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Books With the Most Compelling Prose

Whether fiction or non-fiction, these are standout stories. Along with unique turns of phrase, these thirty books also have plotlines, structures and characters like nothing I have read before.
This is paintbrush prose. You read a paragraph and have to close your eyes for a few seconds, to dwell in the painting and music of it. To appreciate the mastery of this craft. These are books that you begin reading and realize: oh, this is something different.
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Address Unknown (Kressmann Taylor)
Address Unknown
1
Kressmann Taylor
Bad Feminist (Roxane Gay)
Bad Feminist
2
Roxane Gay
Beloved (Toni Morrison)
Beloved
3
Toni Morrison
The Bonesetter's Daughter (Amy Tan)
The Bonesetter's Daughter
4
Amy Tan
The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao (Junot Diaz)
The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao
5
Junot Diaz
The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother (James McBride)
The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother
6
James McBride
The Country of the Pointed Firs (Sarah Orne Jewett)
The Country of the Pointed Firs
7
Sarah Orne Jewett
Ella Minnow Pea (Mark Dunn)
Ella Minnow Pea
8
Mark Dunn
Fahrenheit 451 (Ray Bradbury)
Fahrenheit 451
9
Ray Bradbury
Ghana Must Go (Taiye Selasi)
Ghana Must Go
10
Taiye Selasi
The Girl Who Fell From the Sky (Heidi W. Durrow)
The Girl Who Fell From the Sky
11
Heidi W. Durrow
Girls Burn Brighter (Shobha Rao)
Girls Burn Brighter
12
Shobha Rao
The Glass Castle (Jeannette Walls)
The Glass Castle
13
Jeannette Walls
The God of Small Things (Arundhati Roy)
The God of Small Things
14
Arundhati Roy
In Other Words (Lahiri)
In Other Words
15
Lahiri
Let the Great World Spin (Colum McCann)
Let the Great World Spin
16
Colum McCann
Mr. Fox (Helen Oyeyemi)
Mr. Fox
17
Helen Oyeyemi
Mujeres De Ojos Grandes (Ángeles Mastretta)
Mujeres De Ojos Grandes
18
Ángeles Mastretta
The Net of Dreams (Julie Salamon)
The Net of Dreams
19
Julie Salamon
Pachinko (Min Jin Lee)
Pachinko
20
Min Jin Lee
Possession (A.S. Byatt)
Possession
21
A.S. Byatt
Silas Marner (George Eliot)
Silas Marner
22
George Eliot
So You Want to Talk About Race (Ijeoma Oluo)
So You Want to Talk About Race
23
Ijeoma Oluo
The Sympathizer (Viet Thanh Nguyen)
The Sympathizer
24
Viet Thanh Nguyen
Their Eyes Were Watching God (Zora Neale Hurston)
Their Eyes Were Watching God
25
Zora Neale Hurston
The Things They Carried (Tim O'Brien)
The Things They Carried
26
Tim O'Brien
This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage (Ann Patchett)
This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage
27
Ann Patchett
Through the Looking Glass (Lewis Carroll)
Through the Looking Glass
28
Lewis Carroll
The Witches Are Coming (Lindy West)
The Witches Are Coming
29
Lindy West
The Writing Life (Annie Dillard)
The Writing Life
30
Annie Dillard
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