Riot's 50 Must-Read Contemporary YA Novels of the 2010s
Book Riot's 50 Must-Read Contemporary YA Novels of the 2010s
416
50
Book Riot's 20 Must-Read Novels From the 1990s
Book Riot's 20 Must-Read Novels From the 1990s
320
20
Book Riot's 13 of the Best Hard-Hitting YA Novels to Read
Book Riot's 13 of the Best Hard-Hitting YA Novels to Read
101
13
Book Riot's the Best Found Family YA Books
Book Riot's the Best Found Family YA Books
152
15
Epic, Multi-Generational Family Sagas
Epic, Multi-Generational Family Sagas
726
38
Generational and Family Genre
Generational and Family Genre
356
109
Book Riot's 100 Greatest American Novels (1893-1993)
Book Riot's 100 Greatest American Novels (1893-1993)
981
100
Book Riot's Greatest American Novels 1893-1993
Book Riot's Greatest American Novels 1893-1993
835
98
Book Riot Reader's Favorite School Novels
Book Riot Reader's Favorite School Novels
630
40
Book Riot Reader's Favorite Horror Novels
Book Riot Reader's Favorite Horror Novels
567
64
Book Riot Reader's Favorite Unconventional Horror Novels
Book Riot Reader's Favorite Unconventional Horror Novels
486
37
Book Riot Reader's Favorite Shifted Perspective Novels
Book Riot Reader's Favorite Shifted Perspective Novels
334
20
Book Riot's 18 of the Best Fantasy Novels for Adults
Book Riot's 18 of the Best Fantasy Novels for Adults
286
18
Book Riot Reader's Favorite Suspenseful YA Novels
Book Riot Reader's Favorite Suspenseful YA Novels
280
23
Book Riot's 16 Favorite YA Novels Set in New York City
Book Riot's 16 Favorite YA Novels Set in New York City
281
16
Book Riot's 23 Fun and Delightful Light Fantasy Novels
Book Riot's 23 Fun and Delightful Light Fantasy Novels
206
23
Book Riot Reader's Favorite Comics & Graphic Novels for All Ages
Book Riot Reader's Favorite Comics & Graphic Novels for All Ages
199
26
Book Riot Reader's Favorite Sci-Fi Graphic Novels
Book Riot Reader's Favorite Sci-Fi Graphic Novels
189
25
Book Riot's 20 of the Best Graphic Novels for Teens
Book Riot's 20 of the Best Graphic Novels for Teens
167
20
Book Riot's From Zero to Well Read in 100 Books
Book Riot's From Zero to Well Read in 100 Books
5,632
100
Book Riot's 100 Must-Read Modern Classics
Book Riot's 100 Must-Read Modern Classics
4,886
100
Book Riot's 100 Must-Read Books That Make You Cry
Book Riot's 100 Must-Read Books That Make You Cry
2,548
100
Book Riot's 100 Must Read Books About Sisters
Book Riot's 100 Must Read Books About Sisters
2,001
100
Book Riot's 50 Must-Read Books of More Than 500 Pages
Book Riot's 50 Must-Read Books of More Than 500 Pages
1,994
50
Book Riot's 50 Must-Read Books With Unreliable Narrators
Book Riot's 50 Must-Read Books With Unreliable Narrators
1,811
51
Book Riot's 50 Must-Read Coming-Of-Age Books
Book Riot's 50 Must-Read Coming-Of-Age Books
1,524
50
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