Major Award-Winning Fiction Since 1990 (252 books)

National Book Award, PEN/Faulkner, Man Booker, Pulitzer, Whitbread, Prix Goncourt, IMPAC Dublin, and so on. This list is for NON-genre fiction: No Crime- SF- Fantasy- or Romance-Series, or series in general.
(Limited to post-1990 titles). SHORT LISTED ALSO ACCEPTABLE, but you have to really mean it.

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All Votes Add Books To This List

1	The Road by Cormac McCarthy really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 1,033,187 ratings score: 12,323, and 126 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
2	Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (Goodreads Author) 3.85 avg rating — 850,556 ratings score: 10,424, and 107 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
3	The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon 3.89 avg rating — 1,593,731 ratings score: 9,973, and 103 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
4	Atonement by Ian McEwan (Goodreads Author) 3.95 avg rating — 562,528 ratings score: 9,627, and 99 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
5	Life of Pi by Yann Martel 3.94 avg rating — 1,751,074 ratings score: 8,999, and 94 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
6	The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro (Goodreads Author) 4.14 avg rating — 358,605 ratings score: 7,737, and 81 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
7	Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides 4.04 avg rating — 662,910 ratings score: 6,629, and 70 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
8	The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood (Goodreads Author) 3.96 avg rating — 163,360 ratings score: 6,288, and 66 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
9	All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (Goodreads Author) 4.31 avg rating — 1,968,152 ratings score: 4,920, and 52 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
10	A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry 4.38 avg rating — 159,694 ratings score: 4,877, and 52 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
11	Oryx and Crake (MaddAddam, #1) by Margaret Atwood (Goodreads Author) really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 286,942 ratings score: 4,831, and 53 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
12	The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy (Goodreads Author) 3.96 avg rating — 324,601 ratings score: 4,675, and 51 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
13	Wolf Hall (Thomas Cromwell, #1) by Hilary Mantel 3.91 avg rating — 232,813 ratings score: 4,569, and 50 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
14	The Shipping News by Annie Proulx 3.88 avg rating — 152,443 ratings score: 4,341, and 46 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
15	Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood (Goodreads Author) 4.04 avg rating — 156,521 ratings score: 4,315, and 46 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
16	The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje 3.86 avg rating — 139,133 ratings score: 4,260, and 46 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
17	Bel Canto by Ann Patchett 3.94 avg rating — 321,567 ratings score: 4,241, and 47 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
18	The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver 4.11 avg rating — 792,432 ratings score: 4,212, and 46 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
19	The Reader by Bernhard Schlink 3.79 avg rating — 231,038 ratings score: 3,985, and 44 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
20	The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt 3.96 avg rating — 1,037,600 ratings score: 3,864, and 42 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
21	The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen 3.85 avg rating — 197,987 ratings score: 3,843, and 41 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
22	Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee 3.86 avg rating — 116,964 ratings score: 3,722, and 42 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
23	The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon 4.19 avg rating — 212,507 ratings score: 3,700, and 39 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
24	Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson (Goodreads Author) 3.86 avg rating — 194,137 ratings score: 3,696, and 40 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
25	Possession by A.S. Byatt 3.90 avg rating — 84,335 ratings score: 3,510, and 38 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
26	All the Pretty Horses (The Border Trilogy, #1) by Cormac McCarthy 4.06 avg rating — 145,960 ratings score: 3,444, and 39 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
27	Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier 3.89 avg rating — 249,854 ratings score: 3,352, and 36 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
28	Amsterdam by Ian McEwan (Goodreads Author) 3.47 avg rating — 60,182 ratings score: 3,177, and 37 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
29	The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes 3.74 avg rating — 191,991 ratings score: 3,163, and 36 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
30	Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri 4.18 avg rating — 206,114 ratings score: 3,006, and 34 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
31	Room by Emma Donoghue (Goodreads Author) 4.08 avg rating — 833,793 ratings score: 2,974, and 34 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
