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First Novels

Description: Author's first novels that are worth reading.

Based on tag: debut novel

Members: 16 participating members (show all)

All members' list: [1] 2 3 4 5Sort: Score | Title | Author | Date
2
Jane Eyre
by Charlotte Brontë
52,234 members, 837 reviews
4.22 stars (4.22 stars)

Lists: rfebrer, kara.shamy, Chris.Wolak, gypsysmom, ahef1963, alex68, ManWithAnAgenda

3
Wuthering Heights
by Emily Brontë
45,044 members, 621 reviews
3.89 stars (3.89 stars)

Lists: jain, gypsysmom, ahef1963, alex68, kara.shamy, merrystar, ManWithAnAgenda

4
Frankenstein
by Mary Shelley
36,522 members, 644 reviews
3.81 stars (3.81 stars)

Lists: ahef1963, hipdeep, Chris.Wolak, gypsysmom, kara.shamy, alex68, ManWithAnAgenda

7
The Catcher in the Rye
by J. D. Salinger
63,645 members, 1,015 reviews
3.79 stars (3.79 stars)

Lists: ahef1963, gypsysmom, alex68, merrystar, ManWithAnAgenda

8
The Kite Runner
by Khaled Hosseini
48,348 members, 1,238 reviews
4.19 stars (4.19 stars)

Lists: dara85, gypsysmom, kara.shamy, ahef1963, ManWithAnAgenda

9
The Picture of Dorian Gray
by Oscar Wilde
34,289 members, 572 reviews
3.99 stars (3.99 stars)

Lists: alex68, gypsysmom, merrystar, kara.shamy, ManWithAnAgenda

10
Sense and Sensibility
by Jane Austen
33,844 members, 476 reviews
4.1 stars (4.1 stars)

Lists: merrystar, alex68, gypsysmom, kara.shamy, ManWithAnAgenda

11
Treasure Island
by Robert Louis Stevenson
26,997 members, 363 reviews
3.83 stars (3.83 stars)

Lists: hipdeep, ahef1963, gypsysmom, alex68, ManWithAnAgenda

12
Neverwhere
by Neil Gaiman
23,060 members, 542 reviews
4.1 stars (4.1 stars)

Lists: ahef1963, gypsysmom, hipdeep, merrystar, ManWithAnAgenda

13
The Secret History
by Donna Tartt
16,781 members, 481 reviews
4.05 stars (4.05 stars)

Lists: kara.shamy, ahef1963, gypsysmom, alex68, ManWithAnAgenda

14
The Time Machine
by H. G. Wells
16,225 members, 318 reviews
3.73 stars (3.73 stars)

Lists: KimarieBee, ahef1963, gypsysmom, alex68, ManWithAnAgenda

15
The Thirteenth Tale
by Diane Setterfield
16,047 members, 883 reviews
3.99 stars (3.99 stars)

Lists: rfebrer, Chris.Wolak, gypsysmom, kara.shamy, ahef1963

16
I Capture the Castle
by Dodie Smith
8,476 members, 284 reviews
4.1 stars (4.1 stars)

Lists: thorold, merrystar, jain, ahef1963, ManWithAnAgenda

Explanations:

thorold (10): Great book, but Smith wasn't exactly a new author when she wrote it, she had a lot of successful plays to her credit.

17
Adam Bede
by George Eliot
3,956 members, 64 reviews
3.87 stars (3.87 stars)

Lists: jain, alex68, ahef1963, ManWithAnAgenda, gypsysmom

18
The Hobbit
by J. R. R. Tolkien
82,590 members, 1,095 reviews
4.27 stars (4.27 stars)

Lists: ahef1963, gypsysmom, merrystar, ManWithAnAgenda

20
One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest
by Ken Kesey
21,965 members, 274 reviews
4.15 stars (4.15 stars)

Lists: ahef1963, hipdeep, gypsysmom, alex68

21
Gone with the Wind
by Margaret Mitchell
21,287 members, 416 reviews
4.28 stars (4.28 stars)

Lists: dara85, merrystar, gypsysmom, alex68

23
The Name of the Rose
by Umberto Eco
18,010 members, 283 reviews
4.2 stars (4.2 stars)

Lists: merrystar, jain, alex68, gypsysmom

24
The Night Circus
by Erin Morgenstern
15,057 members, 1,170 reviews
4.06 stars (4.06 stars)

Lists: KimarieBee, ahef1963, gypsysmom, jain

25
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
by Betty Smith
14,693 members, 404 reviews
4.32 stars (4.32 stars)

