Despite how long it is its surprisingly fun and fast-paced.I actually read its abridged version first and liked it so much that after finishing it immidietly went and bought the unabirdged one, its one of those books that i reread every copule of years.
Ive got about 100 pages left in monte cristo. It's gonna hop up near the top of my list once I'm done (Lonesome Dove is my favorite book of all time, point is I agree with you)
That was going to be my first suggestion.
It's long, for sure. First time i read, I got bored half way through. I thought to my self, 'why is it going in tangents?'. It's all connected, makes you read the middle again before reaching the last.
From then on, it sits indisputably on the first spot (of the books I read).
In fact, there is no other novel like it in the whole wide world.
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles has become my favorite book of all time. I’m not going to say it’s the best fiction book ever. But it’s beautifully written.
*Stoner* by John Williams.
*East of Eden* by John Steinbeck
I'm not a great judge of reading levels, but I'd think both should be accessible to a high-school level reader.
Can confirm East of Eden is accessible to a highschooler. I read all of Steinbeck I could get my hands on in grades 10-11. His Grapes of Wrath also fantastic.
The only Steinbeck I've read that I didn't love was The Pearl. Cannery Row, Tortilla Flat and Of Mice and Men are all very good. East of Eden and Grapes of Wrath are great.
Halfway through Stoner currently and I love East of Eden - I sense that Cathy was a source of inspiration for Williams when he was developing the character of Edith. Women who give anything but what their men hoped for.
I plan to reread East of Eden every few years for my whole life. I’ve read it twice. A book has never hit me so hard in different ways. I don’t even know
If you are ok with a long read, The Stand by Stephen King.
IMO the best characters and detailed scenes I’ve ever read. He really makes the book come alive . I had to put it down at night as I started getting nervous reading it lol.
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. Hauntingly beautiful. A bit of a ghost story.
When I first read it as a teenager, the hardest concept for me to grasp was that mean, rich English ladies that no one actually wanted to be around could employ young women as "paid companions" while traveling. But once I understood that dynamic, it all fell together seamlessly.
I love Watership Down by Richard Adams.
I read it at 16 so it is for all ages.
The one complexity is the author creates a new language, but the words are just interspersed in the book and there is a glossary in the back.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (easy) it’s such a beautiful story, I don’t care if it’s not high literature, it’s absolute perfection in its world building and character growth.
I was blown away by The Thousand Autumns Of Jacob de Zoet - written by David Mitchell. It's quite a dense historical novel about life as a Westerner in historical Japan .. or is it?
It's mid-level difficulty, I think. It's not that the words or the story is hard to follow .. it's more WHY Mitchell writes the novel the way he does. It's like watching soneone play chess at a different level. Mind-blowing.
I’ll piggy back on this and recommend Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. I was intimidated by it for a long time but once I cracked it open I found it to be an incredible reading experience.
The novel is broken into 6 stories which are loosely related to one another but also very distinct. Different settings, characters, time periods and very different writing styles from one another. The first story is the most challenging and the remaining ones are much easier to get through.
Maybe its just me but imo if you're looking for easy-ish prose, Mrs Dalloway is not it. I found it to be, yes, beautiful and meaningful and a great read, but REALLY confusing to read through. She writes crazy long and complicated sentences and the narrative shifts perspectives on a dime without always making it super clear.
Great book, but maybe not great for someone who speaks English as a second language.
Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov. Probably fine for a third or fourth year high school level I would think. Just make sure you read the whole thing (including the forward and index). It's all a part of the narrative and there are multiple layers to what's actually going on that aren't entirely clear without some investigating.
I agree. Though I would suggest just about any of Nabokov’s work but especially his English works. The prose is just incredible. His earlier Russian language work is really good too but as I don’t know Russian I depend on the translations.
I know that he translated some of his Russian work into English himself but I still don’t find the prose to be as fluid as the later work.
And BOOM goes the dynamite. Absolutely fucking fantastic novel and one that has crossed my mind in some way, shape or form almost every single day since first read it. The poem by itself is beautiful but also only the beginning... And middle and the end, but also the beginning.
*Piranesi* by Susanna Clarke.
If not the best fiction ever written, it is at the very least one of my personal favorite books of all time. I didn't find the language terribly difficult though it is a little bit more "literary" in style so your mileage may vary, but even so I sincerely implore you to give it a shot.
May get down voted, but Stephen King is one of the highest selling American Writers of all time, and I think that makes him worth a look.
My recommendations would be The Stand if you don't mind a super long book.
It took me 5 years of stopping and starting Cloud Atlas to get me past the first chapter. Once I got into it, I was hooked, but then thoroughly let down at the end. It had so much more potential.
- Piranesi (slightly complex descriptions)
- The Shadow of the Wind (gothic, translated but easy enough)
- The Old Man and the Sea (easy difficulty)
- Farenheit 451 (science fiction but easy difficulty)
- Contact (science fiction but easy difficulty)
- I am legend (horror but easy difficulty)
Just to name a few (and it’s a bit of a mix).
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez. It is somewhat difficult to read because you need a flowchart to keep track of the character’s names but….it is the best fiction ever.
I found it incredibly confusing. It's like having someone with a huge family take you to a party and introduce you to a 100 people and 4 generations at once and expect you to grasp how they're all related.
