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BBC List of 100 Most Inspiring Novels

On 5 November 2019, the BBC published a list of novels selected by a panel of six writers and critics, who had been asked to choose 100 English language novels "that have had an impact on their lives". The resulting list of "100 novels that shaped our world", called the "100 'most inspiring' novels" by BBC News, was published by the BBC to kick off a year of celebrating literature.
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Beloved (Toni Morrison)
Beloved
1
Toni Morrison
Days Without End (Sebastian Barry)
Days Without End
2
Sebastian Barry
Fugitive Pieces (Anne Michaels)
Fugitive Pieces
3
Anne Michaels
Half of a Yellow Sun (Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie)
Half of a Yellow Sun
4
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Homegoing (Yaa Gyasi)
Homegoing
5
Yaa Gyasi
Small Island (Andrea Levy)
Small Island
6
Andrea Levy
The Bell Jar (Sylvia Plath)
The Bell Jar
7
Sylvia Plath
The God of Small Things (Arundhati Roy)
The God of Small Things
8
Arundhati Roy
Things Fall Apart (Chinua Achebe)
Things Fall Apart
9
Chinua Achebe
White Teeth (Zadie Smith)
White Teeth
10
Zadie Smith
Bridget Jones's Diary (Helen Fielding)
Bridget Jones's Diary
11
Helen Fielding
Forever (Judy Blume)
Forever
12
Judy Blume
Giovanni's Room (James Baldwin)
Giovanni's Room
13
James Baldwin
Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
Pride and Prejudice
14
Jane Austen
Riders (Jilly Cooper)
Riders
15
Jilly Cooper
Their Eyes Were Watching God (Zora Neale Hurston)
Their Eyes Were Watching God
16
Zora Neale Hurston
The Far Pavilions (M. M. Kaye)
The Far Pavilions
17
M. M. Kaye
The Forty Rules of Love (Elif Shafak)
The Forty Rules of Love
18
Elif Shafak
The Passion (Jeanette Winterson)
The Passion
19
Jeanette Winterson
The Slaves of Solitude (Patrick Hamilton)
The Slaves of Solitude
20
Patrick Hamilton
City of Bohane (Kevin Barry)
City of Bohane
21
Kevin Barry
Eye of the Needle (Ken Follett)
Eye of the Needle
22
Ken Follett
For Whom the Bell Tolls (Ernest Hemingway)
For Whom the Bell Tolls
23
Ernest Hemingway
His Dark Materials Trilogy (Philip Pullman)
His Dark Materials Trilogy
24
Philip Pullman
Ivanhoe (Sir Walter Scott)
Ivanhoe
25
Sir Walter Scott
Mr Standfast (John Buchan)
Mr Standfast
26
John Buchan
The Big Sleep (Raymond Chandler)
The Big Sleep
27
Raymond Chandler
The Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins)
The Hunger Games
28
Suzanne Collins
Jack Aubrey Novels (Patrick O'Brian)
Jack Aubrey Novels
29
Patrick O'Brian
The Lord of the Rings (J.R.R.Tolkien)
The Lord of the Rings
30
J.R.R.Tolkien
A Game of Thrones (George R.R. Martin)
A Game of Thrones
31
George R.R. Martin
Astonishing the Gods (Ben Okri)
Astonishing the Gods
32
Ben Okri
Dune (Frank Herbert)
Dune
33
Frank Herbert
Frankenstein (Mary Shelley)
Frankenstein
34
Mary Shelley
Gilead (Marilynne Robinson)
Gilead
35
Marilynne Robinson
The Chronicles of Narnia (C.S. Lewis)
The Chronicles of Narnia
36
C.S. Lewis
The Discworld Series
The Discworld Series
37
The Earthsea Trilogy
The Earthsea Trilogy
38
The Sandman (Neil Gaiman)
The Sandman
39
Neil Gaiman
Lord of the Flies (William Golding)
Lord of the Flies
40
William Golding
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