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Goodreads Most Difficult Novels: 2021 Update, Now Much Longer - Page 4

"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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avg. score: 43 of 353 (12%)
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Page 4 of 9
The Last of the Mohicans (James Fenimore Cooper)
The Last of the Mohicans
121
James Fenimore Cooper
The Castle (Franz Kafka)
The Castle
122
Franz Kafka
The House of the Seven Gables (Nathaniel Hawthorne)
The House of the Seven Gables
123
Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Gunslinger (Stephen King)
The Gunslinger
124
Stephen King
The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald)
The Great Gatsby
125
F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Executioner's Song (Norman Mailer)
The Executioner's Song
126
Norman Mailer
Hopscotch (Julio Cortázar)
Hopscotch
127
Julio Cortázar
The Sot-Weed Factor (John Barth)
The Sot-Weed Factor
128
John Barth
The Third Policeman (Flann O'Brien)
The Third Policeman
129
Flann O'Brien
Invisible Cities (Italo Calvino)
Invisible Cities
130
Italo Calvino
The Pilgrim's Regress (C.S. Lewis)
The Pilgrim's Regress
131
C.S. Lewis
Shadow & Claw (Gene Wolfe)
Shadow & Claw
132
Gene Wolfe
Little Bee (Chris Cleave)
Little Bee
133
Chris Cleave
Underworld (Don Delillo)
Underworld
134
Don Delillo
The Picture of Dorian Gray (Oscar Wilde)
The Picture of Dorian Gray
135
Oscar Wilde
Last Exit to Brooklyn (Hubert Selby Jr)
Last Exit to Brooklyn
136
Hubert Selby Jr
Cryptonomicon (Neal Stephenson)
Cryptonomicon
137
Neal Stephenson
Rabbit, Run (John Updike)
Rabbit, Run
138
John Updike
Wise Blood (Flannery O'Connor)
Wise Blood
139
Flannery O'Connor
Billy Budd, Sailor (Herman Melville)
Billy Budd, Sailor
140
Herman Melville
A Void (Georges Perec)
A Void
141
Georges Perec
The Game of Kings (Dorothy Dunnett)
The Game of Kings
142
Dorothy Dunnett
A Passage to India (E.M. Forster)
A Passage to India
143
E.M. Forster
Clarissa, Or, the History of a Young Lady (Samuel Richardson)
Clarissa, Or, the History of a Young Lady
144
Samuel Richardson
The 120 Days of Sodom (Marquis De Sade)
The 120 Days of Sodom
145
Marquis De Sade
Correction (Thomas Bernhard, Trans. Sophie Wilkins)
Correction
146
Thomas Bernhard, Trans. Sophie Wilkins
If on a Winter's Night a Traveler (Italo Calvino)
If on a Winter's Night a Traveler
147
Italo Calvino
The Forsyte Saga (John Galsworthy)
The Forsyte Saga
148
John Galsworthy
The Death of Virgil (Hermann Broch)
The Death of Virgil
149
Hermann Broch
Our Mutual Friend (Charles Dickens)
Our Mutual Friend
150
Charles Dickens
"...And Ladies of the Club" (Helen Hooven Santmyer)
"...And Ladies of the Club"
151
Helen Hooven Santmyer
Time's Arrow (Martin Amis)
Time's Arrow
152
Martin Amis
The Autumn of the Patriarch (Gabriel García Márquez)
The Autumn of the Patriarch
153
Gabriel García Márquez
We (Yevgeny Zamyatin)
We
154
Yevgeny Zamyatin
The Combinations (Louis Armand)
The Combinations
155
Louis Armand
Gulliver's Travels (Jonathan Swift)
Gulliver's Travels
156
Jonathan Swift
Eugene Onegin (Alexander Pushkin)
Eugene Onegin
157
Alexander Pushkin
Light in August (William Faulkner)
Light in August
158
William Faulkner
Demons (Fyodor Dostoevsky)
Demons
159
Fyodor Dostoevsky
The Lover (Marguerite Duras, Trans. Barbara Bray)
The Lover
160
Marguerite Duras, Trans. Barbara Bray
Page 4 of 9
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