32	Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann (Goodreads Author) 3.96 avg rating — 110,008 ratings score: 2,693, and 29 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
33	The Amber Spyglass (His Dark Materials, #3) by Philip Pullman 4.11 avg rating — 383,083 ratings score: 2,511, and 27 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
34	Gilead (Gilead, #1) by Marilynne Robinson 3.85 avg rating — 124,341 ratings score: 2,484, and 29 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
35	Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk (Goodreads Author) 4.18 avg rating — 641,797 ratings score: 2,461, and 27 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
36	Bring Up the Bodies (Thomas Cromwell, #2) by Hilary Mantel 4.30 avg rating — 104,743 ratings score: 2,447, and 28 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
37	The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz 3.89 avg rating — 278,365 ratings score: 2,205, and 26 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
38	Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami 4.12 avg rating — 546,783 ratings score: 2,148, and 27 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
39	A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley (Goodreads Author) 3.82 avg rating — 72,315 ratings score: 2,144, and 26 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
40	American Pastoral by Philip Roth 3.95 avg rating — 88,135 ratings score: 2,010, and 24 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
41	My Name Is Red by Orhan Pamuk 3.87 avg rating — 61,262 ratings score: 1,988, and 23 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
42	World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks (Goodreads Author) 4.02 avg rating — 566,282 ratings score: 1,981, and 21 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
43	The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields 3.89 avg rating — 42,026 ratings score: 1,966, and 23 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
44	The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga 3.77 avg rating — 202,542 ratings score: 1,932, and 24 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
45	Life After Life (Todd Family, #1) by Kate Atkinson 3.79 avg rating — 241,109 ratings score: 1,887, and 22 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
46	White Teeth by Zadie Smith 3.79 avg rating — 174,616 ratings score: 1,817, and 21 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
47	Sea of Poppies (Ibis Trilogy, #1) by Amitav Ghosh 3.98 avg rating — 29,779 ratings score: 1,746, and 20 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
48	The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman (Goodreads Author) 4.04 avg rating — 478,437 ratings score: 1,655, and 18 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
49	True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey 3.83 avg rating — 24,214 ratings score: 1,642, and 20 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
50	A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan (Goodreads Author) 3.70 avg rating — 249,075 ratings score: 1,614, and 20 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
51	A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara (Goodreads Author) 4.28 avg rating — 921,098 ratings score: 1,543, and 17 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
52	The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood (Goodreads Author) 3.83 avg rating — 49,685 ratings score: 1,518, and 20 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
53	The Year of the Flood (MaddAddam, #2) by Margaret Atwood (Goodreads Author) 4.07 avg rating — 132,821 ratings score: 1,436, and 17 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
54	Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson 3.81 avg rating — 37,767 ratings score: 1,409, and 17 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
55	Snow by Orhan Pamuk 3.62 avg rating — 49,410 ratings score: 1,386, and 17 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
56	Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell 4.01 avg rating — 267,307 ratings score: 1,362, and 16 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
57	The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (Goodreads Author) 4.30 avg rating — 1,972,238 ratings score: 1,324, and 15 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
58	The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson 4.07 avg rating — 104,115 ratings score: 1,271, and 15 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
59	2666 by Roberto Bolaño 4.22 avg rating — 48,650 ratings score: 1,233, and 15 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
60	Waiting by Ha Jin 3.55 avg rating — 23,621 ratings score: 1,230, and 14 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
61	Olive Kitteridge (Olive Kitteridge, #1) by Elizabeth Strout (Goodreads Author) 3.86 avg rating — 267,569 ratings score: 1,197, and 14 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
62	The Line of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst 3.78 avg rating — 31,748 ratings score: 1,196, and 16 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
63	When We Were Orphans by Kazuo Ishiguro (Goodreads Author) 3.54 avg rating — 47,482 ratings score: 1,195, and 15 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
64	Vernon God Little by D.B.C. Pierre 3.61 avg rating — 33,759 ratings score: 1,188, and 14 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
65	The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng 4.15 avg rating — 30,049 ratings score: 1,150, and 14 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
