Trying to choose the best books of all time is a difficult task. What about modern novels you may be asking. Which ones are the best of the best? Today we will be looking at The British Broadcasting Corporation’s (the BBC) 12 Greatest Novels of the 21st Century!
It is hard to believe that we are nearing the quarter century mark. With 23 years behind us and thousands of new critically acclaimed books, this list has a lot of books to choose from. Unfortunately, this list was made in 2015 and that leaves off one third of the books released in the 2000s. Maybe in the near future we will be seeing a new list. The quarter century mark is as good as any to make a new list.
BBC’s 12 Greatest Novels of the 21st Century
- Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides (2002)
- White Teeth by Zadie Smith (2000)
- Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie 2006)
- Atonement by Ian McEwan (2001)
- Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk by Ben Fountain (2012)
- A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan (2010)
- The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon (2000)
- The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen (2001)
- Gilead by Marilynne Robinson (2004)
- Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (2009)
- The Known World by Edward P Jones (2003)
- The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz
Runner Ups
- Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
- Austerlitz by WG Sebald
- My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
- The Line of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst
- The Road by Cormac McCarthy
- NW by Zadie Smith
- 2666 by Roberto Bolaño
- The Great Fire by Shirley Hazzard
Modern Classics
While browsing through this list, I can say that I only read. one of the 12 books listed. I read Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and it definitely deserves its spot. Adichie’s novel Americanah made the runner up list, giving her two of the best 20 books of the 21st century according to the BBC.
I have seen many of these books on various lists and always forget to get around to them. My favorite genres are science fiction and fantasy and I must force myself to read other books to change things up. Based on my experience with the two books I have gotten around to reading out of the 20 books here, I am sure I will enjoy most of them.
Conclusion
What did you think of the BBC’s best books of the 21st century? How many of these books have you read or plan to read? Let us know in the comments below!
I’ve read three from the two lists put together: White Teeth, The Corrections, and My Brilliant Friend. They were all amazing in different ways.
The correct spelling for your second list of books is Runners Up, not Runner Ups.
I think that almost all novels are written in English. The rest of the world is so inferior… or you have problem reading other languages and understanding other cultures.