Lists: dara85, gypsysmom, merrystar, ahef1963

27
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
by Junot Díaz
12,075 members, 458 reviews
3.85 stars (3.85 stars)

Lists: kara.shamy, ahef1963, gypsysmom, alex68

28
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter
by Carson McCullers
9,897 members, 222 reviews
3.96 stars (3.96 stars)

Lists: ahef1963, alex68, gypsysmom, ManWithAnAgenda

29
The White Tiger
by Aravind Adiga
8,946 members, 400 reviews
3.78 stars (3.78 stars)

Lists: kara.shamy, thorold, gypsysmom, ahef1963

30
The Mysterious Affair at Styles
by Agatha Christie
7,440 members, 246 reviews
3.76 stars (3.76 stars)

Lists: kara.shamy, merrystar, ahef1963, alex68

31
The Chosen
by Chaim Potok
6,247 members, 90 reviews
4.15 stars (4.15 stars)

Lists: dara85, jain, alex68, ahef1963

32
Lord of the Flies
by William Golding
44,142 members, 696 reviews
3.71 stars (3.71 stars)

Lists: ahef1963, kara.shamy, gypsysmom

33
The Time Traveler's Wife
by Audrey Niffenegger
37,249 members, 1,228 reviews
4.1 stars (4.1 stars)

Lists: KimarieBee, ahef1963, gypsysmom

34
Catch-22
by Joseph Heller
36,678 members, 491 reviews
4.1 stars (4.1 stars)

Lists: hipdeep, gypsysmom, alex68

35
Don Quixote
by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
26,935 members, 400 reviews
4.06 stars (4.06 stars)

