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

Goodreads' 200 Most Difficult Novels

"Novels that made you work the hardest. Let's assume that you actually finished the book and felt that it was worth the effort."
Read More
169,974 users · 991,260 views
 
from goodreads.com · made by hollis frampton
avg. score: 25 of 200 (13%)
required scores: 1, 10, 15, 25, 41 
type to search

How many have you read?

Page 1 of 5
Ulysses (James Joyce)
Ulysses
1
James Joyce
Finnegans Wake (James Joyce)
Finnegans Wake
2
James Joyce
The Sound and the Fury (William Faulkner)
The Sound and the Fury
3
William Faulkner
Moby-Dick (Herman Melville)
Moby-Dick
4
Herman Melville
Gravity's Rainbow (Thomas Pynchon)
Gravity's Rainbow
5
Thomas Pynchon
War and Peace (Leo Tolstoy)
War and Peace
6
Leo Tolstoy
One Hundred Years of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
One Hundred Years of Solitude
7
Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoevsky)
Crime and Punishment
8
Fyodor Dostoevsky
Heart of Darkness (Joseph Conrad)
Heart of Darkness
9
Joseph Conrad
Infinite Jest (David Foster Wallace)
Infinite Jest
10
David Foster Wallace
Anna Karenina (Leo Tolstoy)
Anna Karenina
11
Leo Tolstoy
Naked Lunch (William S. Burroughs)
Naked Lunch
12
William S. Burroughs
The Brothers Karamazov (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
The Brothers Karamazov
13
Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Les Misérables (Victor Hugo)
Les Misérables
14
Victor Hugo
Lolita (Vladimir Nabokov)
Lolita
15
Vladimir Nabokov
The Name of the Rose (Umberto Eco)
The Name of the Rose
16
Umberto Eco
Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
Atlas Shrugged
17
Ayn Rand
In Search of Lost Time (Marcel Proust)
In Search of Lost Time
18
Marcel Proust
A Tale of Two Cities (Charles Dickens)
A Tale of Two Cities
19
Charles Dickens
House of Leaves (Mark Z. Danielewski)
House of Leaves
20
Mark Z. Danielewski
Foucault's Pendulum (Umberto Eco)
Foucault's Pendulum
21
Umberto Eco
Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
Catch-22
22
Joseph Heller
Absalom, Absalom! (William Faulkner)
Absalom, Absalom!
23
William Faulkner
Mrs. Dalloway (Virginia Woolf)
Mrs. Dalloway
24
Virginia Woolf
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (James Joyce)
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
25
James Joyce
A Clockwork Orange (Anthony Burgess)
A Clockwork Orange
26
Anthony Burgess
The Scarlet Letter (Nathaniel Hawthorne)
The Scarlet Letter
27
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Don Quixote (Miguel De Cervantes)
Don Quixote
28
Miguel De Cervantes
To the Lighthouse (Virginia Woolf)
To the Lighthouse
29
Virginia Woolf
Great Expectations (Charles Dickens)
Great Expectations
30
Charles Dickens
The Stranger (Albert Camus)
The Stranger
31
Albert Camus
Wuthering Heights (Emily Brontë)
Wuthering Heights
32
Emily Brontë
Beloved (Toni Morrison)
Beloved
33
Toni Morrison
The Idiot (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
The Idiot
34
Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Blood Meridian (Cormac McCarthy)
Blood Meridian
35
Cormac McCarthy
The Satanic Verses (Salman Rushdie)
The Satanic Verses
36
Salman Rushdie
The Unbearable Lightness of Being (Milan Kundera)
The Unbearable Lightness of Being
37
Milan Kundera
The Man Without Qualities (Robert Musil)
The Man Without Qualities
38
Robert Musil
The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
The Count of Monte Cristo
39
Alexandre Dumas
The Trial (Franz Kafka)
The Trial
40
Franz Kafka
Page 1 of 5
Click books you've read
Lists Similar to 'Goodreads' 200 Most Difficult Novels'
Goodreads Most Difficult Novels: 2021 Update, Now Much Longer
Goodreads Most Difficult Novels: 2021 Update, Now Much Longer
1,848
353
Difficult Books That Aren't Actually That Difficult
Difficult Books That Aren't Actually That Difficult
9,540
80
Literary Boot Camp: "Difficult but Rewarding" Books Per Goodreads
Literary Boot Camp: "Difficult but Rewarding" Books Per Goodreads
1,146
50
Top 100 Most Difficult Novels
Top 100 Most Difficult Novels
107,801
100
Novels, Novels and More Novels
Novels, Novels and More Novels
1,781
1000
Goodreads' Top 100 Literary Novels of All Time
Goodreads' Top 100 Literary Novels of All Time
17,955
100
All in Order: Goodreads Top 101 Novels
All in Order: Goodreads Top 101 Novels
5,265
101
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
50 "Postmodern Genius" Novels Per Goodreads
50 "Postmodern Genius" Novels Per Goodreads
3,134
50
Goodreads All Time Favorite Romance Novels (Top 50)
Goodreads All Time Favorite Romance Novels (Top 50)
2,702
50
50 Greatest American Novels of the 20th Century Per Goodreads
50 Greatest American Novels of the 20th Century Per Goodreads
1,967
50
Goodreads "Funniest Novels of All Time"
Goodreads "Funniest Novels of All Time"
1,621
254
Goodreads Best 20th Century American Novels: Complete & Up-To-Date
Goodreads Best 20th Century American Novels: Complete & Up-To-Date
1,622
240
Goodreads Community: 100 Best Voted Horror Novels
Goodreads Community: 100 Best Voted Horror Novels
1,521
100
Most Popular Horror Novels on Goodreads
Most Popular Horror Novels on Goodreads
1,222
60
Goodreads Favourite Novels About Professors or University Types
Goodreads Favourite Novels About Professors or University Types
985
200
The Greatest American Novels of the 20th Century as Interpreted by Goodreads Voters
The Greatest American Novels of the 20th Century as Interpreted by Goodreads Voters
944
96
Good American Novels: # 101-200 on Goodreads' "Great American Novel" List.
Good American Novels: # 101-200 on Goodreads' "Great American Novel" List.
946
100
Goodreads' Top 100 Romance Novels
Goodreads' Top 100 Romance Novels
701
100
Goodreads Favourite Magical Realism Novels
Goodreads Favourite Magical Realism Novels
650
100
Top Horror Novels on Goodreads
Top Horror Novels on Goodreads
573
500
Goodreads Readers' 50 All-Time Favorite Horror Novels
Goodreads Readers' 50 All-Time Favorite Horror Novels
520
50
50 Most Popular Horror Novels on Goodreads
50 Most Popular Horror Novels on Goodreads
489
50
Goodreads' Best Graphic Novels
Goodreads' Best Graphic Novels
468
100
Top 50 Favorite Horror Novels According to Goodreads
Top 50 Favorite Horror Novels According to Goodreads
468
50
Top 50 Favorite Horror Novels on Goodreads
Top 50 Favorite Horror Novels on Goodreads
399
50
Goodreads: 69 Winter-Themed Novels for Cold-Weather Reading
Goodreads: 69 Winter-Themed Novels for Cold-Weather Reading
361
69
Goodreads Very Popular Novels of Mid Century America
Goodreads Very Popular Novels of Mid Century America
331
80
Victorian Era Novels-Goodreads
Victorian Era Novels-Goodreads
307
203
Goodreads' the Most Popular Fantasy Novels of the Past Three Years
Goodreads' the Most Popular Fantasy Novels of the Past Three Years
315
72
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