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    Checklist of 20th Century American Novels

A checklist of the very best 20th Century American Literary novels: Authors such as Thomas Pynchon, Joyce Carol Oates, Saul Bellow, Ernest Hemingway, Upton Sinclair, Anne Tyler, Gore Vidal, Wallace Stegner, F. Scott Fitzgerald, John Updike, Philip Roth, Anne Tyler, William Faulkner, Willa Cather and others.

Visit FrogPicks American 20th Century Novel Department

 

Abish, Walter

Alphabetical Africa (1974)

Abish, Walter

How German is It? (1980)

Abish, Walter

Eclispe Fever (1993)

Abish, Walter

I am the Dust Under Your Feet

Acker, Kathy (b.1944,d.1997)

Great Expectations

Acker, Kathy (b.1944,d.1997)

Blood and Guts in High School

Acker, Kathy (b.1944,d.1997)

Don Quixote

Acker, Kathy (b.1944,d.1997)

Literal Madness (1987)

Acker, Kathy (b.1944,d.1997)

Empire of the Senseless (1988)

Acker, Kathy (b.1944,d.1997)

In Memoriam to Identity (1990)

Acker, Kathy (b.1944,d.1997)

Pussy King of the Pirates (1998)

Alexie, Sherman (b. 1966)

The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven

Alexie, Sherman (b. 1966)

Reservation Blues

Alexie, Sherman (b. 1966)

Indian Killer (1996)

Alexie, Sherman (b. 1966)

The Toughest Indian in the World (2001)

Alexie, Sherman (b. 1966)

Smoke Signals

Alexie, Sherman (b. 1966)

The Business of Fancy Dancing

Alexie, Sherman (b. 1966)

I Would Steal Horses

Alexie, Sherman (b. 1966)

Old Shirts & New Skins

Alexie, Sherman (b. 1966)

First Indian on the Moon

Alexie, Sherman (b. 1966)

The Summer of Black Widows

Alexie, Sherman (b. 1966)

One Stick Song

Algren, Nelson

The Man with the Golden Arm (1949)

Allen, James Lane (1849-1925)

A Kentucky Cardinal

Allen, James Lane (1849-1925)

The Kentucky Warbler

Allen, James Lane (1849-1925)

Summer in Arcady (1896)

Allen, James Lane (1849-1925)

The Choir Invisible

Allen, James Lane (1849-1925)

Aftermath

Allison, Dorothy

Trash (1989)

Allison, Dorothy

Bastard Out of Carolina

Allison, Dorothy

Cavedweller (1998)

Alvarez, Julia

How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents

Alvarez, Julia

In the Time of Butterflies (1995)

Alvarez, Julia

Yo! (1998)

Alvarez, Julia

In the Name of Salome (2000)

Anderson, Sherwood (1876-1941)

Dark Laughter

Anderson, Sherwood (1876-1941)

Winesburg Ohio (1919)

Ansay, Manette

Sister

Ansay, Manette

Vinegar Hill (1994)

Ansay, Manette

River Angel (1998)

Ansay, Manette

Midnight Champagne (2000)

Anthony, Patricia

Flanders (1999)

Arensberg, Ann

Sister Wolf (1981)

Arensberg, Ann

Incubus (1999)

Ashbery, John (b. 1927)

A Nest of Ninnies (1997)

Askew, Rilla

The Mercy Seat (1997)

Askew, Rilla

Fire in Beulah (2001)

Auster, Paul (b.1947)

City of Glass

Auster, Paul (b.1947)

Ghosts

Auster, Paul (b.1947)

The Locked Room

Auster, Paul (b.1947)

In the Country of Last Things

Auster, Paul (b.1947)

Moon Palace (1989)

Auster, Paul (b.1947)

The Music of Chance (1990)

Auster, Paul (b.1947)

Leviathan

Auster, Paul (b.1947)

Mr. Vertigo (1994)

Auster, Paul (b.1947)

Hand to Mouth (1997)

Auster, Paul (b.1947)

Timbuktu (1999)

Auster, Paul (b.1947)

The Book of Illusions (2002)

Baker, Nicholson (b. 1957)

The Mezzanine (1988)

Baker, Nicholson (b. 1957)

U and I (1991)

Baker, Nicholson (b. 1957)

Vox (1992)

Baker, Nicholson (b. 1957)

The Fermata (1994)

Baker, Nicholson (b. 1957)

The Everlasting Story of Nory (1998)

Bakis, Kirsten

Lives of the Monster Dogs (1997)

Baldwin, James A.