Lists: alex68, ManWithAnAgenda, gypsysmom

36
Anne of Green Gables
by L. M. Montgomery
25,032 members, 505 reviews
4.32 stars (4.32 stars)

Lists: merrystar, gypsysmom, ahef1963

37
Watership Down
by Richard Adams
22,419 members, 442 reviews
4.21 stars (4.21 stars)

Lists: ManWithAnAgenda, alex68, gypsysmom

38
Neuromancer
by William Gibson
20,972 members, 340 reviews
3.92 stars (3.92 stars)

Lists: hipdeep, gypsysmom, alex68

39
Interview with the Vampire
by Anne Rice
20,665 members, 304 reviews
3.83 stars (3.83 stars)

Lists: ahef1963, gypsysmom, alex68

40
The God of Small Things
by Arundhati Roy
18,038 members, 328 reviews
3.87 stars (3.87 stars)

Lists: kara.shamy, ahef1963, alex68

41
Fight Club
by Chuck Palahniuk
17,798 members, 301 reviews
4.08 stars (4.08 stars)

Lists: alex68, ManWithAnAgenda, ahef1963

42
The Girl on the Train
by Paula Hawkins
14,412 members, 1,018 reviews
3.63 stars (3.63 stars)

Lists: kara.shamy, KimarieBee, ahef1963

43
The House of the Spirits
by Isabel Allende
12,581 members, 225 reviews
4.09 stars (4.09 stars)

Lists: merrystar, hipdeep, alex68

44
A Separate Peace
by John Knowles
11,654 members, 180 reviews
3.58 stars (3.58 stars)

Lists: gypsysmom, ahef1963, ManWithAnAgenda

45
The Namesake
by Jhumpa Lahiri
11,601 members, 302 reviews
3.9 stars (3.9 stars)

Lists: ahef1963, alex68, gypsysmom

46
A Time to Kill
by John Grisham
11,212 members, 139 reviews
3.83 stars (3.83 stars)

Lists: KimarieBee, ahef1963, dara85

47
The Big Sleep
by Raymond Chandler
9,259 members, 259 reviews
3.98 stars (3.98 stars)

Lists: alex68, ManWithAnAgenda, ahef1963

48
A Man Called Ove
by Fredrik Backman
8,175 members, 571 reviews
4.31 stars (4.31 stars)

Lists: dara85, gypsysmom, ahef1963

49
The Pickwick Papers
by Charles Dickens
8,065 members, 114 reviews
3.87 stars (3.87 stars)

Lists: thorold, alex68, gypsysmom

50
Mr Penumbra's 24-hour Bookstore
by Robin Sloan
7,523 members, 662 reviews
3.81 stars (3.81 stars)

Lists: merrystar, gypsysmom, ahef1963

51
The Sparrow
by Mary Doria Russell
7,082 members, 379 reviews
4.16 stars (4.16 stars)

Lists: KimarieBee, jain, gypsysmom

52
The Tin Drum
by Günter Grass
7,014 members, 88 reviews
3.97 stars (3.97 stars)

Lists: thorold, alex68, gypsysmom

53
The Rosie Project
by Graeme Simsion
6,696 members, 506 reviews
3.97 stars (3.97 stars)

Lists: KimarieBee, gypsysmom, ahef1963

54
Déjà Dead
by Kathy Reichs
5,850 members, 145 reviews
3.58 stars (3.58 stars)

Lists: KimarieBee, gypsysmom, ahef1963

55
The Windup Girl
by Paolo Bacigalupi
5,603 members, 278 reviews
3.76 stars (3.76 stars)

Lists: kara.shamy, gypsysmom, ManWithAnAgenda

56
Still Life
by Louise Penny
5,574 members, 383 reviews
3.84 stars (3.84 stars)

Lists: kara.shamy, ahef1963, gypsysmom

57
A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian
by Marina Lewycka
5,407 members, 235 reviews
3.39 stars (3.39 stars)

Lists: thorold, gypsysmom, ahef1963

58
Agnes Grey
by Anne Brontë
4,622 members, 150 reviews
3.58 stars (3.58 stars)

Lists: jain, ManWithAnAgenda, gypsysmom

59
Behind the Scenes at the Museum
by Kate Atkinson
4,610 members, 127 reviews
3.95 stars (3.95 stars)

Lists: thorold, KimarieBee, gypsysmom

60
Cold Sassy Tree
by Olive Ann Burns
3,851 members, 80 reviews
3.92 stars (3.92 stars)

Lists: dara85, ManWithAnAgenda, gypsysmom

61
Burial Rites
by Hannah Kent
3,165 members, 251 reviews
4.02 stars (4.02 stars)

Lists: kara.shamy, KimarieBee, ahef1963

62
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
by Stieg Larsson
39,063 members, 1,677 reviews
4.02 stars (4.02 stars)

Lists: ManWithAnAgenda, gypsysmom

63
The Stranger
by Albert Camus
31,954 members, 453 reviews
3.95 stars (3.95 stars)

Lists: ManWithAnAgenda, alex68

64
The Help
by Kathryn Stockett
27,436 members, 1,450 reviews
4.36 stars (4.36 stars)

Lists: dara85, alex68

65
The Shadow of the Wind
by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
25,696 members, 978 reviews
4.11 stars (4.11 stars)

Lists: ManWithAnAgenda, gypsysmom

66
The Secret Life of Bees
by Sue Monk Kidd
25,222 members, 562 reviews
3.91 stars (3.91 stars)

Lists: dara85, alex68

67
The Bell Jar
by Sylvia Plath
25,100 members, 448 reviews
3.96 stars (3.96 stars)

Lists: alex68, ManWithAnAgenda

68
Madame Bovary
by Gustave Flaubert
23,654 members, 349 reviews
3.75 stars (3.75 stars)

Lists: alex68, gypsysmom

69
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
by Lewis Carroll
22,904 members, 436 reviews
3.99 stars (3.99 stars)