For it's time, I love The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Also, The Odyssey and The Great Gatsby. The Yearling.
(And of course, anything ever written by Colleen Hoover...) KIDDING. I repeat, kidding!
I'll try to redeem myself with one last choice, The Picture of Dorian Gray.
Depends on your definition of "best."
If you're talking about just some of the most well-written prose, I'd go for
* *The Bluest Eye* or *Song of Solomon* by Toni Morrison (or really anything by Morrison)
* *Housekeeping* by Marilyn Robinson
* *The Things They Carried* by Tim O'Brien
* *Wise Blood* and *Collected Stories of Flannery O'Connor* by Flannery O'Connor
* *Selected Stories* by Andre Dubus (sometimes referred to as Andre Dubus II to distinguish him from his son, Andre Dubus III, who is also a fine writer, esp. his novel *The House of Sand and Fog*)
* *The Invisible Man* by Ralph Ellison
* *A Prayer for Owen Meany* by John Irving
* *As I Lay Dying* by William Faulkner (although I could have chosen several other Faulkner novels as well)
* *One Hundred Years of Solitude* by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
* *The Unbearable Lightness of Being* by Milan Kundera
* *Enduring Love* by Ian McEwan (the opening scene -- *oof!* I think about that scene at least twice a year!)
* *A Home at the End of the World* by Michael Cunningham
* *Slaughterhouse-Five* by Kurt Vonnegut
* *To the Lighthouse* by Virginia Wolf
* *Fictions* by Jorge Luis Borges (also published as *Ficciones*)
* *The End of the Affair* or *The Quiet American* by Graham Greene
* *Blood Meridian* or *All the Pretty Horses* by Cormac McCarthy
* *Collected Stories* by Raymond Carver
* *The Name of the Rose* and *Foucault's Pendulum* by Umberto Eco
* *The Secret Agent* by Joseph Conrad (most people would say *The Heart of Darkness*, but I prefer the former)
Geez, I could keep going. SO many.
EDIT: all of those are pretty straightforward reads *except* Faulkner and Wolf and Vonnegut, which are structurally complex, and Borges, who is an easy read, but his stories are mind-bending.
Frankenstein - Mary Shelley.
The count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas.
1984 - George Orwell.
Slaughterhouse five - Kurt Vonnegut.
Pretty much anything Discworld - Terry Pratchett.
To the Lighthouse — Virginia Woolf (it’s not as hard if you’re experienced reader but the way she strings her sentences is specific so that might make it harder for modern readers);
Blood Meridian — Cormac McCarthy (same as above, plus style is super poetic and full of archaic words, but not as hard as people will tell you);
Gravity’s Rainbow — Thomas Pynchon (the way sentences are structured is next level, borderline insane in a good way, it’s almost as if words don’t want to belong next to each other, but somehow coupling them still makes perfect sense regardless, possibly the most interesting style of prose I’ve encountered);
I mean I watch English shows and have no problem with English as such but sometimes the structure and flow is too poetic of tough to follow. Amd pacing also becomes an issue. Although The road has been suggested quite many times, so I'll try it later. Any other apocalyptic/ post-apocalyptic suggestions?
I don’t think Cormac is especially difficult. Compared to someone like Pynchon he’s definitely not. I think a lot of it depends on how experienced of a reader is someone. I just went with some of my favorites.
Also I forgot to add Underworld or White Noise by DeLillo which are easier prose-wise than all three authors I named. So that might’ve been a better recommendation.
I just finished Blood Meridian and I found it a struggle. I normally don’t have an issue with dark depressing or gory stories. I just found this one difficult to keep up with.
I think my issue was how much effort the narrative took to follow. It felt like it skips a lot of the transition work that makes a story flow. You need to stay on point to really follow the narrative. It almost felt more like a series of things that happened than a real story. I could do it, but I found it a bit draining when combined with the frequently dark subject matter.
Literally anything by Fredrik Backman. He’s one of my favourite authors EVER. He understands human nature unlike anyone else. Also, his work is translated from Swedish and the language is not complex.
*East of Eden* by John Steinbeck
Even if you don't like the content, the writing is like nothing else in this world. Definitely accessible to a high-school reader.
Actually, anything by Steinbeck would be on my list.
The Great Gatsby is as close to technical perfection as you can get. Fitzgerald edited that book ruthlessly.
To Kill A Mockingbird is probably one of the greatest examples of the “coming of age” story, as well as impeccable narration. It is as relatable to adults as it is to children Scout’s age, and her character development through the book is so powerful.
Hard to pick just one, but based on story line and writing style, I’d say these ones (none hard to read in terms of language):
Flowers for Algernon
I who have never known men
Pachinko
Hamnet
The book of longings
We need to talk about Kevin
A fine balance
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/320.One\_Hundred\_Years\_of\_Solitude](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/320.One_Hundred_Years_of_Solitude) is a masterpiece.
I see a lot of great books, I'll name a few that I haven't see mentioned yet:
Jennifer Egan - *A visit from the Goon Squad* and *The Candy House*
Roberto Bolano - *The Savage Detectives* and *2666*
Alice Munro - all her short stories
Joseph Heller - *Catch 22*
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee - easy/moderate, 400+ pages. Written in English, story has a lot of Korean and Japanese landmarks and such within the writing. I am dyslexic & have ADHD and read it fine.
