Customer Reviews

Modern Library

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This book lists 194 novels with a brief synopsis of the story, plus a few lines about the author, including their age when the novel was published. It also lists the prize winners since 1950 in the Booker Prize, The CNA Award, Commonwealth Prize, Governor General's Literary Award, The Irish Times International Fiction Prize, Miles Franklin Award, Montana New Zealand Book Award, National Book Award, Nobel Prize For Literature, Prix Femina Etranger, Prix Medicis Etranger, Pulitzer Prize For Fiction, Stakis Prize For Scottish Writer of the Year, Whitbread Novel Award, & Whitbread First Novel Award. It also list Biographies, Autobiographies & Memoirs, even some poetry. In the introduction it says lovely things about why they put together this book, & about the love of books & reading. This is not just English or American authors, but writers from anywhere English is spoken. They talk about the role the novel plays in countries around the globe, how in Nigeria, "the novelist has become a dangerous opposition to those in power." This is a wonderful book, & I intend to work my way through the novels that they sample. It may take me 7 years but I can not think of a better way to read my way around the world.

Although there is currently no link to this book on the hardcover product information page it IS available on Kindle. Follow this link: The Modern Library or search "Modern Library Carmen Callil and Colm Toibin" in Kindle store. The subtitle is missing from Kindle edition.

The book itself is a good source of reading ideas, with some unusual choices. Quite a few choices overlap with the older Anthony Burgess guide that covers the 20th century (99 Novels: The Best in English Since 1939). Like Burgess they sometimes "cheat" by recommending trilogies and series.

What a beautifully designed handbook of recommendations of novels for the serious reader! Colm Toibin is the perfect example of an author for the committed book-group. Carmen Callil is a well respected and influential critic. They combine to produce a power-list of great reading with a short page of context-explanation for each entry. My group has each bought a copy and we have already benefited from the thoughtful presentation.