The 100 best novels of all time

The greatest literature ever published in English, as voted for by authors, critics and academics worldwide. How many have you read?

• The story behind our list

100
Best
Novels

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• 100 The Road
• 99 Catch-22
• 98 Pedro Páramo
• 97 The Return of the Native
• 96 The Known World
• 95 Invisible Cities
• 94 Sentimental Education
• 93 Life and Fate
• 92 Jacob's Room
• 91 The Left Hand of Darkness
• 90 Ragtime
• 89 The Line of Beauty
• 88 The Turn of the Screw
• 87 The Vegetarian
• 86 The Talented Mr Ripley
• 85 A Farewell to Arms
• 84 The End of the Affair
• 83 Buddenbrooks
• 82 Rebecca
• 81 Go Tell It on the Mountain
• 80 A House for Mr Biswas
• 79 The Rainbow
• 78 My Ántonia
• 77 Dracula
• 76 The Bluest Eye
• 75 Nervous Conditions
• 74 Austerlitz
• 73 Our Mutual Friend
• 72 Kindred
• 71 The Outsider
• 70 Jude the Obscure
• 69 Crime and Punishment
• 68 Blood Meridian
• 67 The Man Without Qualities
• 66 The Master and Margarita
• 65 The Color Purple
• 64 The Good Soldier
• 63 White Teeth
• 62 Half of a Yellow Sun
• 61 The Rings of Saturn
• 60 Howards End
• 59 Never Let Me Go
• 58 Disgrace
• 57 The Sound and the Fury
• 56 Mansfield Park
• 55 The Waves
• 54 Orlando
• 53 The Transit of Venus
• 52 The Golden Bowl
• 51 My Brilliant Friend
• 50 Wide Sargasso Sea
• 49 A Fine Balance
• 48 The Metamorphosis
• 47 Vanity Fair
• 46 The Leopard
• 45 The Golden Notebook
• 44 Giovanni's Room
• 43 Housekeeping
• 42 The Magic Mountain
• 41 Heart of Darkness
• 40 Song of Solomon
• 39 Their Eyes Were Watching God
• 38 The Age of Innocence
• 37 Invisible Man
• 36 The Handmaid's Tale
• 35 Great Expectations
• 34 Wolf Hall
• 33 David Copperfield
• 32 The God of Small Things
• 31 The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
• 30 Frankenstein
• 29 Pale Fire

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• 28 The Brothers Karamazov
• 27 The Trial
• 26 Don Quixote
• 25 Lolita
• 24 The Remains of the Day
• 23 Midnight's Children
• 22 Things Fall Apart
• 21 The Portrait of a Lady
• 20 Wuthering Heights
• 19 The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman
• 18 Persuasion
• 17 One Hundred Years of Solitude
• 16 Nineteen Eighty-Four
• 15 Moby-Dick
• 14 Mrs Dalloway
• 13 Emma
• 12 Bleak House
• 11 The Great Gatsby
• 10 Madame Bovary
• 9 Pride and Prejudice
• 8 Jane Eyre
• 7 War and Peace
• 6 Anna Karenina
• 5 In Search of Lost Time
• 4 To the Lighthouse
• 3 Ulysses
• 2 Beloved
• 1 Middlemarch

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Credits

Editorial Charlotte Northedge, Liese Spencer, Justine Jordan, David Shariatmadari, Ella Creamer, Emma Loffhagen, Lisa Allardice

Production Julia Longley, Nick Shave, Grainne Mooney, Katie Shimmon

Pictures Kate Edwards, Caroline Hunter, Louis Siroy, Sadie Gould

Design & development Barry Ainslie, Fred O’Brien, Pip Lev, Sara Ramsbottom, Rich Cousins, Maggie Murphy, Alessia Amitrano, Harry Fischer, Ellen Wishart, Tara Herman

Data & development Tom Richards, Seán Clarke, Luke Hoyland

• This list was amended on 27 May 2026. A data processing error meant The Outsider by Albert Camus was omitted from an earlier version and enters at 71 and My Ántonia should have been at 78, not 100. The Go-Between is no longer on the list. See also corrections and clarifications.