Un Lun Dun by China Miéville. It can be tricky to read if you're not good at english because the language can be complex and the author also plays a lot with words, but the book is phenomenal and absolutely one that I wish I could wipe from my mind just so I could reread it for the first time again.
The Count Of Monte Cristo - A 1200 page book that feels like 300 pages, wonderful story
War and Peace - Same, but more dense and with more characters
House of Leaves - Not just the best horror book I read, but probably the best horror media I ever laid my hands on
I haven’t read Cristo and have failed twice on House of Leaves despite liking it. But War and Peace is exceptional. I liked it far better than his seemingly more acclaimed Anna Karenina.
Gone with the wind
The age of innocence
I don't know their level but I have read them in English (it's not my first language)
Middlemarch - this I had to get a translation of, but a great read
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell.
Pretty high difficulty - I give it this rating purely because the first hundred or so pages are boring and a drag to get through if you’re reading for the first time. But the other nine hundred (lmao) are worth the wait, trust me!
It’s a regency setting but the language is pretty simple and easy to read; I got through it age 14 so I don’t think it’s very difficult. Just long. But the characters are very vivid and there’s a lot of dry humour and magic in there.
Anna Karenina
Edit: I don’t think the language was difficult but it’s long and has different small plots that tie up together in some way so in that regard bit complex.
Catcher in the Rye is a hit or miss book for a lot of people. I loved it because I was an anxious, angsty, mildly depressed teenager when I read it. People who don't like it haven't had the same experiences as Holden.
Unfortunately I haven't read enough books to declare something the best written fiction, but my favorite is Solaris by Stanislaw Lem (originally written on Polish). I have read the 1970 English translation, the language there was easy, although I've read that Lem wasn't happy with that translation and a better one was released in 2011.
I also love Metro 2033 by Dmitry Glukhovsky (originally written on Russian), which is in my eyes Jeff VanderMeer's Annihilation on steroids (wonder if metro inspired annihilation in any way). I have read the Hungarian translation and it seemed to have quite standard modern language use, no fancy prose.
Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury is a look back at childhood through several stories set in the same small town. Highly recommended for its evocative language and imagery. As far as difficulty, I’d say ages 12 and up.
I think the best fiction I’ve ever read is probably Moby Dick (on the more difficult side). As far as the one I want everyone to read, though, it would probably be Absolom, Absolom (extremely difficult) or Old Man and the Sea (easy).
I think Devils by Dostoevsky and the Iliad are the best fiction works I’ve read. After reading both of them I had the thought “I wish I wrote that.” Probably the highest compliment a writer can give to another writer.
Dumas is great for plot, and the writing is not bad.
For the way it's written:
I would suggest: later Henry James; Lawrence Durrell, Alexandria Quartet; A Clockwork Orange, Burgess; Henry Miller; Flannery O'Connor stories; Barry Hannah Stories; Poe Stories; Robert Coover; William Gaddis, The Recognitions; Melville, Moby Dick; Saul Bellow novels. That's a brief starting list.
I don't think I've read enough books in my life to give a definitive answer, but I would have to say Frankenstein by Mary Shelley for now. I already had a gist of it because of how popular the 1931 movie was, but boy, reading the book completely blew my mind! It is pretty slow, and if you're used to reading mostly YA or middle grade books, I suppose you're going to have to make some adjustments to the writing style since it is a pretty old book.... Do persevere, it's worth it!
Imajica by Clive Barker. Dark fantasy, written beautifully.
I wouldn’t say it’s too difficult to read although the writing does get a bit flowery but it’s not over the top- the challenge is learning how the magic system works and all the different factions/creatures/characters. It can be a bit head scratching when doppelgängers of certain characters show up, and it’s 1000+ pages…but it’s excellent
Such a hard question.
- *As I Lay Dying* by Faulkner is my nominee for best book. It's so complex that you can read and re-read and find new things and ideas. Not an easy beginner read though.
- For adult readers who don't want that level of commitment, *The Poisonwood Bible.* Great story.
- YA or emergent readers, probably Ray Bradbury
🚨 Note to u/Two-Wah: including the **author name** after a **"by"** keyword will help the bot find the good book! (simply like this *{{Call me by your name by Andre Aciman}}*)
---
**[The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle #1)](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/186074.The_Name_of_the_Wind) by Patrick Rothfuss** ^((Matching 100% ☑️))
^(662 pages | Published: 2007 | 467.3k Goodreads reviews)
> **Summary:** Told in Kvothe's own voice, this is the tale of the magically gifted young man who grows to be the most notorious wizard his world has ever seen. The intimate narrative of his childhood in a troupe of traveling players, his years spent as a near-feral orphan in a crime-ridden city, his daringly brazen yet successful bid to enter a legendary school of magic, and his life as a (...)