66	Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie 4.34 avg rating — 182,914 ratings score: 1,079, and 12 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
67	Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson (Goodreads Author) 4.05 avg rating — 630,822 ratings score: 1,045, and 12 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
68	Austerlitz by W.G. Sebald 3.98 avg rating — 26,741 ratings score: 1,043, and 13 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
69	Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha by Roddy Doyle 3.75 avg rating — 24,390 ratings score: 1,037, and 14 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
70	The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 44,091 ratings score: 1,027, and 12 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
71	State of Wonder by Ann Patchett 3.90 avg rating — 200,974 ratings score: 994, and 13 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
72	The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan 4.04 avg rating — 63,051 ratings score: 991, and 12 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
73	The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling 3.31 avg rating — 337,097 ratings score: 989, and 11 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
74	The Ghost Road (Regeneration, #3) by Pat Barker 4.08 avg rating — 18,321 ratings score: 981, and 12 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
75	The Secret River by Kate Grenville 3.81 avg rating — 25,190 ratings score: 955, and 12 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
76	Stupeur et tremblements by Amélie Nothomb 3.75 avg rating — 45,103 ratings score: 949, and 12 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
77	The Tiger's Wife by Téa Obreht (Goodreads Author) 3.42 avg rating — 102,364 ratings score: 948, and 13 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
78	Rabbit at Rest (Rabbit Angstrom, #4) by John Updike 4.01 avg rating — 16,433 ratings score: 946, and 12 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
79	The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell 4.03 avg rating — 67,628 ratings score: 943, and 12 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
80	Sacred Hunger (Sacred Hunger #1) by Barry Unsworth 4.13 avg rating — 7,498 ratings score: 939, and 12 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
81	The Sea by John Banville 3.55 avg rating — 35,045 ratings score: 937, and 12 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
82	The Sympathizer (The Sympathizer, #1) by Viet Thanh Nguyen (Goodreads Author) 4.01 avg rating — 137,478 ratings score: 909, and 10 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
83	Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward (Goodreads Author) 3.96 avg rating — 73,264 ratings score: 904, and 12 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
84	Arthur & George by Julian Barnes 3.73 avg rating — 18,800 ratings score: 898, and 11 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
85	Moo by Jane Smiley (Goodreads Author) 3.47 avg rating — 8,571 ratings score: 890, and 11 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
86	The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai 3.46 avg rating — 55,707 ratings score: 864, and 11 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
87	No Great Mischief by Alistair MacLeod 4.02 avg rating — 12,226 ratings score: 857, and 11 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
88	Fingersmith by Sarah Waters 4.02 avg rating — 118,300 ratings score: 856, and 11 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
89	The Hours by Michael Cunningham (Goodreads Author) 3.96 avg rating — 148,592 ratings score: 848, and 10 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
90	The Master by Colm Tóibín 3.84 avg rating — 11,886 ratings score: 844, and 11 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
91	Everyman by Philip Roth 3.63 avg rating — 21,488 ratings score: 811, and 10 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
92	The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon 3.72 avg rating — 80,251 ratings score: 809, and 11 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
93	The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton 3.75 avg rating — 85,572 ratings score: 804, and 12 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
94	The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry (Harold Fry, #1) by Rachel Joyce 3.94 avg rating — 193,833 ratings score: 775, and 10 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
95	Three Junes by Julia Glass (Goodreads Author) 3.57 avg rating — 45,276 ratings score: 760, and 9 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
96	The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters 3.57 avg rating — 59,559 ratings score: 723, and 10 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
97	The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry 3.84 avg rating — 23,009 ratings score: 717, and 11 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
98	Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace 4.25 avg rating — 101,267 ratings score: 712, and 8 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
99	The White Castle by Orhan Pamuk 3.48 avg rating — 16,822 ratings score: 694, and 9 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
100	The Night Watch by Sarah Waters 3.71 avg rating — 33,223 ratings score: 693, and 9 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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252 books · 567 voters · list created March 3rd, 2010 by Thom Dunn (votes) .

