100 Greatest Novels

This is my attempt to read the 100 greatest novels of the 20th century, as selected by Random House, and then rate them according to my own tastes. You are unlikely to care how I rate these books, but I would like to maintain a record of how far I get and of what I've said, and this seems like a fine place to do it. I'm unlikely to read four James Joyce novels of course -- or perhaps even one, but within reason I'm going to try and read the majority of the list, skipping only those books that I consider too long or the case where a single author has multiple books listed (e.g. Joeseph Conrad). Additionally, I think it is likely the group missed several books I would have added, but adding those is a discussion for a different day. (6-12-2002)

1. 1984 by George Orwell (13)
   A depiction of a dystopian future brought about by an all consuming communist/socialist regime. However, the greatness of this novel, seems to me, to lie in its telling. Orwell was hardly covert in his themes, but nor was he moralizing or preaching, rather he spins the tale of Winston Smith, a love affair, the thought police, and betrayal. The power lies in the focused story. Orwell never strays off to drive some symbolic point home, the book keeps its measured pace and never sacrifices its plot for politics. The reader is left to draw his own conclusions about the feasibility of such a future. Orwell was of course a socialist, and wrote novels about socialism/communism, but unlike the bulk of the authors he isn't preaching, he's telling a good story. Most of the novels, even on this respected list, are willing to sacrifice the story for the sounding board. Orwell did not need to, making this a superior work. (6-12-2002)
2. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller (7)
   A humorous tale about the paradox of war and the desire for survival, that also manages to examine the violence and madness of conflict. Uses the popular technique of out of order story telling, and mixes in rapid fire, scatterbrained dialog sequences that are fun to read and humorous, but eventually drag on over the novel's length. Though the length seems obsessive, the end is climactic, and some of the paradoxes of war are driven home. This is definitely one of the greatest books I've read, and though the length and excessive vocabulary is a bit tedious, the novel really is a masterpiece. (6-16-2002)
3. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (67)
   I read this in high school, and loved it, though it was difficult. I need to reread it, but will instead read The Secret Agent for this list.
4. The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald (2)
   A book about the American dream, new rich versus old rich, and the notion of success. A very good book, but perhaps a bit overrated. The lyrical style is very impressive, and I commend its brevity, but really at the end of the novel, are you anywhere different than when you began. The achievement seems to me to be the tightness of the story told, which is fortunate, since the out of order story telling sometimes makes it difficult to figure out what has happened. Though Gatsby is certainly very good, I don't find it greatly superior to, say, To Kill a Mockingbird, which is perhaps not as lyrically impressive, but an excellent example of this style of novel, nevertheless. (6-12-2002)
5. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (10)
   Mainly about the human condition, but centered around the story of Tom Joad and family travelling in the great migration to California. Steinbeck didn't mince words, or strive for subtlety, this is an overt plea against capitalism for communism (if you want critics to love your book, champion communism, the critics are suckers for it every time). It's very long, and surprisingly difficult to finish, it reminds me very much of Uncle Tom's Cabin. To my mind, its inferior to his later The Winter of Our Discontent in almost every respect, but I must admit that the themes are much more accessible and overt in this novel, while Winter is perhaps a bit challenging (though not nearly as long). (6-26-2002)
6. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway (45)
   A book with no plot, solely about the human condition. While an interesting examination of a group of friends mired in isolation, its really kind of tedious. (6-12-2002)
7. The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner (6)
   As a southerner I am supposed to appreciate the themes of Faulkner, but I do not. In fact, I find his stories to be preachy and his examination of morality to be uninteresting. Themes of family and social taboo do not appeal to me. While his experimentation with stream of conciousness writing is interesting, I personally find it distracting and, in the end, a failed experiment. (6-12-2002)
8. The Lord of the Flies by William Golding (41)
   A real masterpiece in many respects. A well crafted story demonstrating the human condition; in this case the descent into savagery. While I respect it, and found it enjoyable to read, this particular tale was only ok. (6-12-2002)