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BBC books List

Alice Walker

Identity

96

The Color Purple

A powerful epistolary novel about Black womanhood, resilience, and liberation in the American South, following Celie’s journey toward self‑worth and independence.

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Toni Morrison

Identity

100

Beloved

A haunting exploration of slavery’s psychological legacy, following Sethe, a mother pursued by the ghost of her past and the trauma she cannot escape.

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Chinua Achebe

Identity

98

Things Fall Apart

A foundational African novel depicting Igbo society before and during colonial disruption, centred on Okonkwo’s struggle with tradition, masculinity, and change.

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Ralph Ellison

Identity

100

Invisible Man

A profound examination of race and individuality in America, following an unnamed Black narrator through disillusionment, activism, and the search for identity.

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Zora Neale Hurston

Identity

95

Their Eyes Were Watching God

Janie Crawford recounts her life and loves in a lyrical exploration of Black womanhood, autonomy, and self‑definition in the American South.

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Richard Wright

Identity

94

Native Son

A searing portrayal of systemic racism and social oppression through the tragic life of Bigger Thomas in 1930s Chicago.

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Toni Morrison

Identity

93

The Bluest Eye

A devastating story of internalised racism and childhood trauma as Pecola Breedlove longs for blue eyes and acceptance in a hostile world.

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James Baldwin

Identity

96

Giovanni’s Room

A groundbreaking queer novel exploring desire, shame, and identity as an American man confronts his sexuality in 1950s Paris.

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Kate Chopin

Identity

90

The Awakening

A pioneering feminist novel about Edna Pontellier’s struggle for autonomy, desire, and selfhood in a restrictive Creole society.

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E.M. Forster

Identity

92

A Passage to India

A nuanced portrait of colonial India, examining friendship, misunderstanding, and cultural tension amid the political pressures of empire.

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Sandra Cisneros

Identity

88

The House on Mango Street

A series of poetic vignettes following Esperanza Cordero as she navigates girlhood, culture, and identity in a Chicago Latino neighbourhood.

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Robert Louis Stevenson

Adventure

95

Treasure Island

A classic pirate adventure following young Jim Hawkins as he discovers a treasure map and confronts danger, betrayal, and the legendary Long John Silver.

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J.R.R. Tolkien

Adventure

98

The Hobbit

Bilbo Baggins is swept into a quest with dwarves to reclaim their homeland, encountering trolls, goblins, and a certain precious ring along the way.

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Jack London

Adventure

90

The Call of the Wild

A domesticated dog is thrust into the brutal world of the Yukon, discovering his primal instincts and the call of the wilderness.

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Suzanne Collins

Adventure

82

The Hunger Games

Katniss Everdeen becomes a reluctant symbol of rebellion after volunteering for a deadly televised competition in a dystopian future.

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Philip Pullman

Adventure

88

His Dark Materials

Lyra Belacqua uncovers a sinister conspiracy involving Dust, parallel worlds, and the nature of consciousness in this philosophical fantasy epic.

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Paulo Coelho

Adventure

80

The Alchemist

A shepherd boy travels across deserts in search of treasure, discovering spiritual insight, personal destiny, and the meaning of dreams.

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Alexandre Dumas

Adventure

92

The Three Musketeers

D’Artagnan joins three legendary musketeers in a swashbuckling tale of honour, intrigue, duels, and political conspiracy in 17th‑century France.

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Alexandre Dumas

Adventure

96

The Count of Monte Cristo

Wrongfully imprisoned, Edmond Dantès escapes, discovers treasure, and executes a masterful plan of revenge against those who betrayed him.

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Jonathan Swift

Adventure

94

Gulliver’s Travels

Lemuel Gulliver journeys to fantastical lands, encountering miniature people, giants, and philosophical societies in this satirical exploration of human folly.

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Daniel Defoe

Adventure

93

Robinson Crusoe

A shipwrecked man survives alone on a remote island, building a life through ingenuity and confronting solitude, survival, and colonial attitudes.

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Herman Melville

Adventure

100

Moby-Dick

Captain Ahab obsessively hunts the white whale, leading his crew into a metaphysical struggle between fate, nature, and human madness.

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Joseph Conrad

Adventure

98

Heart of Darkness

A journey up the Congo River becomes a descent into moral ambiguity, colonial brutality, and the darkness within the human soul.

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Homer

Adventure

100

The Odyssey

Odysseus’s perilous voyage home from Troy spans monsters, gods, temptations, and trials, forming the foundation of Western adventure storytelling.

