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True Dough

(27,311 posts) Sat May 16, 2026, 09:31 PM Saturday

What do you think of The Guardian's list of the 100 best novels of all time published in English. [View all]

Here's their top 20:

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

The full list can be found here:

https://www.theguardian.com/books/ng-interactive/2026/may/12/the-100-best-novels-of-all-time

21 replies

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What do you think of The Guardian's list of the 100 best novels of all time published in English. [View all] True Dough Saturday OP

Pretty subjective without any criteria, but at least I've heard of most on the list, albeit not read hlthe2b Saturday #1

Another list. Read a good number. Conversational. cachukis Saturday #2

Agree with some, disagree with others, never heard of some, would have LoisB Saturday #3

My first thought: "how very British of them, 3 Austens in the top 20" RockRaven Saturday #4

Haven't read any of the soaps. Mostly mine have political or social commentary. eppur_se_muova Saturday #5

I've read a number of these, Bayard Saturday #6

Ive read most of them. Always thought of many of those as highbrow Figarosmom Sunday #7

Highbrow romance novels is an excellent way to put it, agree. betsuni 6 hrs ago #21

Terrible list Wiz Imp Sunday #8

What would your top 3 be, Wiz Imp? True Dough Sunday #9

Good question which I find difficult to answer. Wiz Imp Sunday #10

I agree with you True Dough Sunday #11

In fairness, Poe was not a novelist. n/t malthaussen Monday #14

Definitely a better list. wnylib 14 hrs ago #19

The best classic novel I've read is Les Miserables by Victor Hugo LogDog75 Sunday #12

I've read almost all of them, much to my surprise. malthaussen Monday #13

The British reading public would put Christie, Rowling, and Pratchett at the top... malthaussen Monday #15

Emma should rank higher than P&P. Coventina Monday #16

I was surprised Middlemarch was no. 1 LearnedHand Monday #17

Did I miss 'A Tale of Two Cities' by Charles Dickens!! Tikki Yesterday #18

Nope. Four Dickens novels made the list but not A Tale Of Two Cities Wiz Imp 14 hrs ago #20