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The Great American Novel

Books that should all qualify as candidates for the Great American Novel. Many years, many regions, many amazing choices. These are 50 of my favorites. Which ones resonate most with you? Which ones have I left off? How many have you read?
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The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
1
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Mark Twain)
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
2
Mark Twain
Tom Sawyer (Mark Twain)
Tom Sawyer
3
Mark Twain
The Red Badge of Courage (Stephen Crane)
The Red Badge of Courage
4
Stephen Crane
The Big Rock Candy Mountain
The Big Rock Candy Mountain
5
The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald)
The Great Gatsby
6
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Winesburg, Ohio (Sherwood Anderson)
Winesburg, Ohio
7
Sherwood Anderson
Main Street (Sinclair Lewis)
Main Street
8
Sinclair Lewis
Look Homeward, Angel (Thomas Wolfe)
Look Homeward, Angel
9
Thomas Wolfe
You Can't Go Home Again
You Can't Go Home Again
10
The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
The Grapes of Wrath
11
John Steinbeck
My Antonia (Willa Cather)
My Antonia
12
Willa Cather
Angle of Repose (Wallace Stegner)
Angle of Repose
13
Wallace Stegner
Beloved (Toni Morrison)
Beloved
14
Toni Morrison
Uncle Tom's Cabin (Harriet Beecher Stowe)
Uncle Tom's Cabin
15
Harriet Beecher Stowe
On the Road (Jack Kerouac)
On the Road
16
Jack Kerouac
East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
East of Eden
17
John Steinbeck
The Awakening (Kate Chopin)
The Awakening
18
Kate Chopin
O Pioneers! (Willa Cather)
O Pioneers!
19
Willa Cather
Lila (Marilynne Robinson)
Lila
20
Marilynne Robinson
Housekeeping (Marilynne Robinson)
Housekeeping
21
Marilynne Robinson
Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
Little Women
22
Louisa May Alcott
A Country Doctor (Sarah Orne Jewett)
A Country Doctor
23
Sarah Orne Jewett
Gone With the Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
Gone With the Wind
24
Margaret Mitchell
The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (Carson McCullers)
The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter
25
Carson McCullers
The Sheltering Sky (Paul Bowles)
The Sheltering Sky
26
Paul Bowles
The Bell Jar (Sylvia Plath)
The Bell Jar
27
Sylvia Plath
The Bridge of San Luis Rey (Thornton Wilder)
The Bridge of San Luis Rey
28
Thornton Wilder
Agee, James: A Death in the Family
Agee, James: A Death in the Family
29
The House on Mango Street (Sandra Cisneros)
The House on Mango Street
30
Sandra Cisneros
Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather
Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather
31
Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant (Anne Tyler)
Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant
32
Anne Tyler
Ship of Fools (Katherine Anne Porter)
Ship of Fools
33
Katherine Anne Porter
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Ken Kesey)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
34
Ken Kesey
The Sun Also Rises (Ernest Hemingway)
The Sun Also Rises
35
Ernest Hemingway
The Color Purple (Alice Walker)
The Color Purple
36
Alice Walker
Mrs. Stevens Hears the Mermaids Singing (May Sarton)
Mrs. Stevens Hears the Mermaids Singing
37
May Sarton
To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
To Kill a Mockingbird
38
Harper Lee
Slaughterhouse Five (Kurt Vonnegut)
Slaughterhouse Five
39
Kurt Vonnegut
The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
The Catcher in the Rye
40
J.D. Salinger
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