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Top 50 English-Language Novels of the 20th Century (FEMALE Authors)

This list is a composite of four earlier lists compiled by the Modern Library, the Library Journal, Koen Book Distributors, and students of the Radcliffe Publishing Course. It was compiled by Brian Kunde of Stanford University in hope of arriving at a more comprehensive view of what the 20th century's best fiction actually is. The books are listed in order of ranking - i.e., the top rated book is listed first.
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To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
To Kill a Mockingbird
1
Harper Lee
The Color Purple (Alice Walker)
The Color Purple
2
Alice Walker
Beloved (Toni Morrison)
Beloved
3
Toni Morrison
Gone With the Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
Gone With the Wind
4
Margaret Mitchell
To the Lighthouse (Virginia Woolf)
To the Lighthouse
5
Virginia Woolf
The Age of Innocence (Edith Wharton)
The Age of Innocence
6
Edith Wharton
My Antonia (Willa Cather)
My Antonia
7
Willa Cather
Their Eyes Were Watching God (Zora Neale Hurston)
Their Eyes Were Watching God
8
Zora Neale Hurston
Rebecca (Daphne Du Maurier)
Rebecca
9
Daphne Du Maurier
The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
The Good Earth
10
Pearl S. Buck
Ethan Frome (Edith Wharton)
Ethan Frome
11
Edith Wharton
The Handmaid's Tale (Margaret Atwood)
The Handmaid's Tale
12
Margaret Atwood
Song of Solomon (Toni Morrison)
Song of Solomon
13
Toni Morrison
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
14
Betty Smith
The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
The Fountainhead
15
Ayn Rand
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (Muriel Spark)
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
16
Muriel Spark
The Joy Luck Club (Amy Tan)
The Joy Luck Club
17
Amy Tan
The House of Mirth (Edith Wharton)
The House of Mirth
18
Edith Wharton
The Golden Notebook (Doris Lessing)
The Golden Notebook
19
Doris Lessing
Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
Atlas Shrugged
20
Ayn Rand
Little House on the Prairie (Laura Ingalls Wilder)
Little House on the Prairie
21
Laura Ingalls Wilder
Bastard Out of Carolina (Dorothy Allison)
Bastard Out of Carolina
22
Dorothy Allison
The Bean Trees (Barbara Kingsolver)
The Bean Trees
23
Barbara Kingsolver
The Shipping News (E.Annie Proulx)
The Shipping News
24
E.Annie Proulx
Possession (A.S. Byatt)
Possession
25
A.S. Byatt
Mrs. Dalloway (Virginia Woolf)
Mrs. Dalloway
26
Virginia Woolf
A Good Man Is Hard to Find (Flannery O'Connor)
A Good Man Is Hard to Find
27
Flannery O'Connor
The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
The Stone Diaries
28
Carol Shields
Wide Sargasso Sea (Jean Rhys)
Wide Sargasso Sea
29
Jean Rhys
Pale Horse, Pale Rider
Pale Horse, Pale Rider
30
Jazz (Toni Morrison)
Jazz
31
Toni Morrison
The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (Carson McCullers)
The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter
32
Carson McCullers
Orlando (Virginia Woolf)
Orlando
33
Virginia Woolf
Death Comes for the Archbishop (Willa Cather)
Death Comes for the Archbishop
34
Willa Cather
Burger's Daughter (Nadine Gordimer)
Burger's Daughter
35
Nadine Gordimer
The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
The Mists of Avalon
36
Marion Zimmer Bradley
Ellen Foster
Ellen Foster
37
Cold Sassy Tree (Olive Ann Burns)
Cold Sassy Tree
38
Olive Ann Burns
Sula (Toni Morrison)
Sula
39
Toni Morrison
O Pioneers! (Willa Cather)
O Pioneers!
40
Willa Cather
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