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Rudyard Kipling

Adventure

88

Kim

An Irish orphan in British‑ruled India becomes a spy’s apprentice, navigating politics, identity, and cultural complexity across the subcontinent.

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Arthur Conan Doyle

Adventure

85

The Lost World

An expedition to a remote plateau discovers living dinosaurs, sparking danger, scientific rivalry, and thrilling prehistoric encounters.

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Jules Verne

Adventure

92

Around the World in Eighty Days

Phileas Fogg wagers he can circumnavigate the globe in eighty days, embarking on a whirlwind journey filled with obstacles and surprises.

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H.P. Lovecraft

Adventure

90

The Call of Cthulhu

A fragmented investigation uncovers an ancient cosmic horror, blending adventure, mystery, and existential dread in a foundational work of weird fiction.

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J.K. Rowling

Childhood

90

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

A young boy discovers he is a wizard and enters a magical school, beginning a journey of friendship, danger, and self‑discovery.

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the Witch and the Wardrobe

Childhood

92

The Lion

C.S. Lewis,Four siblings enter the magical land of Narnia, joining Aslan in a battle against the White Witch’s eternal winter

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Frances Hodgson Burnett

Childhood

88

The Secret Garden

An orphaned girl discovers a hidden garden and transforms her life and the lives of those around her through healing and friendship.

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L.M. Montgomery

Childhood

90

Anne of Green Gables

Imaginative orphan Anne Shirley finds a home at Green Gables, bringing warmth, chaos, and creativity to the Cuthberts’ lives.

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Louisa May Alcott

Childhood

95

Little Women

The March sisters navigate love, ambition, hardship, and family bonds in this enduring coming‑of‑age classic.

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J.D. Salinger

Childhood

98

The Catcher in the Rye

Holden Caulfield recounts his turbulent days in New York, exploring alienation, adolescence, and the search for authenticity.

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Mark Haddon

Childhood

85

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

A boy with a unique way of seeing the world investigates a neighbour’s dog’s death, uncovering deeper family truths.

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Kenneth Grahame

Childhood

90

The Wind in the Willows

Mole, Rat, Badger, and Toad embark on gentle adventures exploring friendship, mischief, and the English countryside.

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Arthur Ransome

Childhood

84

Swallows and Amazons

Children on holiday embark on imaginative sailing adventures, celebrating independence, exploration, and the joys of outdoor childhood.

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Philip Pullman

Childhood

92

Northern Lights

Lyra uncovers a sinister plot involving Dust, kidnapped children, and parallel worlds in this philosophical fantasy adventure.

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Lewis Carroll

Childhood

100

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

Alice tumbles into a surreal world of absurd logic, eccentric characters, and dreamlike transformations, reshaping children’s literature forever.

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J.M. Barrie

Childhood

96

Peter Pan

The boy who never grows up leads the Darling children to Neverland, exploring imagination, freedom, and the bittersweet nature of childhood.

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Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Childhood

98

The Little Prince

A pilot meets a mysterious child from another planet, discovering profound truths about love, loneliness, and human nature.

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Roald Dahl

Childhood

90

Matilda

A brilliant girl with neglectful parents discovers her powers and stands up to injustice with intelligence, courage, and humour.

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S.E. Hinton

Childhood

92

The Outsiders

Teen gangs clash in a story of loyalty, class conflict, and the struggle to find identity in a divided society.

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Mark Twain

Childhood

95

Tom Sawyer

A mischievous boy navigates adventure, friendship, and moral dilemmas along the Mississippi River in this foundational American classic.

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Johanna Spyri

Childhood

88

Heidi

A young girl transforms the lives of her grandfather and others through her innocence, kindness, and love of the Swiss Alps.

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Jane Austen

Love

100

Pride and Prejudice

Elizabeth Bennet navigates love, class, and misunderstanding in this witty, sharply observed novel that helped define the modern romantic comedy.

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Charlotte Brontë

Love

98

Jane Eyre

An orphaned governess falls for the enigmatic Mr. Rochester, confronting secrets, morality, and her own fierce independence.

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Emily Brontë

Love

97

Wuthering Heights

A dark, passionate tale of obsession and revenge between Heathcliff and Catherine, exploring destructive love and generational trauma.

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Helen Fielding

Love

82

Bridget Jones’s Diary

A humorous diary of modern single life as Bridget navigates romance, self‑improvement, and chaotic misadventures in London.

