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Goodreads Most Difficult Novels: 2021 Update, Now Much Longer - Page 3

"Novels that made you work the hardest. Let's assume that you actually finished the book and felt that it was worth the effort" (Goodreads).
Despite the Goodreads instructions, in practice I think there were many different interpretations of 'difficult'. Hence the inclusion of "The Host" by Stephenie Meyer. Anyway IMHO the list could be used as a fairly wide-ranging and challenging TBR.
Criteria for inclusion: at least 3 votes OR 2 votes and 100+ ratings.
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Page 3 of 9
Oliver Twist (Charles Dickens)
Oliver Twist
81
Charles Dickens
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (Susanna Clarke)
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
82
Susanna Clarke
Trainspotting (Irvine Welsh)
Trainspotting
83
Irvine Welsh
The Fellowship of the Ring (J.R.R. Tolkien)
The Fellowship of the Ring
84
J.R.R. Tolkien
JR (William Gaddis)
JR
85
William Gaddis
The Illuminatus! Trilogy (Robert Shea & Robert Anton Wilson)
The Illuminatus! Trilogy
86
Robert Shea & Robert Anton Wilson
The Awakening (Kate Chopin)
The Awakening
87
Kate Chopin
Under the Volcano (Malcolm Lowry)
Under the Volcano
88
Malcolm Lowry
Animal Farm (George Orwell)
Animal Farm
89
George Orwell
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle (Haruki Murakami)
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
90
Haruki Murakami
The Red and the Black (Stendhal)
The Red and the Black
91
Stendhal
The Magus (John Fowles)
The Magus
92
John Fowles
The Mill on the Floss (George Eliot)
The Mill on the Floss
93
George Eliot
The Unnamable (Samuel Beckett)
The Unnamable
94
Samuel Beckett
The Master and Margarita (Mikhail Bulgakov)
The Master and Margarita
95
Mikhail Bulgakov
Women in Love (D. H. Lawrence)
Women in Love
96
D. H. Lawrence
The Ambassadors (Henry James)
The Ambassadors
97
Henry James
Lord Jim (Joseph Conrad)
Lord Jim
98
Joseph Conrad
Neverwhere (Neil Gaiman)
Neverwhere
99
Neil Gaiman
The Halo Grower - An Illustrated Novel (Ryushiro Hindemith)
The Halo Grower - An Illustrated Novel
100
Ryushiro Hindemith
Suttree (Cormac McCarthy)
Suttree
101
Cormac McCarthy
Jealousy (Alain Robbe-Grillet)
Jealousy
102
Alain Robbe-Grillet
Kafka on the Shore (Haruki Murakami)
Kafka on the Shore
103
Haruki Murakami
Dune (Frank Herbert)
Dune
104
Frank Herbert
Death Comes for the Archbishop (Willa Cather)
Death Comes for the Archbishop
105
Willa Cather
Doctor Faustus (Thomas Mann)
Doctor Faustus
106
Thomas Mann
Jude the Obscure (Thomas Hardy)
Jude the Obscure
107
Thomas Hardy
The Tin Drum (Gunter Grass)
The Tin Drum
108
Gunter Grass
Shōgun : The Epic Novel of Japan (James Clavell)
Shōgun : The Epic Novel of Japan
109
James Clavell
The White Hotel (D.M. Thomas)
The White Hotel
110
D.M. Thomas
Bloomsday: The Bostoniad (David B. Lentz)
Bloomsday: The Bostoniad
111
David B. Lentz
Slaughterhouse-Five (Kurt Vonnegut)
Slaughterhouse-Five
112
Kurt Vonnegut
Paradise (Toni Morrison)
Paradise
113
Toni Morrison
Sophie's World (Jostein Gaarder)
Sophie's World
114
Jostein Gaarder
Riddley Walker (Russell Hoban)
Riddley Walker
115
Russell Hoban
Stardust (Neil Gaiman)
Stardust
116
Neil Gaiman
Shadow Moon (George Lucas)
Shadow Moon
117
George Lucas
Madame Bovary (Gustave Flaubert)
Madame Bovary
118
Gustave Flaubert
Malone Dies (Samuel Beckett)
Malone Dies
119
Samuel Beckett
Silas Marner (George Eliot)
Silas Marner
120
George Eliot
Page 3 of 9
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