Tags: awards, booker, fiction, major, man-booker, national, pen-faulkner, prix, prize, pulitzer, whitbread, winning

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Lists are re-scored approximately every 5 minutes.

People Who Voted On This List (567)

Thom 6022 books
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Angie 3454 books
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Themis-Athena (Lioness at Large) 546 books
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Bettie 15676 books
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Cammy 4832 books
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Susanna - Censored by GoodReads 3386 books
851 friends

ღ Carol jinx~☆~☔ʚϊɞ 4162 books
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Writerlibrarian 2403 books
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Comments Showing 1-30 of 30 (30 new)

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message 1: by Bettie (new)

Mar 03, 2010 11:31AM

IMPAC winners?

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message 2: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (last edited Mar 03, 2010 12:36PM) (new)

Mar 03, 2010 12:32PM

What is IMPAC?

Is the Whitbread Prize an acceptable one?

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message 3: by Thom (new)

Mar 03, 2010 03:35PM

Susanna wrote: "What is IMPAC?

Is the Whitbread Prize an acceptable one?"

Bettie wrote: "IMPAC winners?"

The basic concept as I imagined it is what you might call "straight up" fiction, anything that literary societies around the world would consider "serious" fiction, though that doesn't mean it has to be solemn. Typically a book will get attention from several quarters at once. The thing we want to avoid is clones. We all have our guilty pleasures, but one-a-year crank-em-out formulaic fiction is the antithesis of what we want to see on this list. By sticking to Prize winners (& runners-up) we limit our voting to works already considered special by those who make their living in that world where writing is a fine-art form.

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message 4: by Thom (new)

Mar 04, 2010 05:50AM

Susanna wrote: "What is IMPAC?

Is the Whitbread Prize an acceptable one?"

Susanna, I've emended the description to include both Whitbread and IMPAC (Try Googling "IMPAC Dublin")

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message 5: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (last edited Mar 04, 2010 11:46AM) (new)

Mar 04, 2010 11:45AM

Hm. The Amber Spyglass is a Whitbread winner; but it's also "fantasy." Add it or not, LOL?

ETA: Presumably also things like the Priz Goncourt winners; though I haven't read any of the recent winners.

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message 6: by Thom (last edited Mar 04, 2010 04:04PM) (new)

Mar 04, 2010 12:13PM

Susanna wrote: "Hm. The Amber Spyglass is a Whitbread winner; but it's also "fantasy." Add it or not, LOL?

ETA: Presumably also things like the Priz Goncourt winners; though I haven't read any of the recent win..."

ANY Prix Goncourt or Whitbread is eligible.....The essential premise of this list is that winners are somehow SINGULAR, but even here, Updike's Rabbit Quartet won prizes....Some committee who reads a lot, maybe even writes alot sat down and said something like "What is the BEST such-and-such book this year ?" They spent time on it, worked on it, thought about it, and so on. These committees are all searching for a work that STANDS OUT FOR SOME SORT OF RARE EXCELLENCE. At stake for them, too, is the very prestige of the award itself. If they consistently pick weak books (It happens sometimes), their voice will fade.

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message 7: by Lobstergirl (new)

Mar 05, 2010 01:19AM

Zombies, and Confessions of an Economic Hit Man were award winners?

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message 8: by Themis-Athena (Lioness at Large) (new)

Mar 05, 2010 01:26AM

Yes, I'd just been wondering about that as well ...

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message 9: by Lobstergirl (new)

Mar 05, 2010 01:29AM

I removed "Confessions" because it's not fiction.

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message 10: by Themis-Athena (Lioness at Large) (new)

Mar 05, 2010 01:34AM

Which awards did Chuck Palahniuk's "Choke" and "Survivor" win? (I only found listings for "Fight Club" and "Lullaby.")

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message 11: by Themis-Athena (Lioness at Large) (new)

Mar 05, 2010 02:16AM

Lobstergirl wrote: "I removed "Confessions" because it's not fiction."