Go Tell It on the Mountain (1953)

Baldwin, James A.

Notes of a Native Son (1955)

Baldwin, James A.

Giovanni's Room (1956)

Baldwin, James A.

Another Country (1962)

Baldwin, James A.

Just Above My Head (1978)

Baldwin, James A.

The Price of the Ticket

Banks, Russell

Cloud Splitter

Barlow, Jennifer

Hamlets Dreams

Barnes, Djuna

Ryder (1928)

Barnes, Djuna

Nightwood (1936)

Barnes, Julian

The Porcupine

Barnes, Julian

England (1998)

Barrett, Andrea

The Voyage of the Narwhal (1998)

Barry, Lynda (b.1956)

Cruddy (1999)

Barth, John

The Floating Opera

Barth, John

The End of the Road

Barth, John

The Sot-Weed Factor

Barth, John

Giles Goat Boy (1966)

Barth, John

Letters

Barth, John

Sabbatical

Barth, John

The Last Voyage of Somebody the Sailor

Barth, John

Augustus (1973)

Barth, John

Once Upon a Time (1994)

Barth, John

Coming Soon!!! (2001)

Barthelme, Donald (b. 1931)

The Dead Father

Bell, Madison Smartt

Anything Goes (2002)

Bellow, Saul

Henderson the Rain King

Bellow, Saul

Dangling Man

Bellow, Saul

Seize the Day

Bellow, Saul

Adventures of Augie March (1954)

Bellow, Saul

Herzog (1964)

Bellow, Saul

Mr. Sammler's Planet (1970)

Bellow, Saul

Humboldt's Gift (1975)

Bellow, Saul

The Dean's December (1982)

Bellow, Saul

More Die of Heartbreak (1987)

Bellow, Saul

Ravelstein (2000)

Berne, Suzanne

A Crime in the Neighborhood (1997)

Berne, Suzanne

A Perfect Arrangement (2001)

Berriault, Gina

The Lights of Earth (1984)

Berriault, Gina

Women in Their Beds (1996)

Berriault, Gina

The Great Petrowski (2000)

Berryman, John (b. 1914 d. 1972)

Recovery (1973)

Betts, Doris

Heading West (1981)

Blatty, William Peter

The Exorcist (1971)

Bloom, Amy

Love Invents Us (1997)

Bowles, Paul (b.1911)

The Sheltering Sky (1949)

Bowles, Paul (b.1911)

Let It Come Down (1952)

Bowles, Paul (b.1911)

The Spider's House (1955)

Bowles, Paul (b.1911)

Up Above the World (1966)

Bowles, Paul (b.1911)

Points in Time (1984)

Boyle, Kay (b.1902)

Three Short Novels

Boyle, T. Coraghessan

World's End (1987)

Boyle, T. Coraghessan

East is East (1990)

Boyle, T. Coraghessan

The Road to Wellsville (1993)

Boyle, T. Coraghessan

The Tortilla Curtain

Boyle, T. Coraghessan

Riven Rock (1998)

Boyle, T. Coraghessan

A Friend of the Earth (2000)

Bradley, David

The Chaneysville Incident (1981)

Brodkey, Harold (b. 1930)

Profane Friendship (1994)

Brown, Rebecca

The Gifts of the Body (2002)

Brown, Rosellen

Before and After (1992)

Brown, Rosellen

Half a Heart (2000)

Budnitz, Judy

Flying Leap (1998)

Budnitz, Judy

If I Told You Once (1999)

Burroughs, William S. (b. 1914, d.)

Junky

Burroughs, William S. (b. 1914, d.)

Naked Lunch

Burroughs, William S. (b. 1914, d.)

The Soft Machine

Burroughs, William S. (b. 1914, d.)

The Ticket That Exploded

Burroughs, William S. (b. 1914, d.)

Dead Fingers Talk

Burroughs, William S. (b. 1914, d.)

The Yage Letters

Burroughs, William S. (b. 1914, d.)