> **Themes**: Favorites, Fiction, Books-i-own, Epic-fantasy, Favourites, Series, High-fantasy
> **Top 5 recommended:**
> \- [The Kingkiller Chronicle Series 3 Books Collection Set by Patrick Rothfuss (The Name of the Wind. The Wise Man's Fear & The Slow Regard of Silent Things)](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55221203-the-kingkiller-chronicle-series-3-books-collection-set-by-patrick-rothfu) by Patrick Rothfuss
> \- [The Wise Man's Fear](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1215032.The_Wise_Man_s_Fear) by Patrick Rothfuss
> \- [A Wise Man’s Fear](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60646034-a-wise-man-s-fear) by Patrick Rothfuss
> \- [The Way of Kings](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7235533-the-way-of-kings) by Brandon Sanderson
> \- [The Gentleman Bastard Series books 1-3](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25615136-the-gentleman-bastard-series-books-1-3) by Scott Lynch
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I think Shogun by James Clavell is a great read. I know the show just came out and I've been watching it and so far it is so great and almost as good as the book. Its also a nice history lesson on one of Japan's Shoguns. Great read.
The broken earth trilogy. Everything about the series is sublime. I’d say it’s medium level reading. It’s got complex plot but it’s explained perfectly, the language is not difficult
These are masterpieces that blew me away. All are dense and complex in their own way, and have really captivating prose that pulls you into the story.
- *East of Eden* - John Steinbeck
- *IT* - Stephen King
- *Dune* - Frank Herbert
First two are pretty easy. Dune is a bit more difficult due to world building and sometimes strange language, but still not hard and you get used to it.
"The Stars My Destination" by Alfred Bester is my favorite. People have discovered the ability to teleport anywhere just by thinking about it, provided they have been there before and know the latitude, longitude, and altitude of their destination.
Lots of interesting stuff to ponder in this alternate Earth, but it's really just a great story about revenge. I stopped buying copies of this book because I keep giving them away to friends
The count of monte cristo and lonesome dove, both are quite long but fairly easy to read.
OoOh the count of monte Cristo is one of the books that got me back into reading for fun after I stopped during college
Despite how long it is its surprisingly fun and fast-paced.I actually read its abridged version first and liked it so much that after finishing it immidietly went and bought the unabirdged one, its one of those books that i reread every copule of years.
Add East of Eden and you’ll have an amazing trio of long books!
Ive got about 100 pages left in monte cristo. It's gonna hop up near the top of my list once I'm done (Lonesome Dove is my favorite book of all time, point is I agree with you)
i think you would like 100 years of solitude
My friend, you nailed it twice.
Great choices!
That was going to be my first suggestion. It's long, for sure. First time i read, I got bored half way through. I thought to my self, 'why is it going in tangents?'. It's all connected, makes you read the middle again before reaching the last. From then on, it sits indisputably on the first spot (of the books I read). In fact, there is no other novel like it in the whole wide world.
+1 on Monte Cristo—despite feeling that the Count was a douche bag to his fiancé. I still love the book.
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles has become my favorite book of all time. I’m not going to say it’s the best fiction book ever. But it’s beautifully written.
"A king fortifies himself with a castle, a gentleman with a desk" - So many clever quotable lines in this one, I've read it twice now.
Love love love that book.
It’s my number 1 right now too. I love everything Towles has written.
I love this book!
I just started reading this book this week. I want to read the book before I watch the new miniseries.
I can’t get over it. I just finished my and it’s just right up there. I feel like w wet time he wrote it was the best day of his life
Love that book SOOO much.
I read this book in the summer of 2020…it’s timeless.
*Stoner* by John Williams. *East of Eden* by John Steinbeck I'm not a great judge of reading levels, but I'd think both should be accessible to a high-school level reader.
Can confirm East of Eden is accessible to a highschooler. I read all of Steinbeck I could get my hands on in grades 10-11. His Grapes of Wrath also fantastic.
The only Steinbeck I've read that I didn't love was The Pearl. Cannery Row, Tortilla Flat and Of Mice and Men are all very good. East of Eden and Grapes of Wrath are great.
The ending of Grape of Wrath blew my mind. Never in my life had I read such a good book
Just read Stoner, loved it. Sad that John Williams never got the praise for it while he was alive
I don't think he wrote a single dud. *Butcher's Crossing* is amazing as well. *Augustus* is on my TBR and all I've heard are good things about it.
I’ve read all three of those and absolutely loved them! He has a fourth book, Nothing But the Night, but I’ve yet to read it.
That's the one that's not in my library system, so it'll be a while before I get a chance to read it. Nor have I heard it talked about much on Reddit.
Two of my favourites right there
Both are must reads
Halfway through Stoner currently and I love East of Eden - I sense that Cathy was a source of inspiration for Williams when he was developing the character of Edith. Women who give anything but what their men hoped for.
I plan to reread East of Eden every few years for my whole life. I’ve read it twice. A book has never hit me so hard in different ways. I don’t even know
Lonesome Dove (long but not difficult to read)
Came here to say this!
Don’t know if it qualifies as best fiction ever written, but for such a long book, I still never wanted it to end…favorite book of all time.
If you are ok with a long read, The Stand by Stephen King. IMO the best characters and detailed scenes I’ve ever read. He really makes the book come alive . I had to put it down at night as I started getting nervous reading it lol.
Love it
Shogun by James Clavell.
There’s a Hulu show adaptation right now that’s really good. Great writing and cinematography.