So is The Secret History of the American Empire: Economic Hit Men, Jackals, and the Truth about Global Corruption. Removed that book as well.

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message 12: by Thom (new)

Mar 05, 2010 07:10AM

Themis-Athena wrote: "Lobstergirl wrote: "I removed "Confessions" because it's not fiction."

So is [book:The Secret History of the American Empire: Economic Hit Men, Jackals, and the Truth about Global Corruption|61117..."

Lobstergirl wrote: "I removed "Confessions" because it's not fiction."

I appreciate your work police-ing up this List, --L,T.

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message 13: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (last edited Mar 05, 2010 12:05PM) (new)

Mar 05, 2010 12:02PM

Themis-Athena wrote: "Which awards did Chuck Palahniuk's "Choke" and "Survivor" win? (I only found listings for "Fight Club" and "Lullaby.")"

As far as I'm aware, those books are not award-winners.

What awards did Fight Club and Lullaby win? How about World War Z?

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message 14: by Thom (new)

Mar 05, 2010 03:35PM

Susanna wrote: "Themis-Athena wrote: "Which awards did Chuck Palahniuk's "Choke" and "Survivor" win? (I only found listings for "Fight Club" and "Lullaby.")"

As far as I'm aware, those books are not award-winner..."

I am of two minds about all the silliness that creeps into these lists. One is to run around stamping out brushfires, the other, to let a kite-tail of 1-vote wonders alone until some other jokester pushes it to 2 or 3. Whoever awarded Zombies Ubiquitous anything would do better to send the money to Haiti....where I'm told they DO have zombies.

HEY, OUT THERE ! IF YOU'RE PULLING MY CHAIN BECAUSE I SAID "NO VAMPIRES" please note my self-deprecating retraction.

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message 15: by Thom (last edited Mar 05, 2010 03:43PM) (new)

Mar 05, 2010 03:42PM

Susanna wrote: "Themis-Athena wrote: "Which awards did Chuck Palahniuk's "Choke" and "Survivor" win? (I only found listings for "Fight Club" and "Lullaby.")"

As far as I'm aware, those books are not award-winner..."

Actually, both have won awards (Pacific North-West Booksellers Association, etc.) but certainly not MAJOR awards. But LET THE PEOPLE VOTE etc. I guess I WOULD draw the line if Fox News started giving awards to Ann Coulter, but I hope that day never dawns.

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message 16: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (new)

Jan 06, 2011 08:36PM

Removed for not qualifying for the list:

The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks, by Max Brooks
The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead, by Max Brooks

Also, what the heck is an Audie Award when it's at home?

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message 17: by Lobstergirl (new)

Sep 04, 2011 03:12PM

So this is only for post-1990 winners? Perhaps that should be in the title.

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message 18: by Themis-Athena (Lioness at Large) (new)

Sep 05, 2011 02:11AM

If it's only post-1990, then both "To Kill a Mockingbird" and Flannery O'Connor's "Complete Stories" will (alas) have to go. So will "A Death in the Family" ... (?)

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message 19: by Thom (new)

Sep 05, 2011 06:51AM

Themis-Athena wrote: "If it's only post-1990, then both "To Kill a Mockingbird" and Flannery O'Connor's "Complete Stories" will (alas) have to go. So will "A Death in the Family" ... (?)"

Right. And if you could remove them, I would be grateful. BTW, as a librarian, should I not also be able to de-list stuff ?

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message 20: by Themis-Athena (Lioness at Large) (new)

Sep 05, 2011 07:07AM

Removed "To Kill a Mockingbird" and "Billy Bathgate" (1989) -- the other two already seemed to have been deleted by someone else.

And, yes, all librarians can remove books ... click on "edit" (at the end of your list description up top), and on the page then appearing click on "remove specific books." That will give you a version of the list with the option to remove individual books. You'll see a warning that you're only supposed to remove books if you're sure they have absolutely no business being on the list (or face harshest penalties) ... but the good news is that as the list's creator, it's your prerogative to determine what books should be on the list in the first place! :)

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message 21: by Themis-Athena (Lioness at Large) (new)

Sep 05, 2011 07:11AM

Susanna wrote: "... Also, what the heck is an Audie Award when it's at home?"