The Third Mind

Burroughs, William S. (b. 1914, d.)

Nova Express

Burroughs, William S. (b. 1914, d.)

The Job

Burroughs, William S. (b. 1914, d.)

The Wild Boys

Burroughs, William S. (b. 1914, d.)

Exterminator!

Burroughs, William S. (b. 1914, d.)

Port of Saints

Burroughs, William S. (b. 1914, d.)

The Last Words of Dutch Schulz

Burroughs, William S. (b. 1914, d.)

Cities of the Red Night

Burroughs, William S. (b. 1914, d.)

The Place of Dead Roads (1983)

Burroughs, William S. (b. 1914, d.)

Queer (1985)

Burroughs, William S. (b. 1914, d.)

The Western Lands (1987)

Burroughs, William S. (b. 1914, d.)

Interzone (1989)

Burroughs, William S. (b. 1914, d.)

Ghost of Chance (1995)

Butler, Robert Olen

The Alleys of Eden

Butler, Robert Olen

Sun Dogs

Butler, Robert Olen

Countrymen of Bones

Butler, Robert Olen

On Distant Ground

Butler, Robert Olen

Wabash

Butler, Robert Olen

The Deuce

Butler, Robert Olen

The Deep Green Sea (1997)

Butler, Robert Olen

Mr. Spaceman (2000)

Butler, Robert Olen

Fair Warning (2002)

Cabell, James Branch (b.1879)

Straws and Prayer Books

Cabell, James Branch (b.1879)

Something About Eve

Cabell, James Branch (b.1879)

Domnei

Cahan, Abraham

The Rise of David Lewinsky

Caldwell, Erskine Preston (b.1903)

Tobacco Road

Cambor, Kathleen

The Book of Mercy (1996)

Cambor, Kathleen

In Sunlight in a Beautiful Garden (2001)

Canin, Ethan

Carry Me Across the Water (2001)

Capote, Truman

In Cold Blood

Capote, Truman

Answered Prayers (1987)

Carruth, Hayden

Scrambled Eggs and Whiskey (1996)

Casey, John

Spartina (1989)

Casey, John

The Half-life of Happiness (1998)

Cather, Willa Sibert (1875-1947)

Alexander's Bridge (1912)

Cather, Willa Sibert (1875-1947)

My Antonia (1918)

Cather, Willa Sibert (1875-1947)

Death Comes for the Archbishop (1927)

Cather, Willa Sibert (1875-1947)

Shadows on the Rock (1931)

Cather, Willa Sibert (1875-1947)

Sapphira and the Slave Girl (1940)

Cather, Willa Sibert (1875-1947)

The Professor's House (1925)

Cather, Willa Sibert (1875-1947)

A Lost Lady

Chabon, Michael

The Mysteries of Pittsburgh (1988)

Chabon, Michael

The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay

Chandler, Raymond (b. 1888 d. 1959)

Cheever, John

The Wapshot Chronicle (1958)

Cheever, John

Bullet Park

Cisneros, Sandra

The House on Mango Street

Cisneros, Sandra

Caramelo (2002)

Codrescu, Andre (b.1946)

Messi@h

Codrescu, Andre (b.1946)

The Blood Countess (1995)

Conroy, Pat

The Prince of Tides

Coover, Robert (b.1932)

The Origin of the Brunists (1966)

Coover, Robert (b.1932)

John's Wife (1996)

Coover, Robert (b.1932)

Pinocchio in Venice

Coover, Robert (b.1932)

The Public Burning (1977)

Coover, Robert (b.1932)

A Political Fable (1980)

Coover, Robert (b.1932)

Spanking the Maid (1982)

Coover, Robert (b.1932)

Gerald's Party (1985)

Coover, Robert (b.1932)

Briar Rose (1996)

Coover, Robert (b.1932)

Lucky Pierre (2002)

Coyle, Beverly

In Troubled Waters (1994)

Coyle, Beverly

Taken In (1998)

Crowley, John

Little, Big

Crowley, John

Aegypt

Crowley, John

Love and Sleep

Cunningham, Michael

Flesh and Blood (1995)

Cunningham, Michael

The Hours (1998)

Dahlberg, Edward

Because I Was Flesh (1963)

Danticat, Edwidge

The Farming of Bones (1998)

Danticat, Edwidge

Behind the Mountains (2002)

Davenport, Guy

Tatlin!

