Best Novels Of All Time
- By Avi Bains
16. Anna Karenina | Leo Tolstoy
It's a novel by Leo Tolstoy, first published in book form in 1878. Writers consider Anna Karenina the greatest work of literature ever & Tolstoy called Anna Karenina his first true novel. It was initially released in serial installments from 1873 to 1877 in the periodical The Russian Messenger. It deals with themes of betrayal, faith, family, marriage, Imperial Russian Society, desire & rural vs. city life. The plot centers on an extramarital affair between Anna & dashing cavalry officer Count Alexei Kirillovich Vronsky that scandalizes the social circles of Saint Petersburg & forces the young lovers to flee to Italy in search for happiness. After they return to Russia, their lives further unravel. Trains are a recurring motif throughout the novel, which takes place against the backdrop of rapid transformations as a result of the liberal reforms initiated by Emperor Alexander II of Russia, with several major plot points taking place either on passenger trains or at stations in Saint Petersburg or Elsewhere in Russia.
17. Atlas Shrugged | Ayn Rand
It's a 1957 novel by Ayn Rand. Rand's fourth & final novel, it was also her longest & the one she considered to be her magnum opus in the realm of fiction writing. It includes elements of science fiction, mystery & romance, & it contains Rand's most extensive statement of Objectivism in any of her works of fiction. The theme of Atlas Shrugged described by Rand herself, is "the role of man's mind in existence". The book explores a number of philosophical themes from which Rand would subsequently develop Objectivism. It expresses the advocacy of reason, individualism, & capitalism, & depicts what Rand saw to be the failures of governmental coercion. The book depicts a dystopian United States in which businesses suffer under increasingly burdensome laws & regulations. Railroad executive Dagny Taggart & her lover, steel magnate Hank Rearden, struggle against "looters" who want to exploit their productivity. Dagny & Hank discover that a mysterious figure called John Galt is persuading other business leaders to abandon their companies & disappear as a strike of productive individuals against the looters. The novel ends with the strikers planning to build a new capitalist society based on Galt's philosophy of reason & individualism. Atlas Shrugged received largely negative reviews after its 1957 publication, but achieved enduring popularity & ongoing sales in the following decades.
18. Hamlet | William Shakespeare
It's a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 & 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play with 30,557 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts Prince Hamlet & his revenge against his uncle, Claudius, who has murdered Hamlet's father in order to seize his throne & marry Hamlet's mother. Hamlet is considered among the most powerful & influential works of world literature, with a story capable of "seemingly endless retelling & adaptation by others". It was one of Shakespeare's most popular works during his lifetime & still ranks among his most performed, topping the performance list of the Royal Shakespeare Company & its predecessors in Stratford-upon-Avon since 1879. It has inspired many other writers & has been described as "the world's most filmed story after Cinderella".
19. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd | Agatha Christie
It's a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie, first published in June 1926. It is the third novel to feature Hercule Poirot as the lead detective. Poirot retires to a village near the home of a friend, Roger Ackroyd, to pursue a project to perfect vegetable marrows. Soon after, Ackroyd is murdered & Poirot must come out of retirement to solve the case. The British Crime Writers' Association voted it the best crime novel ever in 2013. It is one of Christie's best known & most controversial novels, its innovative twist ending having a significant impact on the genre.
20. The Recognitions | William Gaddis
It's the 1955 debut novel of U.S. author William Gaddis. The novel was initially poorly received by critics. After Gaddis won a National Book Award in 1975 for his second novel, J.R., his first work gradually received new & belated recognition as a masterpiece of American Literature. The story unfolds largely through the lives of expatriate Americans living in Europe. These includes artists, writers, musicians, forgers & Catholic Priests, all of whom are afflicted with various levels of delusional thinking that they identify as their own search for truth & their own unique identity.
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