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Some Great 20th Century Novels: A Personal Selection

Our maverick English Teacher and genre enthusiast looks at the century he was born in and lived in for the first 50 years of his life, and comes up with 100 novels that in some way illuminate the period. While some attempt at historical significance and verisimilitude has been made, this list is meant to be personal, and by no means should it be taken as exhaustive or authoritative. Many great books are not here, as our compiler limited himself to 100 novels, and allowed only 1 book per author.
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made by James Loranger
avg. score: 14 of 100 (14%)
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1984 (George Orwell)
1984
1
George Orwell
Advise and Consent (Allen Drury)
Advise and Consent
2
Allen Drury
After Many a Summer Dies the Swan (Aldous Huxley)
After Many a Summer Dies the Swan
3
Aldous Huxley
The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
The Alchemist
4
Paulo Coelho
The Alienist (Caleb Carr)
The Alienist
5
Caleb Carr
All the Pretty Horses (Cormac McCarthy)
All the Pretty Horses
6
Cormac McCarthy
All Quiet on the Western Front (Erich Maria Remarque)
All Quiet on the Western Front
7
Erich Maria Remarque
American Tabloid (James Ellroy)
American Tabloid
8
James Ellroy
And Then There Were None (Agatha Christie)
And Then There Were None
9
Agatha Christie
Appointment in Samarra (John O'Hara)
Appointment in Samarra
10
John O'Hara
As I Lay Dying (William Faulkner)
As I Lay Dying
11
William Faulkner
Atonement (Ian McEwan)
Atonement
12
Ian McEwan
The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas (Gertrude Stein)
The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas
13
Gertrude Stein
The Big Sleep (Raymond Chandler)
The Big Sleep
14
Raymond Chandler
The Blackboard Jungle (Evan Hunter)
The Blackboard Jungle
15
Evan Hunter
Brideshead Revisited (Evelyn Waugh)
Brideshead Revisited
16
Evelyn Waugh
A Canticle for Leibowitz (Walter M. Miller, Jr.)
A Canticle for Leibowitz
17
Walter M. Miller, Jr.
The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
The Catcher in the Rye
18
J.D. Salinger
A Clockwork Orange (Anthony Burgess)
A Clockwork Orange
19
Anthony Burgess
The Crook Factory (Simmons)
The Crook Factory
20
Simmons
The Crying of Lot 49 (Thomas Pynchon)
The Crying of Lot 49
21
Thomas Pynchon
The Daughter of Time (Josephine Tey)
The Daughter of Time
22
Josephine Tey
Death in Venice (Thomas Mann)
Death in Venice
23
Thomas Mann
The Dispossessed (Ursula K Le Guin)
The Dispossessed
24
Ursula K Le Guin
Double Indemnity (James M. Cain)
Double Indemnity
25
James M. Cain
Elmer Gantry (Sinclair Lewis)
Elmer Gantry
26
Sinclair Lewis
The Erasers
The Erasers
27
The First Circle (Solzhenitsyn)
The First Circle
28
Solzhenitsyn
Gentleman's Agreement
Gentleman's Agreement
29
The Glass Key (Dashiell Hammett)
The Glass Key
30
Dashiell Hammett
God's Little Acre (Erskine Caldwell)
God's Little Acre
31
Erskine Caldwell
Gone With the Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
Gone With the Wind
32
Margaret Mitchell
The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
The Grapes of Wrath
33
John Steinbeck
The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald)
The Great Gatsby
34
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Group Portrait With Lady (Bõll)
Group Portrait With Lady
35
Bõll
The Handmaid's Tale (Margaret Atwood)
The Handmaid's Tale
36
Margaret Atwood
The Haunting of Hill House (Shirley Jackson)
The Haunting of Hill House
37
Shirley Jackson
Hell House (Richard Marheson)
Hell House
38
Richard Marheson
A High Wind in Jamaica (Richard Hughes)
A High Wind in Jamaica
39
Richard Hughes
The House of Mirth (Edith Wharton)
The House of Mirth
40
Edith Wharton
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