What is the best American novel? - Results & Rankings
Discover what people think is the best!
Complete Rankings
On the Road
Jack Kerouac's defining work of the Beat Generation
On the Road
Jack Kerouac's defining work of the Beat Generation
Slaughterhouse-Five
Kurt Vonnegut's anti-war novel blending time travel and trauma
Slaughterhouse-Five
Kurt Vonnegut's anti-war novel blending time travel and trauma
Lolita
Vladimir Nabokov's controversial novel about obsession and manipulation
Lolita
Vladimir Nabokov's controversial novel about obsession and manipulation
Blood Meridian
McCarthy's violent novel about the American West and manifest destiny
Blood Meridian
McCarthy's violent novel about the American West and manifest destiny
Catch-22
Joseph Heller's satirical novel about the absurdities of war
Catch-22
Joseph Heller's satirical novel about the absurdities of war
The Scarlet Letter
Nathaniel Hawthorne's tale of sin and redemption in Puritan America
The Scarlet Letter
Nathaniel Hawthorne's tale of sin and redemption in Puritan America
The Call of the Wild
Jack London's adventure novel about survival in the Yukon
The Call of the Wild
Jack London's adventure novel about survival in the Yukon
As I Lay Dying
Faulkner's novel exploring family and mortality in the South
As I Lay Dying
Faulkner's novel exploring family and mortality in the South
The Catcher in the Rye
J.D. Salinger's classic about teenage alienation and rebellion
The Catcher in the Rye
J.D. Salinger's classic about teenage alienation and rebellion
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
Michael Chabon’s Pulitzer-winning novel about comic book creators
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
Michael Chabon’s Pulitzer-winning novel about comic book creators
Beloved
Toni Morrison's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about slavery's legacy
Beloved
Toni Morrison's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about slavery's legacy
American Psycho
Bret Easton Ellis's satirical novel on consumerism and identity
American Psycho
Bret Easton Ellis's satirical novel on consumerism and identity
Of Mice and Men
Steinbeck's novella about friendship and dreams during the Depression
Of Mice and Men
Steinbeck's novella about friendship and dreams during the Depression
For Whom the Bell Tolls
Hemingway's novel set during the Spanish Civil War
For Whom the Bell Tolls
Hemingway's novel set during the Spanish Civil War
The Old Man and the Sea
Ernest Hemingway's novella about struggle and perseverance
The Old Man and the Sea
Ernest Hemingway's novella about struggle and perseverance
The Sun Also Rises
Hemingway's portrayal of the Lost Generation in post-WWI Europe
The Sun Also Rises
Hemingway's portrayal of the Lost Generation in post-WWI Europe
A Farewell to Arms
Hemingway's love story set against the backdrop of WWI
A Farewell to Arms
Hemingway's love story set against the backdrop of WWI
Invisible Man
Ralph Ellison's exploration of African American identity and invisibility
Invisible Man
Ralph Ellison's exploration of African American identity and invisibility
The Naked and the Dead
Norman Mailer's World War II novel exploring soldier experiences
The Naked and the Dead
Norman Mailer's World War II novel exploring soldier experiences
The Grapes of Wrath
John Steinbeck's depiction of the Great Depression and migration
The Grapes of Wrath
John Steinbeck's depiction of the Great Depression and migration
The Sound and the Fury
William Faulkner's complex narrative about a Southern family
The Sound and the Fury
William Faulkner's complex narrative about a Southern family
Moby-Dick
Herman Melville's epic tale of obsession and revenge at sea
Moby-Dick
Herman Melville's epic tale of obsession and revenge at sea
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Mark Twain's seminal work on race and identity in America
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Mark Twain's seminal work on race and identity in America
The Age of Innocence
Edith Wharton's exploration of societal norms in Gilded Age New York
The Age of Innocence
Edith Wharton's exploration of societal norms in Gilded Age New York
Infinite Jest
David Foster Wallace's complex narrative on addiction and entertainment
Infinite Jest
David Foster Wallace's complex narrative on addiction and entertainment
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Harriet Beecher Stowe's influential anti-slavery novel
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Harriet Beecher Stowe's influential anti-slavery novel
The Great Gatsby
Novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, set in the Jazz Age
The Great Gatsby
Novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, set in the Jazz Age
The Color Purple
Alice Walker's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about African American women
The Color Purple
Alice Walker's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about African American women
White Noise
Don DeLillo's novel exploring media saturation and existential dread
White Noise
Don DeLillo's novel exploring media saturation and existential dread
Their Eyes Were Watching God
Zora Neale Hurston's novel about a woman's search for identity
Their Eyes Were Watching God
Zora Neale Hurston's novel about a woman's search for identity
The Road
Cormac McCarthy's post-apocalyptic tale of survival and fatherhood
The Road
Cormac McCarthy's post-apocalyptic tale of survival and fatherhood
To Kill a Mockingbird
Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about racial injustice
To Kill a Mockingbird
Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about racial injustice