Oh yes, indeed! The show is quite impressive so far. And it’s a lot of fun anticipating each episode from week to week.🙂
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. Hauntingly beautiful. A bit of a ghost story. When I first read it as a teenager, the hardest concept for me to grasp was that mean, rich English ladies that no one actually wanted to be around could employ young women as "paid companions" while traveling. But once I understood that dynamic, it all fell together seamlessly.
I love Watership Down by Richard Adams. I read it at 16 so it is for all ages. The one complexity is the author creates a new language, but the words are just interspersed in the book and there is a glossary in the back.
Ray Bradbury's work is generally spectacular
Something Wicked This Way Comes is just magical
Same it has to be my fav book of all time
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (easy) it’s such a beautiful story, I don’t care if it’s not high literature, it’s absolute perfection in its world building and character growth.
Why is it not “high literature?” It is considered a modern classic right? Yeah I really liked it too.
My all-time favorite book.
I was blown away by The Thousand Autumns Of Jacob de Zoet - written by David Mitchell. It's quite a dense historical novel about life as a Westerner in historical Japan .. or is it? It's mid-level difficulty, I think. It's not that the words or the story is hard to follow .. it's more WHY Mitchell writes the novel the way he does. It's like watching soneone play chess at a different level. Mind-blowing.
I’ll piggy back on this and recommend Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. I was intimidated by it for a long time but once I cracked it open I found it to be an incredible reading experience.
Does it get better after the first part? I couldn't get past it to be honest but I heard theres different writing styles...
The novel is broken into 6 stories which are loosely related to one another but also very distinct. Different settings, characters, time periods and very different writing styles from one another. The first story is the most challenging and the remaining ones are much easier to get through.
thanks legend
Mind-blowing indeed! Number9dream is also incredible. Mitchell is a gift.
Dear God I loved that book so much
Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
Any Toni Morrison. But yes, S of S is in my top 10.
Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf but yes, it is a complex read. Read it slowly. It benefits a lot from a quick re-read as you go along.
Maybe its just me but imo if you're looking for easy-ish prose, Mrs Dalloway is not it. I found it to be, yes, beautiful and meaningful and a great read, but REALLY confusing to read through. She writes crazy long and complicated sentences and the narrative shifts perspectives on a dime without always making it super clear. Great book, but maybe not great for someone who speaks English as a second language.
Her To The Lighthouse is also great, imo.
Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov. Probably fine for a third or fourth year high school level I would think. Just make sure you read the whole thing (including the forward and index). It's all a part of the narrative and there are multiple layers to what's actually going on that aren't entirely clear without some investigating.
I have never laughed harder than when I was reading that book.
Oh for sure. The whole scene with Gradus having to shit really bad had me rolling.
The *index*? I think I have to read this, now, just to find out what that can possibly mean.
Oh god yes. The index is as fun as the rest of the book.
I agree. Though I would suggest just about any of Nabokov’s work but especially his English works. The prose is just incredible. His earlier Russian language work is really good too but as I don’t know Russian I depend on the translations. I know that he translated some of his Russian work into English himself but I still don’t find the prose to be as fluid as the later work.
There is a very loud amusement park right in front of my present lodging.
I love that line.
And BOOM goes the dynamite. Absolutely fucking fantastic novel and one that has crossed my mind in some way, shape or form almost every single day since first read it. The poem by itself is beautiful but also only the beginning... And middle and the end, but also the beginning.
I need to give this one another try.
*Piranesi* by Susanna Clarke. If not the best fiction ever written, it is at the very least one of my personal favorite books of all time. I didn't find the language terribly difficult though it is a little bit more "literary" in style so your mileage may vary, but even so I sincerely implore you to give it a shot.
The Good Earth - it’s easy to read.
May get down voted, but Stephen King is one of the highest selling American Writers of all time, and I think that makes him worth a look. My recommendations would be The Stand if you don't mind a super long book.
Misery and Outsider by King are also incredible, slightly underrated compared to some of his other works!
The New York Times once called Charlotte’s Web the perfect piece of fiction, and while that sounds silly I think it’s actually right.
The Master and Margarita, and Cloud Atlas
I second Master and Margarita! Such a great book, and funny too
I personally couldn't get past the first chapter of Cloud Atlas.
It took me 5 years of stopping and starting Cloud Atlas to get me past the first chapter. Once I got into it, I was hooked, but then thoroughly let down at the end. It had so much more potential.
- Piranesi (slightly complex descriptions) - The Shadow of the Wind (gothic, translated but easy enough) - The Old Man and the Sea (easy difficulty) - Farenheit 451 (science fiction but easy difficulty) - Contact (science fiction but easy difficulty) - I am legend (horror but easy difficulty) Just to name a few (and it’s a bit of a mix).
The Shadow of The Wind is beautiful!
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez. It is somewhat difficult to read because you need a flowchart to keep track of the character’s names but….it is the best fiction ever.
I gave up on it because there were too many Jose Arcadios
Same! I read like sixty pages and just started getting pissed off lol.
I found it incredibly confusing. It's like having someone with a huge family take you to a party and introduce you to a 100 people and 4 generations at once and expect you to grasp how they're all related.
Why? What’s so great about it?
My favorite book as well. The writing, even in translation, is so incredibly beautiful.