The description given on GR says that Audies are "[a]wards recognizing distinction in audiobooks and spoken word entertainment sponsored by the Audio Publishers Association (APA)."

Sounds more like an award for the recording, not for the substantive content of the book (i.e., the actual fiction) to me?

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message 22: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (new)

Sep 05, 2011 11:08AM

Ah.

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message 23: by Phillip (new)

Sep 05, 2011 03:28PM

"Never Let Me Go" is incompatible with the "No CLONES" instruction.
Something has to give...

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message 24: by Thom (new)

Sep 05, 2011 03:31PM

Phillip wrote: ""Never Let Me Go" is incompatible with the "No CLONES" instruction.
Something has to give..."

Ishiguru's great novel is a Clone ? Pray, biteth thou thy tongue, Philip. I see it as taking an old mold (the alternate history, "If this goes on") and breaking it, much as Hamlet greatly transcends the old Senecan Revenge Tragedy.

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message 25: by Themis-Athena (Lioness at Large) (new)

Sep 06, 2011 07:18AM

Thom wrote: "Phillip wrote: ""Never Let Me Go" is incompatible with the "No CLONES" instruction.
Something has to give..."

Ishiguru's great novel is a Clone ? Pray, biteth thou thy tongue, Philip. I see it as..."

Yeah, but it deals with clones. I take it, though, the "no clones" rule applies not so much to a given book's contents as to the type of book?

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message 26: by Thom (new)

Sep 06, 2011 08:52AM

Themis-Athena wrote: "Thom wrote: "Phillip wrote: ""Never Let Me Go" is incompatible with the "No CLONES" instruction.
Something has to give..."

Ishiguru's great novel is a Clone ? Pray, biteth thou thy tongue, Philip..."

Oh. Apologies, Philip: Your British wit went over my verschlagener American head.

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message 27: by BookLovingLady (deceased Jan. 25, 2023...) (last edited Jan 10, 2015 03:19AM) (new)

Jan 10, 2015 03:11AM

Should Troubles (currently #73) be on here? Or The Lieutenant (currently # 115)?

Different question :-) : How about Vogel Award Winners (Australian)? Or the Dutch AKO and Libris Award winners? I haven't added any even though the two Dutch awards are major ones in a small country like the Netherlands...

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message 28: by Thom (new)

Jan 10, 2015 09:04AM

Booklovinglady wrote: "Should Troubles (currently #73) be on here? Or The Lieutenant (currently # 115)?

Different question :-) : How about Vogel Award Winners (Australian)? Or the Dutch AKO and Libris Award winners? I h..."

My philosophy for this list says go ahead and ADD THEM. And BTW, are there awards in Iceland ? Bulgaria ? Lilongwe ? Maseru ? Bangui ? Let's seek to broaden our view. "Correctness" takes a back seat, IMO.

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message 29: by Richp (last edited May 23, 2016 11:07AM) (new)

May 23, 2016 11:06AM

There are a number of books here that qualify as genre fiction. I presume they are on the list because the authors are not usually considered genre writers. This comes across as not excluding books by category of books but by categorizing authors.

I can understand limiting eligibility to non-genre awards. If that was the intent this should be made explicit.

I note Cormac McCarthy is best known for his genre books including the 2 I noticed on this list.

The Prize by Yergin is nonfiction.

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message 30: by Ifer (last edited Jul 21, 2024 02:15AM) (new)

Jul 21, 2024 02:12AM

I just wanted to thank the people of this list. It’s the first list that seems appropriately described, and it’s also the first time a thread has made me feel to vindicated and validated for what (I assume) others might regard as snobbery or entitlement when suggesting some titles might not belong on a particular list. There are even people running verification searches!
You’ve given me some desperately needed hope for the recognition of ‘literature’.
Just, thank you nerds <3

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