Modern Library's Top 100 Novels

[The Ragin' South Asian]

http://www.randomhouse.com/modernlibrary/100best.html
This list is fairly old, so there's probably a thread about it already, but I thought it would be interesting to compile people's thoughts, mainly so I can judge what is worth reading. That can be done here:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=pwr2rAIpkZ8oTFtkFCKgBaw

You need a gmail account, and I need to add you to the spreadsheet, neither of which are difficult, so post here, email me, or message me with the relevant address if you want to take part.

[Lepton*]

The list has received a lot of criticism with, I think, good reason. First, the "Reader's List":

[The Ragin' South Asian]

The list itself isn't important, just getting a bunch of opinions on generally well regarded books in a place that I don't have to go fishing for them.

[casinopete]

[Victoria Silverwolf]

I am married to a voracious reader, who actually went out and read all of the books on the Modern Library's list of top 100 fiction and top 100 nonfiction, and the Radcliffe list of top 100 novels. (Not the "readers' list," which was obviously contaminated by cultists.) Yes, even Finnegan's Wake.

I'll just offer some comments on those I have read on the Modern Library list of novels.


THE GREAT GATSBY by F. Scott Fitzgerald -- a lovely and stylish book, not at all a chore to read

LOLITA by Vladimir Nabokov -- not a "dirty" book, but a very clever, intellectual comedy, perhaps a bit "difficult"

BRAVE NEW WORLD by Aldous Huxley -- a brilliantly satiric dystopia

CATCH-22 by Joseph Heller -- a wild and sly satire, deeper than it seems

1984 by George Orwell -- the greatest of all dystopias

SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE by Kurt Vonnegut -- a dazzling vision of fantasy and reality

INVISIBLE MAN by Ralph Ellison -- a complex, multilayered novel, very "literary"

NATIVE SON by Richard Wright -- a dark vision

HENDERSON THE RAIN KING by Saul Bellow -- stylish and witty, if not very memorable

ANIMAL FARM by George Orwell -- another great satire

THE BRIDGE OF SAN LUIS REY by Thornton Wilder -- interesting philosophical exercise

LORD OF THE FLIES by William Golding -- a shocking portrayal of the savage within

PORTNOY'S COMPLAINT by Philip Roth -- a jolly, bawdy romp

PALE FIRE by Vladimir Nabokov -- an excellently done literary joke

THE MALTESE FALCON by Dashiell Hammett -- early hardboiled 'tec novel, not really a "great" book

THE CATCHER IN THE RYE by J.D. Salinger -- wonderfully done character study

A CLOCKWORK ORANGE by Anthony Burgess -- perhaps the greatest "modern" dystopia

RAGTIME by E.L. Doctorow -- rollicking portrait of the early 20th century

THE CALL OF THE WILD by Jack London -- nicely done outdoor adventure

WIDE SARGASSO SEA by Jean Rhys -- this "prequel" to Jane Eyre made little impression on me

THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE by James M. Cain -- stark tale of lust and murder
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Reality is a crutch for people who can't face up to science fiction

[Samadhi]

I've only read three of the above.
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And he lived happily ever after. Except for the dieing at the end and the heartbreak in between.

[Jack_Ian]

My wife loved "The Handmaid's Tale" and though I like sci-fi, I found it rather dull. I guess it helps to be into women's lib. Didn't suit me at all and I expect you would feel the same.

Ulysses is a chore, but I still found it quite enjoyable. It's also a book that can easily be put down and taken up again at some later time. I saved it for business travel and it was perfect for that. Also, I had a well-annotated version, which helped a lot, as some of the references are quite obscure. It took me about a year to finish but my interest was kept by the fact that it was based in Dublin, where I live.

When I finished it, I went about replacing it. I chickened out at the book shop and returned Finnegan's Wake to the shelf after dipping into a few paragraphs. Scary stuff. Instead I chose a book called "The Red Queen", which turned out to be a fascinating read, though its hot-pink cover did cause a few furtive glances. Info probably out-of-date by now.

I'm currently re-discovering "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", as I am reading it to my 9 year old daughter (and editing out the few naughty bits). She finds it hilarious and both of us regularly laugh heartily at its absurd tale.

As for the other books that I have read from the list, I can only suggest that you read them expecting them to be dull and dreary and then be pleasantly surprised by their brilliance. Otherwise, you might find them only to be pretty good and thus be disappointed. Don't be swayed too much by the high regard in which some of these books are held. Animal Farm, for example, is hardly a page-turner. Pretty simplistic actually, but it does give food for thought once completed.

I probably would have enjoyed "The Handmaid's Tale", had my wife not been so effusive in her compliments. "Beloved" by Toni Morrison was another book that, in the same way, disappointed me greatly (conversely, my wife found "The Red Queen" equally disappointing).

They all probably deserve to be on the list.

YMMV

[MTGAP]

[Antrax]

In what sense is that list "better"?
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After years of disappointment with get rich quick schemes, I know I'm gonna get rich with this scheme. And quick!

[LordKinbote]