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Diana Gabaldon

Love

85

Outlander

A WWII nurse is transported to 18th‑century Scotland, where she becomes entangled in political turmoil and an intense, time‑crossing romance.

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Margaret Mitchell

Love

95

Gone with the Wind

Scarlett O’Hara’s turbulent loves and survival during the American Civil War form a sweeping romantic epic of resilience and desire.

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Audrey Niffenegger

Love

88

The Time Traveler’s Wife

A woman builds a life with a man who involuntarily travels through time, exploring love shaped by absence, fate, and longing.

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John Green

Love

80

The Fault in Our Stars

Two teenagers with cancer fall in love, confronting mortality, meaning, and the fragile beauty of connection.

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Michael Ondaatje

Love

92

The English Patient

Four lives intersect in an Italian villa during WWII, revealing forbidden love, betrayal, and the lingering wounds of war.

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Kazuo Ishiguro

Love

96

The Remains of the Day

A butler reflects on duty, regret, and unspoken love as he confronts the emotional cost of a life devoted to service.

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Leo Tolstoy

Love

100

Anna Karenina

Anna’s passionate affair with Vronsky challenges societal norms, marriage, and personal happiness in one of literature’s greatest tragic romances.

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Gustave Flaubert

Love

98

Madame Bovary

Emma Bovary seeks escape from provincial boredom through romantic fantasies and affairs, exposing the dangers of idealism and desire.

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Edith Wharton

Love

95

The Age of Innocence

A restrained love triangle in Gilded Age New York reveals the suffocating power of social convention and unfulfilled longing.

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Gabriel García Márquez

Love

96

Love in the Time of Cholera

A lifelong, unconventional love story unfolds across decades, blending passion, memory, and magical realism in a tropical Caribbean setting.

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Boris Pasternak

Love

94

Doctor Zhivago

A poet‑doctor’s love for Lara unfolds against the upheaval of the Russian Revolution, blending romance with political turmoil.

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John Fowles

Love

92

The French Lieutenant’s Woman

A metafictional Victorian romance exploring freedom, desire, and narrative possibility through the enigmatic Sarah Woodruff.

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Mary Shelley

Life/Other Worlds

100

Frankenstein

A scientist creates life and confronts the consequences of playing God, exploring ambition, responsibility, and the boundaries of humanity.

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Cormac McCarthy

Life/Other Worlds

95

The Road

A father and son journey through a devastated post‑apocalyptic landscape, confronting brutality, hope, and the fierce bond of survival.

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Margaret Atwood

Life/Other Worlds

98

The Handmaid’s Tale

In a theocratic dystopia, women are stripped of rights; Offred struggles to survive and reclaim her identity.

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Ursula K. Le Guin

Life/Other Worlds

96

The Left Hand of Darkness

A diplomat visits a planet where gender is fluid, challenging assumptions about identity, politics, and human connection.

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Stephen King

Life/Other Worlds

The Stand (TV

The Stand

A deadly plague destroys civilization, dividing survivors into forces of good and evil in an epic struggle for humanity’s future.,90

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Douglas Adams

Life/Other Worlds

92

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

Arthur Dent is swept into a cosmic adventure after Earth’s destruction, blending satire, absurdity, and philosophical humour.

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Frank Herbert

Life/Other Worlds

100

Dune

Paul Atreides becomes embroiled in prophecy, politics, and ecological struggle on the desert planet Arrakis.

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George Orwell

Life/Other Worlds

100

Nineteen Eighty-Four

A chilling vision of totalitarian surveillance, propaganda, and the destruction of truth under Big Brother’s regime.

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Aldous Huxley

Life/Other Worlds

Brave New World (TV

Brave New World

A genetically engineered society pursues pleasure and stability at the cost of individuality, freedom, and authentic emotion.,98

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H.G. Wells

Life/Other Worlds

95

The War of the Worlds

Martians invade Earth with terrifying technology, reshaping science fiction and fears of imperial collapse.

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Albert Camus

Life/Other Worlds

98

The Stranger

Meursault’s emotional detachment and a senseless crime reveal existential questions about meaning, morality, and absurdity.

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Kurt Vonnegut

Life/Other Worlds

96

Slaughterhouse-Five

Billy Pilgrim becomes ‘unstuck in time,’ blending war trauma, satire, and science fiction in a nonlinear narrative.

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Stanisław Lem

Life/Other Worlds

95

Solaris

A sentient planet manifests human memories, forcing scientists to confront grief, consciousness, and the limits of understanding.

