HomeGroupsTalkZeitgeist
This site uses cookies to deliver our services, improve performance, for analytics, and (if not signed in) for advertising. By using LibraryThing you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Your use of the site and services is subject to these policies and terms.
Create new list
Lists home

Magic Realism

Description: A literary genre or style that incorporates magic, fantastic or mythical elements into otherwise realistic fiction. Originally associated with some Latin American literature during the 1940s, but from the 1960's to the present also with some post-modernist North American and European literature.

Based on tag: magical realism

Members: 38 participating members (show all)

All members' list: [1] 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11Sort: Score | Title | Author | Date
1
One Hundred Years of Solitude
by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
34,902 members, 520 reviews
4.19 stars (4.19 stars)

Lists: Fausto.Gimondi (1), andomck (1), thecoroner (1), balmerline (1), ErikaLH.LFL (1), CGlanovsky (1), macha (1), eromsted (1), ahef1963 (1), roby72 (1), matthewmason (2) — 4 more, merrystar (10), 3709459s (11), Her_Royal_Orangeness (36), Tinuvia

Score: 52.27

2
If on a Winter's Night a Traveler
by Italo Calvino
9,744 members, 198 reviews
4.06 stars (4.06 stars)

Lists: ramsesiii (1), matthewmason (1), flisle (1), thecoroner (2), balmerline (2), mspixieears (2), Dilara86 (2), ahef1963 (4), 3709459s (9), roby72 (10)

Score: 32.84

Explanations:

matthewmason (1): Also a hallmark classic of postmodernist plot construction.

3
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
by Haruki Murakami
14,478 members, 296 reviews
4.2 stars (4.2 stars)

Lists: indigorising (1), eromsted (2), leigonj (3), andomck (3), ppqq (3), mspixieears (3), CGlanovsky (3), balmerline (5), ahef1963 (6), roby72 (13), thecoroner (14) — 1 more, macha (16)

Thumbs down: 3709459s

Score: 31.97

4
The Metamorphosis
by Franz Kafka
7,578 members, 108 reviews
3.91 stars (3.91 stars)

Lists: kara.shamy (1), rplinke (1), andomck (2), ramsesiii (2), flisle (2), matthewmason (3), Dilara86 (3), CGlanovsky (4), 3709459s (17), ahef1963 (39)

Score: 30.57

5
Invisible Cities
by Italo Calvino
6,942 members, 148 reviews
4.16 stars (4.16 stars)

Lists: mspixieears (1), 3709459s (2), balmerline (3), merrystar (4), matthewmason (4), Dilara86 (4), CGlanovsky (5), roby72 (5), thecoroner (11), macha (14)

Score: 28.5

6
The Tin Drum
by Günter Grass
6,086 members, 75 reviews
3.98 stars (3.98 stars)

Lists: dzgilad (1), rplinke (2), ppqq (4), macha (4), Dilara86 (5), balmerline (6), CGlanovsky (7), roby72 (7), thecoroner (12), Tinuvia

Score: 28.15

7
Love in the Time of Cholera
by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
22,092 members, 321 reviews
3.96 stars (3.96 stars)

Lists: ErikaLH.LFL (2), eromsted (3), balmerline (4), merrystar (5), matthewmason (5), ahef1963 (7), 3709459s (13), macha (15), roby72 (20), Her_Royal_Orangeness (35)

Score: 24.72

8
The Unbearable Lightness of Being
by Milan Kundera
18,250 members, 214 reviews
4.02 stars (4.02 stars)

Lists: JadeSerena (1), ppqq (2), ramsesiii (3), rplinke (3), balmerline (7), mspixieears (8), thecoroner (10), roby72 (26), macha (29)

Score: 24.02

9
The Master and Margarita
by Mikhail Bulgakov
14,987 members, 365 reviews
4.25 stars (4.25 stars)

Lists: Karoboro (1), leigonj (1), thecoroner (3), roby72 (4), ramsesiii (5), balmerline (8), 3709459s (18), Tinuvia

Score: 23.69

10
Life of Pi
by Yann Martel
36,556 members, 898 reviews
3.92 stars (3.92 stars)

Lists: ppqq (1), kara.shamy (2), ErikaLH.LFL (3), 3709459s (5), KimarieBee (5), mspixieears (9), ahef1963 (10), roby72 (41)

Score: 21.89

11
Fictions
by Jorge Luis Borges
5,418 members, 81 reviews
4.39 stars (4.39 stars)

Lists: merrystar (1), vishbhavsar (2), roby72 (2), 3709459s (3), andomck (4), thecoroner (4), balmerline (9)

Score: 21.73

12
Kafka on the Shore
by Haruki Murakami
14,025 members, 374 reviews
4.08 stars (4.08 stars)

Lists: electrice (1), indigorising (2), eromsted (4), ppqq (6), CGlanovsky (8), mspixieears (11), 3709459s (15), roby72 (19)