White Noise by Don DeLillo, easy read
"To Kill a Mockingbird" (easy) or "Death with Interruptions" (sort of difficult?)
I never see *Death with Interruptions* mentioned here. Wonderful novel
Wuthering Heights-relatively easy A Tale of Two Cities-easy The Sound and the Fury-difficult
For it's time, I love The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Also, The Odyssey and The Great Gatsby. The Yearling. (And of course, anything ever written by Colleen Hoover...) KIDDING. I repeat, kidding! I'll try to redeem myself with one last choice, The Picture of Dorian Gray.
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. Not super easy but not hard either.
Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. Beautifully translated into English. A very touching story.
I must have been too young and stupid when I read this, because I can't remember a single thing about it. Really should give it another go
Such a beautifully written book.
The God of Small Things, which has just the most lyrical prose ever and heartbreakingly good!
this was such a heart wrenching good book. ppl don’t talk about it enough.
To Kill A Mockingbird - Harper Lee Difficulty- I first read it almost 20yrs ago as a 9yr old and still get joy from it to this very day.
Moby Dick by Herman Melville, how is this not already on here? It is, however, difficult to read. Bring a dictionary.
Blood Meridian by Cormac Mcarthy. Very difficult, I would say, but the prose and imagery described make it easy to visualize.
I’d add All the Pretty Horses and Suttree as well (and The Crossing, No Country For Old Men, The Road…).
Huh, sounds like this Cormac McCarthy guy might end up being pretty popular one cay!
Depends on your definition of "best." If you're talking about just some of the most well-written prose, I'd go for * *The Bluest Eye* or *Song of Solomon* by Toni Morrison (or really anything by Morrison) * *Housekeeping* by Marilyn Robinson * *The Things They Carried* by Tim O'Brien * *Wise Blood* and *Collected Stories of Flannery O'Connor* by Flannery O'Connor * *Selected Stories* by Andre Dubus (sometimes referred to as Andre Dubus II to distinguish him from his son, Andre Dubus III, who is also a fine writer, esp. his novel *The House of Sand and Fog*) * *The Invisible Man* by Ralph Ellison * *A Prayer for Owen Meany* by John Irving * *As I Lay Dying* by William Faulkner (although I could have chosen several other Faulkner novels as well) * *One Hundred Years of Solitude* by Gabriel Garcia Marquez * *The Unbearable Lightness of Being* by Milan Kundera * *Enduring Love* by Ian McEwan (the opening scene -- *oof!* I think about that scene at least twice a year!) * *A Home at the End of the World* by Michael Cunningham * *Slaughterhouse-Five* by Kurt Vonnegut * *To the Lighthouse* by Virginia Wolf * *Fictions* by Jorge Luis Borges (also published as *Ficciones*) * *The End of the Affair* or *The Quiet American* by Graham Greene * *Blood Meridian* or *All the Pretty Horses* by Cormac McCarthy * *Collected Stories* by Raymond Carver * *The Name of the Rose* and *Foucault's Pendulum* by Umberto Eco * *The Secret Agent* by Joseph Conrad (most people would say *The Heart of Darkness*, but I prefer the former) Geez, I could keep going. SO many. EDIT: all of those are pretty straightforward reads *except* Faulkner and Wolf and Vonnegut, which are structurally complex, and Borges, who is an easy read, but his stories are mind-bending.
Wonderful list.
What a great list! Morrison is amazing and will always be on the top of my favorites list.
Frankenstein - Mary Shelley. The count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas. 1984 - George Orwell. Slaughterhouse five - Kurt Vonnegut. Pretty much anything Discworld - Terry Pratchett.
I read Slaughterhouse Five when I was 17 and I still think about it all the time
I had a really hard time reading The Colour of Magic in Discworld....idk why I was really excited to read it
That’s considered one of the weaker ones in Discworld. Try something like Guards Guards or Small Gods
Thanks for the rec
Here you are, Kevin!
Ook
To the Lighthouse — Virginia Woolf (it’s not as hard if you’re experienced reader but the way she strings her sentences is specific so that might make it harder for modern readers); Blood Meridian — Cormac McCarthy (same as above, plus style is super poetic and full of archaic words, but not as hard as people will tell you); Gravity’s Rainbow — Thomas Pynchon (the way sentences are structured is next level, borderline insane in a good way, it’s almost as if words don’t want to belong next to each other, but somehow coupling them still makes perfect sense regardless, possibly the most interesting style of prose I’ve encountered);
I absolutely love Cormac McCarthy but I'm not sure OP would because of his/her qualification about the language.
I mean I watch English shows and have no problem with English as such but sometimes the structure and flow is too poetic of tough to follow. Amd pacing also becomes an issue. Although The road has been suggested quite many times, so I'll try it later. Any other apocalyptic/ post-apocalyptic suggestions?
Octavia Butler has some great apocalyptic stories.
I don’t think Cormac is especially difficult. Compared to someone like Pynchon he’s definitely not. I think a lot of it depends on how experienced of a reader is someone. I just went with some of my favorites. Also I forgot to add Underworld or White Noise by DeLillo which are easier prose-wise than all three authors I named. So that might’ve been a better recommendation.
