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Books With the Most Compelling Prose

Whether fiction or non-fiction, these are standout stories. Along with unique turns of phrase, these thirty books also have plotlines, structures and characters like nothing I have read before.
This is paintbrush prose. You read a paragraph and have to close your eyes for a few seconds, to dwell in the painting and music of it. To appreciate the mastery of this craft. These are books that you begin reading and realize: oh, this is something different.
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Address Unknown (Kressmann Taylor)
Address Unknown
Kressmann Taylor
2
Bad Feminist (Roxane Gay)
Bad Feminist
Roxane Gay
3
Beloved (Toni Morrison)
Beloved
Toni Morrison
4
The Bonesetter's Daughter (Amy Tan)
The Bonesetter's Daughter
Amy Tan
5
The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao (Junot Diaz)
The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao
Junot Diaz
6
The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother (James McBride)
The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother
James McBride
7
The Country of the Pointed Firs (Sarah Orne Jewett)
The Country of the Pointed Firs
Sarah Orne Jewett
8
Ella Minnow Pea (Mark Dunn)
Ella Minnow Pea
Mark Dunn
9
Fahrenheit 451 (Ray Bradbury)
Fahrenheit 451
Ray Bradbury
10
Ghana Must Go (Taiye Selasi)
Ghana Must Go
Taiye Selasi
11
The Girl Who Fell From the Sky (Heidi W. Durrow)
The Girl Who Fell From the Sky
Heidi W. Durrow
12
Girls Burn Brighter (Shobha Rao)
Girls Burn Brighter
Shobha Rao
13
The Glass Castle (Jeannette Walls)
The Glass Castle
Jeannette Walls
14
The God of Small Things (Arundhati Roy)
The God of Small Things
Arundhati Roy
15
In Other Words (Lahiri)
In Other Words
Lahiri
16
Let the Great World Spin (Colum McCann)
Let the Great World Spin
Colum McCann
17
Mr. Fox (Helen Oyeyemi)
Mr. Fox
Helen Oyeyemi
18
Mujeres De Ojos Grandes (Ángeles Mastretta)
Mujeres De Ojos Grandes
Ángeles Mastretta
19
The Net of Dreams (Julie Salamon)
The Net of Dreams
Julie Salamon
20
Pachinko (Min Jin Lee)
Pachinko
Min Jin Lee
21
Possession (A.S. Byatt)
Possession
A.S. Byatt
22
Silas Marner (George Eliot)
Silas Marner
George Eliot
23
So You Want to Talk About Race (Ijeoma Oluo)
So You Want to Talk About Race
Ijeoma Oluo
24
The Sympathizer (Viet Thanh Nguyen)
The Sympathizer
Viet Thanh Nguyen
25
Their Eyes Were Watching God (Zora Neale Hurston)
Their Eyes Were Watching God
Zora Neale Hurston
26
The Things They Carried (Tim O'Brien)
The Things They Carried
Tim O'Brien
27
This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage (Ann Patchett)
This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage
Ann Patchett
28
Through the Looking Glass (Lewis Carroll)
Through the Looking Glass
Lewis Carroll
29
The Witches Are Coming (Lindy West)
The Witches Are Coming
Lindy West
30
The Writing Life (Annie Dillard)
The Writing Life
Annie Dillard
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