100 Best Loved Novels

6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis
12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
30. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
35. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
41. Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery
47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
51. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck
54. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
64. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough


These are the ones I have read, but I have seen more my movie.

 

1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis
10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller
12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
15. The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
21. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
30. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
35. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
41. Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery
46. Animal Farm, George Orwell
47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
48. Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
51. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck
54. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
60. Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
64. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough

I think, some may have been forgotten. Most a while back, I read the ones by Dostoyevsky fairly recently.

 

4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne
8. Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
30. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
34. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
37. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute
39. Dune, Frank Herbert
42. Watership Down, Richard Adams
46. Animal Farm, George Orwell
47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
49. Goodnight Mister Tom, Michelle Magorian
51. The Secret Garden
57. Swallows And Amazons, Arthur Ransome
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding
77. The Woman In White, Wilkie Collins
82. I Capture The Castle, Dodie Smith
87. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
88. Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons

Some I read many years ago. Difficult to choose a favourite, but I think it would be "Great Expectations".

 

1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling
6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne
8. Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis
10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
14. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
15. The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
22. Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, JK Rowling
23. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, JK Rowling
24. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, JK Rowling
25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
26. Tess Of The D'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy
27. Middlemarch, George Eliot
28. A Prayer For Owen Meany, John Irving
29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
30. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
34. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
37. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute
38. Persuasion, Jane Austen
40. Emma, Jane Austen
41. Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery
42. Watership Down, Richard Adams
43. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
44. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
46. Animal Farm, George Orwell
47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
48. Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck
54. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
60. Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
62. Memoirs Of A Geisha, Arthur Golden
63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding
77. The Woman In White, Wilkie Collins
79. Bleak House, Charles Dickens
87. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
90. On The Road, Jack Kerouac
91. The Godfather, Mario Puzo
92. The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel


The book that turned me on to reading was "The Wizard of Oz." .... long time ago.

 

1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling
6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne
8. Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis
10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
14. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
21. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
22. Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, JK Rowling
23. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, JK Rowling
24. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, JK Rowling
25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
30. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
34. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
35. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
38. Persuasion, Jane Austen
40. Emma, Jane Austen
41. Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery
42. Watership Down, Richard Adams
43. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
44. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
46. Animal Farm, George Orwell
47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
51. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck
53. The Stand, Stephen King
56. The BFG, Roald Dahl
58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
59. Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
64. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding
74. Matilda, Roald Dahl
78. Ulysses, James Joyce
81. The Twits, Roald Dahl
I deleted Holes by accident here.
91. The Godfather, Mario Puzo
92. The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel
96. Kane And Abel, Jeffrey Archer


There are several of the others that I started and didn't finish - Like Anna Karina and War and Peace.

Books are the only reason I made it to adulthood sane.

 

1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
21. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
30. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
35. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
41. Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery
43. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
44. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
51. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
64. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding

All these I have either seen in movie fashion or in the theatre or both. A bit different than what I have read.

 

The BBC had readers nominate their favorite books and listed the top 100.

How many have you read?

See below​

What is your favorite?

I keep returning to the Brontës, Dickens, and Hardy.

To get away, I always reach for The Hobbit or Treasure Island.​

1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne
8. Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis
10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller
12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
14. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
15. The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
21. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
26. Tess Of The D'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy
27. Middlemarch, George Eliot
29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
30. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
34. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
38. Persuasion, Jane Austen
39. Dune, Frank Herbert
40. Emma, Jane Austen
42. Watership Down, Richard Adams
43. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
44. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
46. Animal Farm, George Orwell
47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
48. Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck
54. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
60. Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding
78. Ulysses, James Joyce
79. Bleak House, Charles Dickens
87. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
90. On The Road, Jack Kerouac
92. The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel

...Bob

 

1,5, 7, 9, 15, 17, 18, 22, 23, 24, 25, 35, 36, 41, 47, 56, 63, 70, 74, 81,

 

they missed at least one - Robinson Crusoe Daniel DeFoe

 

My favorite: Huckleberry Finn

 

1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne
8. Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis
11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller
15. The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
30. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
32. One Hundred Years Of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez
33. The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett
35. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
39. Dune, Frank Herbert
42. Watership Down, Richard Adams
46. Animal Farm, George Orwell
47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck
53. The Stand, Stephen King
56. The BFG, Roald Dahl
68. Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding
74. Matilda, Roald Dahl
81. The Twits, Roald Dahl
87. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
90. On The Road, Jack Kerouac
91. The Godfather, Mario Puzo
97. Love In The Time Of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez

So...31. I've read other novels from some of the authors listed. The Enchantress of Florence by Salman Rushdie comes to mind.

And I don't believe anyone when they tell me they've read Joyce's Ulysses.
Rob[/QUOTE]

 

Guess Huckleberry Finn isn't politically correct.

 

And where is John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress ???

 

Which seems perverse, or deliberately obtuse. That book, also one of my favorites, gently but firmly describes the pervasiveness of the slavery system - Huck is culturally convinced that slavery was God-ordained and that opposing the system would lead to damnation, yet he was willing to risk his life and eternal salvation to help his friend Jim.

Not surprising that a BBC survey would be Euro-centric, and I was surprised to see no Verne, Wells, Conrad, Conan-Doyle. For this side of the Pond, where's Moby Dick? Scarlet Letter? Hemingway, Fitzgerald?

And I'll second (third, fourth) the unsuccessful attempts at War and Peace. My multiple tries would get 40-50 pages in, at which point I'd be hopelessly confused as to the different relationships and their significance, while nothing was really happening - like a soap opera written by a Russian Seinfeld, only without any humor.

 

In the OP!

 

I wonder about the "best loved" tag that was put on these novels. I submit that whomever the BBC polled tried to remember novels they've read that other people would recognize. You ask a couple thousand people to name some novels they've read and I would guess, sadly, that perhaps half of these people haven't read 50 novels in their entire life and the ones they read were probably part of a curriculum somewhere. That's why there are so many books on this list that I recognize as required reading from high school.

I've read about 25 of the books on the list and I would probably only read a handful of them again. Most of them are as boring as watching grass grow. And I'm an avid reader and read more than 60 novels per year.

 

Oops! And that's the one I'd have picked.
Though I read lots of books, fiction and nonfiction, I only got to 21 and only 2 of the bottom 30. Only ones I've read more than once are Tolkien's, Orwell's, CS Lewis and Watership Down. Read all of them to the kids, in addition to other trips thru them.

 

OK, all the comments drove me deeper into this matter. According to Wikipedia, the 2003 BBC poll was for the UK. They narrowed it down to 200 books, and the top 21 (or 25) places were limited to one per author.

They also note a much smaller 2018 poll by PBS for the US, which lists 100 books and may be more believable, although War and Peace still made the cut.

My best guess on that phenomenon is people were basing it on a movie version, or it’s just an easy title to remember (and good for a joke). Actually, PBS seems to have controlled the list quite a bit (perhaps the BBC did as well). But if you haven’t read it yet, by all means do.

The Big Read - Wikipedia

Results | The Great American Read | PBS