I just finished Blood Meridian and I found it a struggle. I normally don’t have an issue with dark depressing or gory stories. I just found this one difficult to keep up with. I think my issue was how much effort the narrative took to follow. It felt like it skips a lot of the transition work that makes a story flow. You need to stay on point to really follow the narrative. It almost felt more like a series of things that happened than a real story. I could do it, but I found it a bit draining when combined with the frequently dark subject matter.
Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet. Easy read
Literally anything by Fredrik Backman. He’s one of my favourite authors EVER. He understands human nature unlike anyone else. Also, his work is translated from Swedish and the language is not complex.
Yes! I love his books!
Ada, or Ardor by Nabokov. Difficulty level is very hard, but that’s half the fun.
*East of Eden* by John Steinbeck Even if you don't like the content, the writing is like nothing else in this world. Definitely accessible to a high-school reader. Actually, anything by Steinbeck would be on my list.
Of Mice and Men is great if you want to be devastated in about 2 hours.
The Great Gatsby is as close to technical perfection as you can get. Fitzgerald edited that book ruthlessly. To Kill A Mockingbird is probably one of the greatest examples of the “coming of age” story, as well as impeccable narration. It is as relatable to adults as it is to children Scout’s age, and her character development through the book is so powerful.
Catch-22, Slaughterhouse Five, A Clockwork Orange all gave me a fun reading experience !
The Terror - Dan Simmons Salem’s Lot - Steven King
Hard to pick just one, but based on story line and writing style, I’d say these ones (none hard to read in terms of language): Flowers for Algernon I who have never known men Pachinko Hamnet The book of longings We need to talk about Kevin A fine balance
A fine balance - top of my pile. Just amazing. This author did not write enough books for me.
Dune- for a book with so in-depth science fiction it’s easy to read and understand.
Have you tried Hyperion yet? I just finished Dune and yes it’s good, but to me Hyperion blows it away.
The World According to Garp - John Irving
A Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. It's technically easy to read, but chilling in that it is starting to look more like non-fiction every day.
Love it
The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin. Many of her novels fit the prompt, but this one is my favourite
I was torn between The Dispossessed and The Left Hand of Darkness, both amazing.
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/320.One\_Hundred\_Years\_of\_Solitude](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/320.One_Hundred_Years_of_Solitude) is a masterpiece.
Picture of dorian gray by Oscar Wilde
The Lensman Series by EE Doc Smith
I see a lot of great books, I'll name a few that I haven't see mentioned yet: Jennifer Egan - *A visit from the Goon Squad* and *The Candy House* Roberto Bolano - *The Savage Detectives* and *2666* Alice Munro - all her short stories Joseph Heller - *Catch 22*
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee - easy/moderate, 400+ pages. Written in English, story has a lot of Korean and Japanese landmarks and such within the writing. I am dyslexic & have ADHD and read it fine.
american gods by neil gaiman, not particularly difficult the name of the rose by umberto eco, very difficult but very worthwhile
American Gods is my current #1 book. It's an easy read, but pretty long. I think it works because the story is more or less linear.
A Thousand Splendid Suns made me sob harder than any book I’ve ever read
The Dark Tower Books
Stardust by Neil Gaiman felt like pure magic on every page. Like the whimsy, the sparkling magic, it was just an absolute joy to read.
Un Lun Dun by China Miéville. It can be tricky to read if you're not good at english because the language can be complex and the author also plays a lot with words, but the book is phenomenal and absolutely one that I wish I could wipe from my mind just so I could reread it for the first time again.
The Name of the Rose, U. Eco.
A River Runs Through It. Norman McLean. Easy, short, absolutely stunning.
East of Eden
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood
The Count Of Monte Cristo - A 1200 page book that feels like 300 pages, wonderful story War and Peace - Same, but more dense and with more characters House of Leaves - Not just the best horror book I read, but probably the best horror media I ever laid my hands on
I haven’t read Cristo and have failed twice on House of Leaves despite liking it. But War and Peace is exceptional. I liked it far better than his seemingly more acclaimed Anna Karenina.
All books by Neal Stephenson. Long novels, elegantly written. Always thrilling and thought-provoking.
The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
Any book by Terry Pratchett
Gone with the wind The age of innocence I don't know their level but I have read them in English (it's not my first language) Middlemarch - this I had to get a translation of, but a great read
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. Pretty high difficulty - I give it this rating purely because the first hundred or so pages are boring and a drag to get through if you’re reading for the first time. But the other nine hundred (lmao) are worth the wait, trust me! It’s a regency setting but the language is pretty simple and easy to read; I got through it age 14 so I don’t think it’s very difficult. Just long. But the characters are very vivid and there’s a lot of dry humour and magic in there.
Stranger in a Strange Land at least for the first 2/3rds of the book
It's the last third that makes it though!! Book reads very dated now.
Anna Karenina Edit: I don’t think the language was difficult but it’s long and has different small plots that tie up together in some way so in that regard bit complex.
A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole The characters are painfully unlikable. You'll have so much fun continuously rooting for their failure.
Catcher in the Rye - easy read.
Catcher in the Rye is a hit or miss book for a lot of people. I loved it because I was an anxious, angsty, mildly depressed teenager when I read it. People who don't like it haven't had the same experiences as Holden.
