100 BEST NOVELS? PT. 10.

 

Here's the final 10 books on the list:

91.  Tobacco Road, Erskine Caldwell, 1932.  Caldwell's look at dirt poor white farmers in rural Georgia during the depression is one wild read.  Its characters are mostly foolish and engage in crazy behaviors  but there is a sadness to them also.  In some ways it reads like a more real, less poetic version of The Grapes of Wrath, and I would suggest reading both books together. DO I THINK THAT IT DESERVES TO BE ON THE LIST?  Yes.

92.  Ironweed, William Kennedy, 1983.  Set in the depression, this is the bleak story of one man returning to the hometown he left after he inadvertently caused a family tragedy.  Suffused with pain and sadness, this is no pleasant read,  but it's often worth it for Kennedy's moving style.  DO I THINK THAT IT DESERVES TO BE ON THE LIST? Yes.

93.  The Magus, John Fowles, 1965.  This novel starts off in England years after WWII and it follows a young Englishman who moves to Greece to teach English.  There he runs into a wealthy recluse who may or may not have collaborated with the Nazis during their occupation of the town.  Gradually the older man draws the younger man into some bizarre head games (think Eyes Wide Shut).  This sometimes nutty book is fun to read, even if it often stretches credibility. DO I THINK THAT IT DESERVES TO BE ON THE LIST? Yes, this may be the silliest book on the list, but I can't say I didn't enjoy it!

94.  Wide Sargasso Sea, Jean Rhys, 1966.  Rhys did an interesting thing in this novel, she wrote a prequel to Charlotte Bronte's 1847 novel Jane Eyre, told from the point of view of that story's "mad woman in the attic", giving a more sympathetic portrayal of the character.   DO I THINK THAT IT DESERVES TO BE ON THE LIST? Yes.  Honestly, this one is hard for me rate because I've never read Jane Eyre, (I've seen a movie version, but that doesn't really count) so I'm not quite sure how to respond to it since so much of it relies on knowledge of that novel.  I may need to reread it after reading Jane Eyre, but for now I'll keep it on the list.

95.  Under the Net, Iris Murdoch, 1954.  An amusing little shaggy dog story, Murdoch's novel deals with a low life writer who barely makes a living by doing translations.  His search for money and a place to stay leads him to some odd places (at one point he kidnaps a movie star dog!), and the novel is really more a  series of episodes than a single story. DO I THINK THAT IT DESERVES TO BE ON THE LIST? Yes, but I wouldn't call it great.

96.  Sophie's Choice,William Styron, 1979.  Based on Styron's own experiences and set in Brooklyn a few years after WWII, this is about a young writer who comes to know a married couple in his apartment.  Eventually he discovers that the wife was persecuted by the Nazis in Poland.  This is a lively and fun to read book that often uses humor to offset the sadness of the story. DO I THINK THAT IT DESERVES TO BE ON THE LIST? Yes.

97.  The Sheltering Sky, Paul Bowles, 1949.  A dark look at a failing relationship, Bowles's novel has a married couple traveling through the North African desert. The story takes some surprising turns, and  while I don't always believe all of the characters decisions, it's still an interesting read.  DO I THINK THAT IT DESERVES TO BE ON THE LIST? Yes.

98.  The Postman Always Rings Twice, James M.  Cain, 1934.  A thrilling, exciting crime novel that pulsates with sex and violence, this is one fun read.  A young drifter gets a job at a diner and starts to fall for his boss's wife.  Together they plan to kill her husband, and that's just the beginning of the story. DO I THINK THAT IT DESERVES TO BE ON THE LIST? Yes.

99.  The Ginger Man, J. P. Donleavy, 1955.  American born Irishman Donleavy sets his novel in Dublin in 1947.  The main character is a reprobate, a drunken, unfaithful and abusive husband.  The novel features shifting tones and points of view, and while it's sometimes interesting, it felt to me like mostly 10 cent Joyce. DO I THINK THAT IT DESERVES TO BE ON THE LIST?  No.

100. The Magnificent Ambersons, Booth Tarkington, 1918.  Tarkington's well written account of a wealthy turn of the century American family's fall is an excellent look at the changes that occurred in the US during the industrial revolution. DO I THINK THAT IT DESERVES TO BE ON THE LIST? Yes.

Well, that's it.  All 100 of the books read and reviewed.  I hope anybody reading this will find some books on the list that interest them.  And for the record, there are 29 novels that I don't think deserve to be on the list.  I thought about doing a last list of 29 novels that I think should be on the list instead of those,  but I had a hard time coming up with that many great books (that I've read) in the 20th century.  So I'll just say again, I don't understand how To Kill a Mockingbird is not on this list!