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Mikhail Bulgakov

Life/Other Worlds

97

The Master and Margarita

The Devil visits Soviet Moscow, intertwining satire, fantasy, and philosophical reflection in a dazzling narrative.

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Franz Kafka

Life/Other Worlds

100

The Metamorphosis

Gregor Samsa awakens as a giant insect, confronting alienation, guilt, and the collapse of family bonds.

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Kazuo Ishiguro

Life/Other Worlds

94

Never Let Me Go

Students at a mysterious boarding school uncover the truth about their purpose, exploring memory, love, and mortality.

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Arkady & Boris Strugatsky

Life/Other Worlds

92

Roadside Picnic

Alien visitation zones contain dangerous anomalies; ‘stalkers’ risk everything to retrieve mysterious artefacts.

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Raymond Chandler

Crime

95

The Big Sleep

Private detective Philip Marlowe navigates corruption, blackmail, and murder in a labyrinthine Los Angeles noir.

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Agatha Christie

Crime

94

Murder on the Orient Express

Detective Hercule Poirot investigates a murder aboard a luxury train, uncovering a web of secrets and moral ambiguity.

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Stieg Larsson

Crime

88

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

A journalist and hacker investigate a decades‑old disappearance, exposing violence, corruption, and buried trauma.

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Arthur Conan Doyle

Crime

92

The Hound of the Baskervilles

Sherlock Holmes investigates a legendary spectral hound haunting the moors, blending mystery with gothic atmosphere.

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Dashiell Hammett

Crime

96

The Maltese Falcon

Detective Sam Spade becomes entangled in a hunt for a priceless statuette, navigating betrayal and shifting loyalties.

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George R.R. Martin

Crime

Game of Thrones (TV

A Game of Thrones

Noble families vie for power in a brutal medieval world where politics, war, and betrayal shape destiny.,90

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Graham Greene

Crime

93

The Quiet American

A cynical journalist and an idealistic American become entangled in love and political intrigue in Vietnam.

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Frederick Forsyth

Crime

90

The Day of the Jackal

A professional assassin attempts to kill the French president, creating a tense, procedural thriller.

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Mario Puzo

Crime

100

The Godfather

The Corleone family navigates loyalty, power, and violence in this defining mafia saga.

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Anthony Burgess

Crime

98

A Clockwork Orange

A violent youth undergoes experimental conditioning, raising questions about free will, morality, and state control.

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Fyodor Dostoevsky

Crime

100

Crime and Punishment

Raskolnikov commits murder and spirals into guilt, paranoia, and philosophical torment in this psychological masterpiece.

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John le Carré

Crime

98

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold

A weary British spy undertakes a morally murky mission during the Cold War, redefining espionage fiction.

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Truman Capote

Crime

97

In Cold Blood

A true‑crime narrative exploring a Kansas family’s murder and the killers’ psychology, blending reportage and literary craft.

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James M. Cain

Crime

94

The Postman Always Rings Twice

A drifter and a married woman plot murder, igniting a noir tale of lust, betrayal, and doom.

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Patricia Highsmith

Crime

96

The Talented Mr Ripley

Tom Ripley’s charm masks a chilling capacity for deception and murder in this psychological thriller.

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Joseph Conrad

Crime

92

The Secret Agent

A reluctant spy becomes entangled in anarchist plots, exposing political hypocrisy and moral decay.

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Irvine Welsh

Rule Breakers

90

Trainspotting

A raw, darkly comic portrait of addiction, friendship, and rebellion in Edinburgh’s heroin subculture.

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John Kennedy Toole

Rule Breakers

92

A Confederacy of Dunces

Ignatius J. Reilly’s chaotic misadventures satirize modern life with absurdity, wit, and unforgettable characters.

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Hunter S. Thompson

Rule Breakers

95

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

A drug‑fueled road trip becomes a surreal critique of the American Dream and counterculture.

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William S. Burroughs

Rule Breakers

94

Naked Lunch

A hallucinatory, nonlinear exploration of addiction, control, and paranoia that shattered narrative conventions.

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J.D. Salinger

Rule Breakers

98

The Catcher in the Rye

Holden Caulfield’s voice revolutionised adolescent fiction with its candour, alienation, and critique of adult hypocrisy.

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Alice Walker

Rule Breakers

96

The Color Purple

Celie’s letters reveal trauma, resilience, and liberation in a powerful narrative of Black womanhood.

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