Score: 21.27

13
Midnight's Children
by Salman Rushdie
11,184 members, 205 reviews
4.06 stars (4.06 stars)

Lists: CGlanovsky (2), ahef1963 (3), ppqq (5), thecoroner (5), roby72 (6), mspixieears (10), 3709459s (24)

Score: 18.37

14
Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World
by Haruki Murakami
7,769 members, 156 reviews
4.13 stars (4.13 stars)

Lists: electrice (2), indigorising (3), ramsesiii (4), CGlanovsky (17), macha (31), Tinuvia

Score: 15.73

15
The House of the Spirits
by Isabel Allende
11,056 members, 174 reviews
4.08 stars (4.08 stars)

Lists: roby72 (3), ErikaLH.LFL (4), merrystar (6), thecoroner (8), 3709459s (16), CGlanovsky (16)

Score: 14.8

16
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
by Patrick Süskind
14,515 members, 353 reviews
3.94 stars (3.94 stars)

Lists: KimarieBee (6), ppqq (7), balmerline (10), mspixieears (12), ahef1963 (14), 3709459s (25), roby72 (52)

Score: 14.76

17
The Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes
by Neil Gaiman
9,424 members, 187 reviews
4.21 stars (4.21 stars)

Lists: vishbhavsar (1), macha (2), hailelib (3), mspixieears (4), ahef1963 (70)

Score: 14.61

18
Steppenwolf
by Hermann Hesse
10,609 members, 138 reviews
4.02 stars (4.02 stars)

Lists: indigorising (4), leigonj (4), ppqq (11), mspixieears (15), balmerline (20), 3709459s (26), Tinuvia

Thumbs down: electrice

Score: 14.38

19
Our Ancestors
by Italo Calvino
738 members, 6 reviews
4.16 stars (4.16 stars)

Lists: thecoroner (6), CGlanovsky (6), balmerline (11), mspixieears (13), 3709459s (14), roby72 (22)

Score: 13.33

20
The Island of the Day Before
by Umberto Eco
5,823 members, 46 reviews
3.31 stars (3.31 stars)

Lists: indigorising (5), hailelib (6), merrystar (8), thecoroner (13), 3709459s (19), roby72 (42)

Score: 13.2

21
The Picture of Dorian Gray
by Oscar Wilde
28,390 members, 478 reviews
4 stars (4 stars)

Lists: kara.shamy (3), merrystar (12), ppqq (12), mspixieears (22), balmerline (23), ahef1963 (31)

Score: 12.71

22
1Q84
by Haruki Murakami
5,759 members, 250 reviews
3.84 stars (3.84 stars)

Lists: indigorising (6), ramsesiii (7), CGlanovsky (12), balmerline (13), roby72 (14)

Score: 11.34

23
The Trial
by Franz Kafka
15,558 members, 174 reviews
4.01 stars (4.01 stars)

Lists: dara85 (2), kara.shamy (4), ppqq (8), ramsesiii (8)

Score: 10.95

24
Neverwhere
by Neil Gaiman
20,839 members, 476 reviews
4.11 stars (4.11 stars)

Lists: merrystar (2), ppqq (9), balmerline (12), macha (13), ahef1963 (16)

Thumbs down: andomck

Score: 9.93

25
Anansi Boys
by Neil Gaiman
16,875 members, 394 reviews
3.93 stars (3.93 stars)

Lists: ahef1963 (12), ppqq (13), Dilara86 (14), balmerline (18), roby72 (45)

Score: 9.81

26
The Baron in the Trees
by Italo Calvino
3,454 members, 43 reviews
4.05 stars (4.05 stars)

Lists: ppqq (10), mspixieears (14), CGlanovsky (19), 3709459s (21), macha (35)

Score: 9.75

27
The Alchemist
by Paulo Coelho
28,795 members, 800 reviews
3.58 stars (3.58 stars)

Lists: merrystar (3), 3709459s (6), ahef1963 (9), thecoroner (16), roby72 (39)

Thumbs down: Tombleweed

Score: 9.51

28
Chronicle of a Death Foretold
by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
7,079 members, 119 reviews
3.9 stars (3.9 stars)

Lists: rplinke (4), ramsesiii (6), CGlanovsky (15), macha (30)

Score: 9.13

29
Wizard of the Pigeons
by Megan Lindholm
416 members, 22 reviews
3.68 stars (3.68 stars)

Lists: KimarieBee (1), indigorising (7), merrystar (9)

Score: 8.77

30
Pedro Páramo
by Juan Rulfo
2,053 members, 49 reviews
4 stars (4 stars)

Lists: thecoroner (7), roby72 (9), CGlanovsky (14), balmerline (21)

Score: 8.71

31
The Ocean at the End of the Lane
by Neil Gaiman
9,170 members, 703 reviews
4.08 stars (4.08 stars)

Lists: hailelib (1), Dilara86 (6), balmerline (14)

Score: 8.62

32
The Satanic Verses
by Salman Rushdie
9,445 members, 114 reviews
3.76 stars (3.76 stars)

Lists: ahef1963 (8), CGlanovsky (10), balmerline (15), roby72 (24)