Lists: alex68, jain

70
The Wizard of Oz
by L. Frank Baum
18,898 members, 419 reviews
3.87 stars (3.87 stars)

Lists: merrystar, gypsysmom, dara85

Thumbs down: ManWithAnAgenda

71
The Joy Luck Club
by Amy Tan
16,313 members, 185 reviews
3.87 stars (3.87 stars)

Lists: ahef1963, ManWithAnAgenda

72
The Memory Keeper's Daughter
by Kim Edwards
16,254 members, 467 reviews
3.45 stars (3.45 stars)

Lists: gypsysmom, ahef1963

73
The Phantom Tollbooth
by Norton Juster
15,221 members, 402 reviews
4.3 stars (4.3 stars)

Lists: merrystar, ManWithAnAgenda

74
Ready Player One
by Ernest Cline
15,108 members, 1,135 reviews
4.09 stars (4.09 stars)

Lists: hipdeep, ManWithAnAgenda

75
The Martian
by Andy Weir
14,570 members, 1,120 reviews
4.28 stars (4.28 stars)

Lists: gypsysmom, ahef1963

76
High Fidelity
by Nick Hornby
14,035 members, 189 reviews
3.92 stars (3.92 stars)

Lists: ahef1963, ManWithAnAgenda

77
Everything Is Illuminated
by Jonathan Safran Foer
13,657 members, 252 reviews
3.86 stars (3.86 stars)

Lists: ahef1963, alex68

79
White Teeth
by Zadie Smith
12,758 members, 229 reviews
3.74 stars (3.74 stars)

Lists: alex68, gypsysmom

80
Snow Falling on Cedars
by David Guterson
12,049 members, 177 reviews
3.76 stars (3.76 stars)

Lists: KimarieBee, ahef1963

81
The Bluest Eye
by Toni Morrison
11,614 members, 206 reviews
3.92 stars (3.92 stars)

Lists: jain, gypsysmom

82
The Hunt for Red October
by Tom Clancy
10,204 members, 105 reviews
4 stars (4 stars)

Lists: KimarieBee, hipdeep

83
Nausea
by Jean-Paul Sartre
9,005 members, 71 reviews
3.76 stars (3.76 stars)

Lists: alex68, ahef1963

84
The Bonfire of the Vanities
by Tom Wolfe
8,276 members, 124 reviews
3.82 stars (3.82 stars)

Lists: alex68, gypsysmom

85
Where the Crawdads Sing
by Delia Owens
8,079 members, 465 reviews
4.16 stars (4.16 stars)

Lists: dara85, gypsysmom

86
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
by Alan Bradley
7,114 members, 624 reviews
3.83 stars (3.83 stars)

Lists: kara.shamy, gypsysmom

87
His Majesty's Dragon
by Naomi Novik
7,073 members, 346 reviews
4.06 stars (4.06 stars)

Lists: jain, gypsysmom

88
Revolutionary Road
by Richard Yates
6,382 members, 241 reviews
4.02 stars (4.02 stars)

Lists: ahef1963, alex68

89
Still Alice
by Lisa Genova
5,833 members, 426 reviews
4.23 stars (4.23 stars)

Lists: dara85, gypsysmom

90
Casino Royale
by Ian Fleming
5,682 members, 236 reviews
3.53 stars (3.53 stars)

Lists: gypsysmom, ahef1963

91
Cold Comfort Farm
by Stella Gibbons
5,351 members, 209 reviews
3.99 stars (3.99 stars)

Lists: merrystar, ManWithAnAgenda

92
The Horse Whisperer
by Nicholas Evans
5,182 members, 76 reviews
3.56 stars (3.56 stars)

Lists: gypsysmom, ahef1963

93
Fall on Your Knees
by Ann-Marie MacDonald
5,126 members, 119 reviews
3.92 stars (3.92 stars)

Lists: ahef1963, gypsysmom

94
Buddenbrooks
by Thomas Mann
5,107 members, 93 reviews
4.19 stars (4.19 stars)

Lists: thorold, alex68

Explanations:

thorold (1): A first novel that would be the culmination of a lifetime's effort if anyone else had written it.

95
The Black Echo
by Michael Connelly
5,071 members, 148 reviews
3.91 stars (3.91 stars)

Lists: dara85, gypsysmom

96
The House at Riverton
by Kate Morton
5,037 members, 241 reviews
3.84 stars (3.84 stars)

Lists: dara85, gypsysmom

97
Go Tell It on the Mountain
by James Baldwin
4,973 members, 103 reviews
3.87 stars (3.87 stars)

Lists: ManWithAnAgenda, alex68

98
Ancillary Justice
by Ann Leckie
4,907 members, 328 reviews
4.01 stars (4.01 stars)

Lists: jain, gypsysmom

99
Lincoln in the Bardo
by George Saunders
4,892 members, 296 reviews
3.96 stars (3.96 stars)

Lists: kara.shamy, gypsysmom

100
Tipping the Velvet
by Sarah Waters
4,710 members, 136 reviews
3.98 stars (3.98 stars)

Lists: jain, kara.shamy

All members' list: [1] 2 3 4 5Sort: Score | Title | Author | Date

About this list

Started by: sturlington (April 2016)

Type: Unnumbered

Related tags

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