DeLillo, Don

Americana

DeLillo, Don

End Zone

DeLillo, Don

Great Jones Street

DeLillo, Don

Ratner's Star

DeLillo, Don

Players

DeLillo, Don

Running Dog

DeLillo, Don

The Names

DeLillo, Don

White Noise (1985)

DeLillo, Don

Libra (1988)

DeLillo, Don

Mao II (1991)

DeLillo, Don

Underworld (1997)

DeLillo, Don

Pafko at the Wall (1997)

DeLillo, Don

The Body Artist (2001)

DeLillo, Don

Cosmopolis (2003)

Dew, Robb Forman

Dale Loves Sophie to Death (1982)

Dew, Robb Forman

The Time of Her Life

Dew, Robb Forman

Fortunate Lives (1992)

Dew, Robb Forman

The Evidence Against Her

Dewitt, Helen

The Last Samurai (2001)

Dexter, Pete

Paris Trout (1988)

Dexter, Pete

The Paperboy (1995)

Dickey, James (b. 1923)

To The White Sea

Dickey, James (b. 1923)

Deliverance

Dickey, James (b. 1923)

Alnilam (1987)

Didion, Joan

Democracy (1984)

Didion, Joan

The Last Thing He Wanted

Dillon. Millicent

Harry Gold (2000)

Divakaruni, Chitra Banerjee

The Mistress of Spices (1997)

Doctorow, E.L.

The Book of Daniel

Doctorow, E.L.

Ragtime (1974)

Doctorow, E.L.

World's Fair (1985)

Doctorow, E.L.

Billy Bathgate (1989)

Doctorow, E.L.

The Waterworks (1994)

Dodge, Jim

Fup

Dodge, Jim

Not Fade Away (1987)

Dodge, Jim

Stone Junction (1990)

Doerr, Harriet

Stones for Ibarra (1983)

Doerr, Harriet

Consider This, Senora (1993)

Dos Passos, John (b. 1896)

U.S.A.

Dos Passos, John (b. 1896)

The 42nd Parallel

Dos Passos, John (b. 1896)

1919

Dos Passos, John (b. 1896)

The Big Money

Dreiser, Theodore (1871-1945)

The Bulwark

Dreiser, Theodore (1871-1945)

Sister Carrie

Dreiser, Theodore (1871-1945)

An American Tragedy

Drury, Tom

The End of Vandalism (1994)

Drury, Tom

The Black Brook (1994)

Eagen, Jennifer

Look at Me (2001)

Elkin, Stanley

Mrs. Ted Bliss (1995)

Elkin, Stanley

The Living End

Ellis, Bret Easton

American Psycho

Ellis, Bret Easton

The Informers

Ellis, Bret Easton

The Rules of Attraction

Ellison, Ralph Waldo

Invisible Man (1953)

Erdrich, Louise

Love Medicine (1984)

Erdrich, Louise

The Beet Queen (1988)

Erdrich, Louise

Tracks (1988)

Erdrich, Louise

The Bingo Palace (1994)

Erdrich, Louise

Tales of Burning Love (1996)

Erdrich, Louise

The Antelope Wife (1998)

Erdrich, Louise

The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse (2001)

Erickson, Steve

Rubicon Beach

Erickson, Steve

Days Between Stations

Erickson, Steve

Arc d'X

Erickson, Steve

Amnesiascope

Eugenides, Jeffrey

Middlesex

Ewing, Barbara

A Dangerous Vine (2000)

Farrell, James T.

Studs Lonighan: A Trilogy (1935)

Farrell, James T.

A World I Never Made (Danny O'Neill 1)

Farrell, James T.

No Star is Lost (Danny O'Neill 2)

Farrell, James T.

Father and Son (Danny O'Neill 3)

Farrell, James T.

