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Goodreads Most Difficult Novels: 2021 Update, Now Much Longer - Page 7

"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 7 of 9
Atonement (Ian McEwan)
Atonement
241
Ian McEwan
The Human Stain (Philip Roth)
The Human Stain
242
Philip Roth
Anathem (Neal Stephenson)
Anathem
243
Neal Stephenson
The House of Mirth (Edith Wharton)
The House of Mirth
244
Edith Wharton
Embassytown (China Miéville)
Embassytown
245
China Miéville
The Historian (Elizabeth Kostova)
The Historian
246
Elizabeth Kostova
The Confidence-Man (Herman Melville)
The Confidence-Man
247
Herman Melville
A Farewell to Arms (Ernest Hemingway)
A Farewell to Arms
248
Ernest Hemingway
Nightwood (Djuna Barnes)
Nightwood
249
Djuna Barnes
Mulligan Stew (Gilbert Sorrentino)
Mulligan Stew
250
Gilbert Sorrentino
See Under: Love (David Grossman, Trans. Betsy Rosenberg)
See Under: Love
251
David Grossman, Trans. Betsy Rosenberg
People of the Book (Geraldine Brooks)
People of the Book
252
Geraldine Brooks
The Mayor of Casterbridge (Thomas Hardy)
The Mayor of Casterbridge
253
Thomas Hardy
The House of Assignation (Alain Robbe-Grillet)
The House of Assignation
254
Alain Robbe-Grillet
A Death in the Family (James Agee)
A Death in the Family
255
James Agee
Sister Carrie (Theodore Dreiser)
Sister Carrie
256
Theodore Dreiser
Gould's Book of Fish (Richard Flanagan)
Gould's Book of Fish
257
Richard Flanagan
The Soft Machine (William S. Burroughs)
The Soft Machine
258
William S. Burroughs
The Green House (Mario Vargas Llosa)
The Green House
259
Mario Vargas Llosa
Winesburg, Ohio (Sherwood Anderson)
Winesburg, Ohio
260
Sherwood Anderson
Mao II (Don Delillo)
Mao II
261
Don Delillo
A Little Life (Hanya Yanagihara)
A Little Life
262
Hanya Yanagihara
The Urth of the New Sun (Gene Wolfe)
The Urth of the New Sun
263
Gene Wolfe
Grimus (Salman Rushdie)
Grimus
264
Salman Rushdie
The Book of Dave (Will Self)
The Book of Dave
265
Will Self
Knowledge of Hell (António Lobo Antunes)
Knowledge of Hell
266
António Lobo Antunes
The Fall (Albert Camus)
The Fall
267
Albert Camus
Little Lovely Things (Maureen Joyce Connolly)
Little Lovely Things
268
Maureen Joyce Connolly
The Double (José Saramago)
The Double
269
José Saramago
Pincher Martin (William Golding)
Pincher Martin
270
William Golding
Nedjma (Kateb Yacine)
Nedjma
271
Kateb Yacine
Howards End (E.M. Forster)
Howards End
272
E.M. Forster
Lanark (Alasdair Gray)
Lanark
273
Alasdair Gray
Three Trapped Tigers (Guillermo Cabrera Infante, Trans. Suzanne Levine)
Three Trapped Tigers
274
Guillermo Cabrera Infante, Trans. Suzanne Levine
The Well of Loneliness (Radclyffe Hall)
The Well of Loneliness
275
Radclyffe Hall
Inferno and From an Occult Diary (August Strindberg)
Inferno and From an Occult Diary
276
August Strindberg
The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman (Laurence Sterne)
The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman
277
Laurence Sterne
Chronic City (Jonathan Lethem)
Chronic City
278
Jonathan Lethem
The Battlefield Where the Moon Says I Love You (Frank Stanford)
The Battlefield Where the Moon Says I Love You
279
Frank Stanford
Brief Interviews With Hideous Men (David Foster Wallace)
Brief Interviews With Hideous Men
280
David Foster Wallace
Page 7 of 9
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