Writers, journalists, poets, literary critics, translators and other experts have compiled a list of the “100 best books of the 21st century”. Celebrities also took part in the selection: Stephen King, Sarah Jessica Parker, John Irving and others. The rating is published by The New York Times. We have selected the works that took the first places for you.
Elena Ferrante “My brilliant friend”, 2012
The story is about two girls growing up in a poor and violent area of Naples: the hard-working, dutiful Elena and her charismatic, spoiled friend Lilu, who, despite her intelligence, is limited by her family’s difficult financial situation.
Hilary Mantel “Wolf Hall”, 2009
The book tells of Thomas Cromwell, the son of a ruffian blacksmith and statesman. Some see him as an unprincipled scoundrel, others as a political genius. The author of the novel tries to understand who he really is.
Edward Paul Jones “The Known World”, 2003
A satirical novel about a farmer, shoemaker, and former slave named Henry Townsend who owns his own farm with his subordinates.
Jonathan Franzen “The Corrections”, 2001
A novel about the collapse of a family, the story is about Enid Lambert, a Midwestern woman who wants to bring her three adult children home for what may be their father’s last Christmas.
Colson Whitehead “The Underground Railroad”, 2016
The novel combines horror and fantasy with philosophical speculation and criticism. The work tells the exciting, frightening story of a girl with bright sparkles in her eyes who follows her mother’s mysterious path.
Roberto Bolaño “2666”, 2008
The book is divided into five unrelated sections that follow characters who are drawn to the fictional city of Santa Teresa, Mexico for various reasons.
Winfried Georg Sebald “Austerlitz”, 2001
Memoirs of Jacques Austerlitz, a refugee during the Kindertransport rescue operation in Prague.
Kazuo Ishiguro “Don’t Let Me Go”, 2005
Katie, Ruth and Tommy are students at an elite English school. Under the watchful eye of their “guardians,” the friends share gossip and experiences while also navigating the challenges of growing up.
Marilynne Robinson “Gilead”, 2004
Gilead is a fictional town in Iowa where the Boughton and Ames families live. The town in the Book of Jeremiah also bore the same name, where healing could be found. But not always.
Junot Diaz “The Brief Fantastic Life of Oscar Wao”, 2007
The plot revolves around a chubby cow who holds your hand throughout his life, from growing up to college where he falls in love for the first time. The author has combined comedy, tragedy, and philosophical thoughts in one novel.
Joan Didion “The Year of Magical Thinking”, 2005
The author tells how she lived a year after the sudden death of her husband, whom she had been married to for 40 years. Throughout the novel, the author is tormented by one question: could she have influenced what happened? Joan Didion tries to understand her feelings, delving into the depths of memory.
Cormac McCarthy “The Road”, 2006
A post-apocalyptic novel about a son and father who survive a disaster. The author wants to show that concepts such as good and evil become dysfunctional and lose their meaning under certain conditions. But nothing can replace a parent’s love for their child.
Rachel Cusk “Contour”, 2015
The work consists of ten meetings and conversations. The main character is a famous novelist. He makes new acquaintances with random passers-by who share with him their experiences, dreams, fantasies and beliefs.
Min Jin Lee “The Road of a Thousand Lees” or “Pachinko”, 2017
A Korean family’s story of four wars, colonization, and personal differences. Clever gangsters, forbidden love, and unexpected losses await you.
Michael Chabon “The Amazing Adventures of Cavalier and Clay”, 2000
The novel, which won the Pulitzer Prize, focuses on the brilliant artist Josef Kavaler and his cousin Sam Kleiman, a writer with boundless imagination.
Josef, who later changes his name to Joe, makes his first successful escape from German-occupied Prague. Together with his friend Sam, they start publishing a comic book about the superhero Escapist. Joseph dreams of saving his family and reflects his inner experiences in his drawings.
Paul Beattie “Sale”, 2015
A satirical novel about a young African American man who tries to restore slavery. Despite its poignant plot, The Sellout became the first American book to win the Booker Prize, one of the world’s most prestigious literary awards.
Source: People Talk
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