My Days of Anger (Danny O'Neill 4)

Faulkner, William

Soldiers' Pay (1926)

Faulkner, William

Sartoris (1929)

Faulkner, William

The Sound and the Fury (1929)

Faulkner, William

As I Lay Dying (1930)

Faulkner, William

Sanctuary (1931)

Faulkner, William

Light in August (1932)

Faulkner, William

Pylon (1935)

Faulkner, William

Absalom, Absalom! (1936)

Faulkner, William

The Unvanquished (1938)

Faulkner, William

The Wild Palms (1939)

Faulkner, William

The Hamlet (1940)

Faulkner, William

Spotted Horses

Faulkner, William

Old Man

Faulkner, William

The Bear

Faulkner, William

Intruder in the Dust (1948)

Faulkner, William

Flags in the Dust

Faulkner, William

Knight's Gambit

Faulkner, William

Requim for a Nun

Faulkner, William

A Fable

Faulkner, William

Big Woods

Faulkner, William

The Town

Faulkner, William

The Mansion

Faulkner, William

The Reivers

Faulkner, William

The Wishing Tree

Ferlinghetti, Lawrence (b. 1919)

Love in the Days of Rage (1988)

Fitzgerald, F. Scott

This Side of Paradise (1920)

Fitzgerald, F. Scott

Flappers and Philosophers (1920)

Fitzgerald, F. Scott

The Beautiful and the Damned (1922)

Fitzgerald, F. Scott

The Vegetable: or from President to Postman (1923)

Fitzgerald, F. Scott

The Great Gatsby (1925)

Fitzgerald, F. Scott

All the Sad Yound Men (1926)

Fitzgerald, F. Scott

Tender is the Night (1934)

Fitzgerald, F. Scott

Taps at Reveille (1935)

Fitzgerald, F. Scott

The Last Tycoon (1941)

Flanagan, Thomas

The Year of the French (1979)

Ford, Richard

A Piece of My Heart

Ford, Richard

The Ultimate Good Luck

Ford, Richard

The Sportswriter

Ford, Richard

Wildlife (1990)

Ford, Richard

Independence Day (1995)

Ford, Richard

A Multitude of Sins

Fowler, Karen

Sarah Canary (1991)

Fowler, Karen

The Sweetheart Season (1996)

Fowler, Karen

Sister Moon (2001)

Fowles, John

The Collector (1963)

Fowles, John

The Magus (1965)

Fowles, John

The Ebony Tower (1974)

Fowles, John

Mantissa (1982)

Fowles, John

A Maggot

Fox, Paula

The Widow's Children

Fox, Paula

A Servant's Tale (1984)

Fox, Paula

The God of Nightmares (1990)

Franzen, Jonathan

The Twenty-Seventh City (1988)

Franzen, Jonathan

Strong Motion (1992)

Franzen, Jonathan

The Corrections (2001)

Frazier, Charles

Cold Mountain (1997)

Gaddis, William

The Recognitions (1955)

Gaddis, William

J.R. (1975)

Gaddis, William

Carpenter's Gothic

Gaddis, William

A Frolic of His Own (1994)

Gaitskill, Mary

Bad Behavior (1988)

Gaitskill, Mary

Two Girls Fat & Thin (1991)

Gaitskill, Mary

Because They Wanted To (1997)

Gale, Zona (1874-1938)

The Loves of Pelleas and Etarre (1907)

Gale, Zona (1874-1938)

Friendship Village (1908)

Garcia, Christina

Aguero Sisters (1998)

Garland, Hamlin (1860-1940)

A Son of the Middle Border (1914)

Gass, William

Omensetter's Luck

Gass, William

In the Heart of the Heart of the Country

Gass, William

Willie Masters' Lonesome Wife

Gass, William

The Tunnel (1995)

Gibbons, Kaye

Ellen Foster (1987)

Gibbons, Kaye

A Virtuous Woman (1989)

Gibbons, Kaye

Charms for the Easy Life

Gibbons, Kaye

A Cure for Dreams (1991)

Gibbons, Kaye

Sights Unseen (1995)

Gibbons, Kaye

On the Occasion of My Last Afternoon (1998)

Gifford, Barry (b.1946)

Baby Cat Face (1995)

Gilman, Charlotte Perkins

The Yellow Wallpaper (1892)

Glasgow, Ellen

Barren Ground

Glasgow, Ellen

Vein of Iron

Glass, Julia

Three Junes (2001)

Gloss, Molly

The Jump-Off Creek (1989)

Gloss, Molly

The Dazzle of the Day (1997)

