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The Times' 50 Best Novels of the Past 50 Years

From Atonement to Wolf Hall, Flashman to Regeneration, John Sutherland picks 50 modern classics that everyone should read
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from thetimes.co.uk · made by Crybaby21sg
avg. score: 5 of 50 (11%)
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Alan Hollinghurst: The Stranger's Child
Alan Hollinghurst: The Stranger's Child
1
Gravity's Rainbow (Thomas Pynchon)
Gravity's Rainbow
2
Thomas Pynchon
The Remains of the Day (Kazuo Ishiguro)
The Remains of the Day
3
Kazuo Ishiguro
Atonement (Ian McEwan)
Atonement
4
Ian McEwan
Jerusalem the Golden (Margaret Drabble)
Jerusalem the Golden
5
Margaret Drabble
Wolf Hall (Hilary Mantel)
Wolf Hall
6
Hilary Mantel
Possession (A.S. Byatt)
Possession
7
A.S. Byatt
Ragtime (E.L. Doctorow)
Ragtime
8
E.L. Doctorow
Jazz (Toni Morrison)
Jazz
9
Toni Morrison
The Colour Purple (Alice Walker)
The Colour Purple
10
Alice Walker
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Series (Douglas Adams)
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Series
11
Douglas Adams
England, England (Julian Barnes)
England, England
12
Julian Barnes
Guerillas
Guerillas
13
Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit (Jeanette Winterson)
Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit
14
Jeanette Winterson
Empire of the Sun (J.G. Ballard)
Empire of the Sun
15
J.G. Ballard
We Need to Talk About Kevin (Lionel Shriver)
We Need to Talk About Kevin
16
Lionel Shriver
White Noise (Don Delillo)
White Noise
17
Don Delillo
The Children of Men (P.D. James)
The Children of Men
18
P.D. James
Neuromancer (William Gibson)
Neuromancer
19
William Gibson
The Wasp Factory (Iain Banks)
The Wasp Factory
20
Iain Banks
Housekeeping (Marilynne Robinson)
Housekeeping
21
Marilynne Robinson
Foxfire: Confessions of a Girl Gang
Foxfire: Confessions of a Girl Gang
22
Regeneration (Pat Barker)
Regeneration
23
Pat Barker
The Fifth Child (Doris Lessing)
The Fifth Child
24
Doris Lessing
The Power (Naomi Alderman)
The Power
25
Naomi Alderman
Half of a Yellow Sun (Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie)
Half of a Yellow Sun
26
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
The Bonfire of the Vanities (Tom Wolfe)
The Bonfire of the Vanities
27
Tom Wolfe
Deaf Sentence (David Lodge)
Deaf Sentence
28
David Lodge
The History Man
The History Man
29
Ravelstein (Saul Bellow)
Ravelstein
30
Saul Bellow
Disgrace (J. M. Coetzee)
Disgrace
31
J. M. Coetzee
A Kestrel for a Knave (Barry Hines)
A Kestrel for a Knave
32
Barry Hines
Saville (David Storey)
Saville
33
David Storey
Trainspotting (Irvine Welsh)
Trainspotting
34
Irvine Welsh
Independence Day (Richard Ford)
Independence Day
35
Richard Ford
London Fields (Martin Amis)
London Fields
36
Martin Amis
The Old Devils (Kingsley Amis)
The Old Devils
37
Kingsley Amis
The Dressmaker (Beryl Bainbridge)
The Dressmaker
38
Beryl Bainbridge
The French Lieutenant's Woman (John Fowles)
The French Lieutenant's Woman
39
John Fowles
Flashman (George MacDonald Fraser)
Flashman
40
George MacDonald Fraser
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