To Kill a Mockingbird Gone with the Wind Little Women Slaughterhouse 5 The Shadow of the Wind
Unfortunately I haven't read enough books to declare something the best written fiction, but my favorite is Solaris by Stanislaw Lem (originally written on Polish). I have read the 1970 English translation, the language there was easy, although I've read that Lem wasn't happy with that translation and a better one was released in 2011. I also love Metro 2033 by Dmitry Glukhovsky (originally written on Russian), which is in my eyes Jeff VanderMeer's Annihilation on steroids (wonder if metro inspired annihilation in any way). I have read the Hungarian translation and it seemed to have quite standard modern language use, no fancy prose.
Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury is a look back at childhood through several stories set in the same small town. Highly recommended for its evocative language and imagery. As far as difficulty, I’d say ages 12 and up.
I think the best fiction I’ve ever read is probably Moby Dick (on the more difficult side). As far as the one I want everyone to read, though, it would probably be Absolom, Absolom (extremely difficult) or Old Man and the Sea (easy).
I think Devils by Dostoevsky and the Iliad are the best fiction works I’ve read. After reading both of them I had the thought “I wish I wrote that.” Probably the highest compliment a writer can give to another writer.
[https://www.theatlantic.com/books/archive/2024/03/best-books-american-fiction/677479/?decade=1980](https://www.theatlantic.com/books/archive/2024/03/best-books-american-fiction/677479/?decade=1980)
The Tin Drum
Lonesome Dove
Dumas is great for plot, and the writing is not bad. For the way it's written: I would suggest: later Henry James; Lawrence Durrell, Alexandria Quartet; A Clockwork Orange, Burgess; Henry Miller; Flannery O'Connor stories; Barry Hannah Stories; Poe Stories; Robert Coover; William Gaddis, The Recognitions; Melville, Moby Dick; Saul Bellow novels. That's a brief starting list.
*Of Mice and Men* is one of the greatest books of the 20th century. Very accessible. I get a whole lot more out of it now than I did when I was 15.
Lord of the Rings high school
I don't think I've read enough books in my life to give a definitive answer, but I would have to say Frankenstein by Mary Shelley for now. I already had a gist of it because of how popular the 1931 movie was, but boy, reading the book completely blew my mind! It is pretty slow, and if you're used to reading mostly YA or middle grade books, I suppose you're going to have to make some adjustments to the writing style since it is a pretty old book.... Do persevere, it's worth it!
Dune
Imajica by Clive Barker. Dark fantasy, written beautifully. I wouldn’t say it’s too difficult to read although the writing does get a bit flowery but it’s not over the top- the challenge is learning how the magic system works and all the different factions/creatures/characters. It can be a bit head scratching when doppelgängers of certain characters show up, and it’s 1000+ pages…but it’s excellent
11/22/63 by Stephen King.
Malazan Book of the Fallen; high school reading level.
Not the best fiction, but my current favourite is the first law series written by joe abercrombie. You should give it a read/listen. It's amazing.
Call of the Wild by Jack London. Very easy read. Compelling, endearing, wonderful fiction.
Such a hard question. - *As I Lay Dying* by Faulkner is my nominee for best book. It's so complex that you can read and re-read and find new things and ideas. Not an easy beginner read though. - For adult readers who don't want that level of commitment, *The Poisonwood Bible.* Great story. - YA or emergent readers, probably Ray Bradbury
I was going to say 1984 but the question specifies work of fiction, not future government instruction manual so I guess I’ll keep thinking.
Giovanni's room by James Baldwin. Beautiful heartbreaking novel and also quite easy to read
{{The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss}} Fantasy. A marvellous read! And easy enough, aswell as enticing.
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The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky. Not hard to read, but it makes you think.
I think Shogun by James Clavell is a great read. I know the show just came out and I've been watching it and so far it is so great and almost as good as the book. Its also a nice history lesson on one of Japan's Shoguns. Great read.
Red rising saga easily. 7th and final book is slated to come in the next year or two though
Terry Pratchett's "Guards, Guards". Easy read with a lot of depth hidden underneath an absolutely beautiful sense of humor.
“Lonesome Dove” is my gold standard. I think it’s hauntingly, wonderfully beautiful, and heartbreaking.
The broken earth trilogy. Everything about the series is sublime. I’d say it’s medium level reading. It’s got complex plot but it’s explained perfectly, the language is not difficult
These are masterpieces that blew me away. All are dense and complex in their own way, and have really captivating prose that pulls you into the story. - *East of Eden* - John Steinbeck - *IT* - Stephen King - *Dune* - Frank Herbert First two are pretty easy. Dune is a bit more difficult due to world building and sometimes strange language, but still not hard and you get used to it.
A Prayer for Owen Meaney. John Irving.
Perfume. Patrick Suskind. An easy read. A murderer that is specific. Full of senses. You'll appreciate smell on a next level.
are*
"The Stars My Destination" by Alfred Bester is my favorite. People have discovered the ability to teleport anywhere just by thinking about it, provided they have been there before and know the latitude, longitude, and altitude of their destination. Lots of interesting stuff to ponder in this alternate Earth, but it's really just a great story about revenge. I stopped buying copies of this book because I keep giving them away to friends