Gloss, Molly

Wild Life (2000)

Gold, Glen David

Carter Beats the Devil (2001)

Goodman, Allegra

Kaaterskill Falls (1998)

Goodman, Allegra

Paradise Park (2001)

Goodwin, Jo-Ann

Danny Boy (2000)

Grau, Shirley Ann

The Keepers of the House (1964)

Grau, Shirley Ann

Roadwalkers (1994)

Guterson, David

Snow Falling on Cedars (1994)

Guterson, David

East of the Mountains (1999)

Hamilton, Jane

The Short History of a Prince (1998)

Hamilton, Jane

A Meditator's Diary

Hamilton, Jane

The Book of Ruth

Hamilton, Jane

A Map of the World (1994)

Hamilton, Jane

Disobedience (2000)

Hardwick, Elizabeth

The Ghostly Lover (1945)

Hawkes, John

The Cannibal

Hawkes, John

Second Skin

Hazzard, Shirley

The Transit of Venus (1980)

Hazzard, Shirley The Great Fire

Hegi, Ursula

Stones From the River (1994)

Hegi, Ursula

Salt Dancers (1995)

Hegi, Ursula

The Vision of Emma Blau (2000)

Hegi, Ursula

Hotels of the Saints (2001)

Heinemann, Larry

Close Quarters (1977)

Heinemann, Larry

Paco's Story (1987)

Heinemann, Larry

Cooler by the Lake (1992)

Heller, Joseph

Catch-22

Heller, Joseph

God Knows (1984)

Heller, Joseph

Closing Time (1994)

Heller, Joseph

Picture This (1988)

Heller, Joseph

Portrait of the Artist as an Old Man

Hemingway, Ernest (Miller) (b. 1898)

The Sun Also Rises (1926)

Hemingway, Ernest (Miller) (b. 1898)

A Farewell to Arms (1929)

Hemingway, Ernest (Miller) (b. 1898)

Death in the Afternoon (1932)

Hemingway, Ernest (Miller) (b. 1898)

To Have and Have Not (1937)

Hemingway, Ernest (Miller) (b. 1898)

For Whom the Bell Tolls (1940)

Hemingway, Ernest (Miller) (b. 1898)

The Old Man and the Sea

Hemingway, Ernest (Miller) (b. 1898)

Islands in the Stream (1970)

Hemingway, Ernest (Miller) (b. 1898)

Garden of Eden

Hemingway, Ernest (Miller) (b. 1898)

The Complete Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway (1987)

Hemingway, Ernest (Miller) (b. 1898)

True at First Light (1999)

Hersey, John

Hiroshima (1946)

Hersey, John

White Lotus (1965)

Hersey, John

The Call (1985)

Highsmith, Patricia

The Incredible Mr. Ripley

Highsmith, Patricia

Ripley Under Ground (1970)

Highsmith, Patricia

The Mysterious Mr. Ripley (1985)

Highsmith, Patricia

Ripley Under Water (1991)

Hijuelos, Oscar

Our House in the Last World (1983)

Hijuelos, Oscar

The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love (1989)

Hijuelos, Oscar

The Fourteen Sisters of Emilio Montez O'Brien (1993)

Hijuelos, Oscar

Empress of the Splendid Season

Hijuelos, Oscar

Mr. Ives' Christmas (1995)

Hird, Laura

Born Free (2000)

Hoban, Russell

Riddley Walker

Hoffman, Alice

Turtle Moon (1992)

Hoover, Paul (b.1946)

Saigon, Illionois

Howard, Maureen

Not a Word About Nightingales

Howard, Maureen

Bridgeport Bus

Howard, Maureen

Before My Time (1975)

Howard, Maureen

Facts of Life (1978)

Howard, Maureen

Grace Abounding (1982)

Howard, Maureen

Expensive Habits (1986)

Howard, Maureen

Natural History (1993)

Howard, Maureen

A Lover's Almanac (1998)

Howard, Maureen

Big as Life (2001)

Hurston, Zora

Novels & Stories

Hurston, Zora

Their Eyes were Watching God

Hustvedt, Siri

The Blindfold (1992)

Hustvedt, Siri

The Enchantment of Lily Dahl (1996)

Hustvedt, Siri

What I Loved (2003)