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The Bibliophile's Best Books of Each Genre: Literary Fiction

This is the next list in my series of lists of the best books of each genre. This list contains the best literary fiction, so the best novels, or works of literature, based on their writing techniques, ability to develop protagonists and rich characters, and the skill of captivating readers with absorbing narratives. I can't realistically say these are the best 40 works of literature ever, but I can say that they were the ones that came to my mind first. Enjoy...
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All the King's Men (Robert Penn Warren)
All the King's Men
1
Robert Penn Warren
American Pastoral (Philip Roth)
American Pastoral
2
Philip Roth
Americanah (Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie)
Americanah
3
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Bel Canto (Ann Patchett)
Bel Canto
4
Ann Patchett
The Bell Jar (Sylvia Plath)
The Bell Jar
5
Sylvia Plath
Cat's Eye (Margaret Atwood)
Cat's Eye
6
Margaret Atwood
A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
A Fine Balance
7
Rohinton Mistry
The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
The Grapes of Wrath
8
John Steinbeck
Gravity's Rainbow (Thomas Pynchon)
Gravity's Rainbow
9
Thomas Pynchon
The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald)
The Great Gatsby
10
F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (Carson McCullers)
The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter
11
Carson McCullers
The Heat of the Day (Elizabeth Bowen)
The Heat of the Day
12
Elizabeth Bowen
Homegoing (Yaa Gyasi)
Homegoing
13
Yaa Gyasi
Hopscotch (Julio Cortazar)
Hopscotch
14
Julio Cortazar
The Hour of the Star (Clarice Lispector)
The Hour of the Star
15
Clarice Lispector
Housekeeping (Marilynne Robinson)
Housekeeping
16
Marilynne Robinson
Infinite Jest (David Foster Wallace)
Infinite Jest
17
David Foster Wallace
Invisible Man (Ralph Ellison)
Invisible Man
18
Ralph Ellison
Kafka on the Shore (Haruki Murakami)
Kafka on the Shore
19
Haruki Murakami
Lolita (Vladimir Nabokov)
Lolita
20
Vladimir Nabokov
The Magic Mountain (Thomas Mann, Trans. John E. Woods)
The Magic Mountain
21
Thomas Mann, Trans. John E. Woods
Midnight's Children (Salman Rushdie)
Midnight's Children
22
Salman Rushdie
My Brilliant Friend (Elena Ferrante)
My Brilliant Friend
23
Elena Ferrante
Of Human Bondage (W. Somerset Maugham)
Of Human Bondage
24
W. Somerset Maugham
Olive Kitteridge (Elizabeth Strout)
Olive Kitteridge
25
Elizabeth Strout
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich (Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn)
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
26
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Ken Kesey)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
27
Ken Kesey
Pachinko (Min Jin Lee)
Pachinko
28
Min Jin Lee
Possession (A.S. Byatt)
Possession
29
A.S. Byatt
A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
A Prayer for Owen Meany
30
John Irving
The Recognitions (William Gaddis)
The Recognitions
31
William Gaddis
The Savage Detectives (Roberto Bolano)
The Savage Detectives
32
Roberto Bolano
The Secret History (Donna Tartt)
The Secret History
33
Donna Tartt
The Sound and the Fury (William Faulkner)
The Sound and the Fury
34
William Faulkner
Stoner (John Williams)
Stoner
35
John Williams
Things Fall Apart (Chinua Achebe)
Things Fall Apart
36
Chinua Achebe
A Thousand Acres (Jane Smiley)
A Thousand Acres
37
Jane Smiley
To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
To Kill a Mockingbird
38
Harper Lee
To the Lighthouse (Virginia Woolf)
To the Lighthouse
39
Virginia Woolf
Ulysses (James Joyce)
Ulysses
40
James Joyce
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