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Original poster

What is the best book you have ever read?

360 replies

damnedgrubble · 03/03/2017 22:34

I think mine has to be (at least at the moment) The House at the End of Hope Street because I grew up not far from there.

Which is your favourite book and why?

OP posts:
flibflob · 07/03/2017 00:11

The Color Purple. I will never be clever enough to describe how it affected me.

sfc1 · 06/03/2017 23:51

I love many of the books listed above. However the best book for me has to be "To kill a mockingbird" it had a profound effect on me when I read it and it has stayed with me for the rest of my life.

Whisky2014 · 06/03/2017 23:27

.

tiredbuthappyworkingmum · 06/03/2017 23:26

East of Eden
The Collector
Gone With The Wind
Postcards From The Edge
Rachel's Holiday
Riders
The Beach
Room
Are all books that have stayed with me, or made a great impression while reading them

tobee · 06/03/2017 23:23

I agree with loads on here but has to be a tie between:-

Good Morning, Midnight - Jean Rhys. Made me remember why I did an English degree.

The Sword of Honour Trilogy - Evelyn Waugh. I love his characters and find myself alternately spluttering with laughter and then being sunk into the depths of gloom. His humanity transcends the religion and preconceptions of politics.

AWhistlingWoman · 06/03/2017 23:05

Most recently . . .

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
Grief is the Thing with Feathers by Max Porter

Lots of old favourites mentioned here. Would thoroughly recommend anything by Margaret Atwood, Iris Murdoch. Loved the (minimal) Nabokov I have read, including Lolita. Loved Hesse as a late teen / early 20 something but can't bear to re-read in case it is not as wonderful as I remember. The Glass Bead Game was a particular favourite of mine.

In times of trouble,
Vanity Fair
The Way We Live Now
Any of Robertson Davies novels

AGuiltyConscience · 06/03/2017 22:58

The Great Gatsby

Curlyshabtree · 06/03/2017 22:56

utahgirl no not read The Wild Truth, will look out for it. Thanks!

TheNiffler · 06/03/2017 22:20

Onions in the Stew, Betty McDonald had me howling with laughter.

Sorry about the stilted posts, I've only managed to get MN to load twice today :(

MistressMolecules · 06/03/2017 21:32

Not just one book but three - His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman and I am so, so excited for the release of The Book of Dust by Pullman in October - been talk of it for 20 years (contains characters from His Dark Materials and is another trilogy spanning before and after the original trilogy).

junebirthdaygirl · 06/03/2017 21:30

The Poisonwood Bible and anything by Barbara Kingsolver. Though there are a lot of books l could mention.

Kat70 · 06/03/2017 21:18

My family and other animals by Gerald Durrell- so makes you want to live on a small, sunny island with an eccentric family!

eddielizzard · 06/03/2017 21:12

The winter of our discontent - john steinbeck
the wasp factory - iain banks
rivals - jilly cooper
crime and punishment - dostoyevsky
the barchester chronicles - anthony trollope

UtahGirl12 · 06/03/2017 21:04

curlyshabtree yay, another Into the Wild fan! Have you read the book by Christopher McCandless's sister about him? The Wild Truth by Carine McCandless....a fantastic read!

Alconleigh · 06/03/2017 21:02

Forgot Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson. She really is the most extraordinary writer I think.

Alconleigh · 06/03/2017 20:59

Beloved by Toni Morrison
Carter beats the Devil by Glen David Gold
Wise Children by Angela Carter
Rivals by Jilly Cooper (bit of highbrow there Grin)
Wolf Hall and Bring up the Bodies, I've read both 3 times.

Dowser · 06/03/2017 20:50

Enjoyed water for elephants by Sara gruen
The girl on the train ?

LobsterQuadrille · 06/03/2017 20:48

mrsmuddle Excellent Women is brilliant!

Dowser · 06/03/2017 20:46

My fave as a child / young teen was little women
Heidi and what Katy did next

Kat70 · 06/03/2017 20:45

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce. So many emotions. Outstanding.

Dowser · 06/03/2017 20:45

I'm reading land of the giants...I think it's called that by ken follett
Not the best books I've read but enjoying them
Used to love Susan Howatch's penmarric books and the religious ones like glittering prizes.

Lilian beck with...the hills is lonely...life on a Scottish island. Used to howl with laughter.

All creatures great and small, vet books...Alf wight. Loved them.

897654321abcvrufhfgg · 06/03/2017 20:39

Shamelessly following for ideas for my personal "book a week" challenge in 2017

Laurendisorder · 06/03/2017 20:38

Agree with a lot of the choices - but my favourite read is the Rabbit series by Updike (plus anything by Graham Greene, Hilary Mantell or Llosa plus Sabbaths Theatre by Roth). Mistry is a great writer - but still traumatised by A Fine Balance!

Kennington · 06/03/2017 20:37

The jean de florette saga has stuck with me.
Anything by Patricia highsmith
A secret history
Bonjour tristesse

mrsmuddlepies · 06/03/2017 20:35

So many have already been mentioned but I don't think anyone has mentioned Barbara Pym and my particular favourite, Excellent Women. It is such a very comforting and funny book. Barbara Pym is often compared to Jane Austen and I think Excellent Women has much in common with Pride and Prejudice.

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