We all have our favourite books, the ones we return to time and time again. But how did you discover those you favour most? Was it a friend’s recommendation or a gift perhaps?
The Definitive Guide – a website that is a one-person endeavour, has developed a specialised algorithm, which brings together 658 “best of” book lists to form a collection of the world’s most acclaimed reads. And now it has listed what it deems to be the most recommended in its ranking of “The Greatest Books of All Time”. Here is the top five, but you may be surprised that some of the classics, such as Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, didn’t make the cut.
5. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
One Hundred Years of Solitude is a 1967 novel by Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez. The book’s synopsis says it “tells the story of the Buendía family and the fictional town of Macondo over a century.” It adds that it explores “themes of love, loss, solitude, and the cyclical nature of history.”
4. The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
The Catcher in the Rye is the only novel by American author J. D. Salinger. It was published as a novel in 1951. The book’s synopsis reads: “The Catcher in the Rye tells the story of Holden Caulfield, a 16-year-old boy expelled from prep school, who wanders through New York City, grappling with his disillusionment with the ‘phony’ adult world and his own coming-of-age. He grapples with grief over his deceased brother, Allie, and struggles to find genuine connection, often pushing away those who try to help him. The novel explores themes of alienation, innocence, and the transition from childhood to adulthood.”
3. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The 1925 novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald set during the Jazz Age on Long Island, near New York City. The Great Gatsby’s synopsis says the book “follows Nick Carraway’s interactions with the mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby, who is obsessed with reuniting with his former love, Daisy Buchanan. The novel explores themes of love, wealth, class, and the elusive American Dream, capturing the disillusionment of post-war America.”
2. In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust
In Search of Lost Time is a novel in seven volumes by French author Marcel Proust. The synopsis reads: “In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust is a monumental seven-volume novel exploring memory, time, and the human experience through the narrator’s introspective journey. It details the narrator’s recollections of childhood, experiences in Parisian high society, and the development of his artistic vocation, all while examining the nature of love, loss, and the passage of time.”
1. Ulysses by James Joyce
Ulysses is a modernist novel by the Irish writer James Joyce. The book’s synopsis reads: “Ulysses chronicles a single day, June 16, 1904, in the lives of three Dubliners: Leopold Bloom, Stephen Dedalus, and Molly Bloom. The novel draws parallels between their experiences and the characters of Homer’s ‘Odyssey,’ with Bloom as Odysseus, Stephen as Telemachus, and Molly as Penelope. Through their individual journeys and interactions, the novel explores themes of identity, alienation, love, and the human condition, all while showcasing Joyce’s innovative use of stream-of-consciousness and diverse literary styles.”