Reading is one of the best ways to distress and also to travel the world without leaving your bed. There are so many amazing books out there and that is why we will be looking at a list of the five greatest books of all time. So, keep reading to see what books were chosen as the five greatest books!
When I browse most lists, they tend to categorize by genres because trying to compare classics and fantasy novels is not easy. Depending on what you like to read, the list will be influenced one way or another. But The Greatest Books website decided to not care and list the greatest books of all time.
It is a bold strategy and one that I am not the biggest fan of. There are just too many books and you are choosing one to put at the top. Everyone is not going to agree what the greatest book of all time is. I know I don’t because there is no way that their pick is the greatest book ever written.
If I were to guess what the greatest book chosen was, I can tell you that I wouldn’t say The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It is a great book but it is not the greatest book of all time. And I know that I am not alone in thinking that. You can see the full list below!
The Five Greatest Books of All Time
- The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
- Ulysses by James Joyce
- In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust
- One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
- The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
The Greatest Books Every Written
The Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby is considered by many critics as the best American book ever written. I don’t agree with that statement and I know many other readers don’t either. Still, it is a great novel that holds up well a century later.
The novel is about the wealthy Jay Gatsby who is known to throw outlandish parties. But behind the mask is a guy who wants to win the love of his old lover, no matter the price. The novel didn’t see success until World War II when it was given to soldiers to read. And now, it is required reading in many classrooms.
One Hundred Years of Solitude
A novel on this list that I do think deserves to be on here is One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez. I think it is one of the best novels ever written and that everyone needs to read this novel.
García Márquez’s book is a magical realist style novel. It tells the story of the Buendía family over seven generations in the fictional town of Mocando. What follows is one of the best stories you will ever read. You won’t ever guess where the novel is going and it will have you hooked
The Catcher in the Rye
The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger is a novel that readers either love or hate. I remember reading it in school and decided to revisit it to see how it holds up. And honestly, it is a great novel, especially considering how different the world was when it was first published in 1951.
It is a beautiful coming of age novel that touches on topics that you don’t really learn growing up. Salinger’s novel is easy to relate to and even as school is a while different experience now, the fear of growing us is still there.
Do I think it is one of the five best books of all time? Absolutely not. It might make the top hundred books and even then it is a toss up in my opinion. While I do recommend reading it, I do think it is a bit overhyped.
Ulysses by James Joyce and In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust are considered some of the greatest works of literature. I have unfortunately have not gotten around to reading them and that is going to be my goal for this year.
Conclusion
Lists like these are fun to examine and to see what people think of it. Will this list be similar to my top five list of the greatest books of all time? I am not even sure If I would be able to choose only five books. But only one book from this list would make my list.
The books on this list are all great books. I am sure that for many people, they would have some if not all of them in their list of favorite books. But I don’t think these are the five greatest books ever written.
Everyone should read them but if you don’t, then it’s not the end of the world. The literary world changes fast and we have more books published than ever before. Trying to get people to agree on what the greatest books of all time is harder than ever before.
Lists like these are fun and always lead to a discussion of what books people should read. I can see why The Greatest Books chose the books that they did but I don’t agree with this list.
Maybe I will be a little more swayed if I saw more books that I agreed with on the list. What do you think of this list and what are some books you would add to this list? Let us know in the comments below. Until next time, happy reading!
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Think my list would be very different 😂 I hated Ulysses when I read it for my degree but can definitely appreciate it as a work of literary art
I’m sure you’re not alone 😂
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Many readers dislike Holden Caufield, citing him as an entitled brat but I always thought his charm was telling things like it is and not pulling punches. The adoration he has for his sister is another redeeming quality.
Yes, it is one of my favorite books.
Catcher in the Rye is a classic young adult novel but certainly not a great book. Is it a book you learn something new from in repeated readings? I don’t see much depth. The Great Gatsby also seems slight for a list like this. I’d more likely go with Moby Dick, The Sound and the Fury, or Beloved as great American novels. George Eliot’s Middlemarch certainly belongs in the top ten if not the top five.
Nailed my gaming vibes with this site! What Is Hypackel
War and Peace is brilliant
Birthday Rememberance of Poor Lucia Joyce, 26 July
10:00 am
https://jamesjoycereadingcircle.com/2020/11/30/gj-canto-xxxiv-p-12-ll-7-12/
Today is the birthday of poor Lucia Joyce (1907) for whose sake her mother is maligned. Perhaps it was her Babbo who lessened her life by discouraging dance, favoring more “respectable” pursuits.
~Don