Score: 8.47

33
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
by Michael Chabon
15,982 members, 338 reviews
4.23 stars (4.23 stars)

Lists: ahef1963 (2), aulsmith (4), indigorising (8), balmerline (22)

Thumbs down: homeless

Score: 8.42

34
Collected Fictions
by Jorge Luis Borges
3,995 members, 47 reviews
4.61 stars (4.61 stars)

Lists: 3709459s (4), balmerline (16), CGlanovsky (20), macha (34)

Score: 8.38

35
Sophie's World
by Jostein Gaarder
14,905 members, 224 reviews
3.77 stars (3.77 stars)

Lists: mspixieears (6), indigorising (9), 3709459s (22), ahef1963 (62)

Score: 8.14

36
The Famished Road
by Ben Okri
1,825 members, 34 reviews
3.64 stars (3.64 stars)

Lists: Dilara86 (1), CGlanovsky (11), 3709459s (20)

Score: 8.09

37
Blindness
by José Saramago
10,043 members, 322 reviews
4.09 stars (4.09 stars)

Lists: 3709459s (8), balmerline (17), ahef1963 (18), CGlanovsky (28)

Score: 8.03

38
Sputnik Sweetheart
by Haruki Murakami
5,483 members, 107 reviews
3.74 stars (3.74 stars)

Lists: andomck (5), ppqq (16), CGlanovsky (23), roby72 (54)

Score: 7.98

39
The Time Traveler's Wife
by Audrey Niffenegger
34,331 members, 1,154 reviews
4.11 stars (4.11 stars)

Lists: KimarieBee (9), ahef1963 (13), thecoroner (15), roby72 (47)

Score: 7.98

40
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass
by Lewis Carroll
18,488 members, 252 reviews
4.13 stars (4.13 stars)

Lists: kara.shamy (5), ppqq (14), mspixieears (21), ahef1963 (78)

Score: 7.96

41
The Enchantress of Florence
by Salman Rushdie
2,846 members, 123 reviews
3.6 stars (3.6 stars)

Lists: electrice (3), eromsted (6), indigorising (10)

Score: 7.84

43
The Sandman: Dream Country
by Neil Gaiman
5,892 members, 71 reviews
4.25 stars (4.25 stars)

Lists: hailelib (2), macha (3), ahef1963 (85)

Score: 7.72

44
Slaughterhouse-Five
by Kurt Vonnegut
34,940 members, 540 reviews
4.11 stars (4.11 stars)

Lists: andomck (6), mspixieears (23), ppqq (28), ahef1963 (44)

Score: 7.67

45
Song of Solomon
by Toni Morrison
8,046 members, 85 reviews
4.01 stars (4.01 stars)

Lists: eromsted (5), kara.shamy (6), ErikaLH.LFL (6), roby72 (29)

Thumbs down: 3709459s

Score: 7.51

46
Beloved
by Toni Morrison
16,983 members, 308 reviews
3.88 stars (3.88 stars)

Lists: ErikaLH.LFL (5), ahef1963 (5), roby72 (12), balmerline (19)

Thumbs down: 3709459s

Score: 7.42

47
The Night Circus
by Erin Morgenstern
11,069 members, 994 reviews
4.08 stars (4.08 stars)

Lists: KimarieBee (4), Her_Royal_Orangeness (8), 3709459s (12)

Score: 7.36

49
Reservation Blues
by Sherman Alexie
1,763 members, 25 reviews
3.92 stars (3.92 stars)

Lists: hailelib (4), indigorising (12), ahef1963 (24)

Score: 6.79

50
Orlando
by Virginia Woolf
7,805 members, 133 reviews
3.89 stars (3.89 stars)

Lists: macha (7), aulsmith (10), mspixieears (16)

Score: 6.71

51
Cosmicomics
by Italo Calvino
2,622 members, 37 reviews
4.09 stars (4.09 stars)

Lists: andomck (8), macha (12), indigorising (13)

Score: 6.63

52
Eva Luna
by Isabel Allende
3,824 members, 44 reviews
3.78 stars (3.78 stars)

Lists: merrystar (7), 3709459s (10), roby72 (25)

Score: 6.5

53
The Crying of Lot 49
by Thomas Pynchon
8,910 members, 153 reviews
3.72 stars (3.72 stars)

Lists: mspixieears (5), andomck (7), macha (78)

Score: 6.48

54
Dandelion Wine
by Ray Bradbury
5,793 members, 148 reviews
4.06 stars (4.06 stars)

Lists: hailelib (5), merrystar (13), macha (37)

Score: 6.4

55
Labyrinths
by Jorge Luis Borges
5,376 members, 64 reviews
4.44 stars (4.44 stars)

Lists: kara.shamy (8), indigorising (14), macha (32)

Score: 6.13

56
The Book Thief
by Markus Zusak
32,520 members, 1,849 reviews
4.37 stars (4.37 stars)

Lists: dara85 (11), KimarieBee (11), ahef1963 (30)

Score: 6.1

57
The Double
by José Saramago
1,848 members, 48 reviews
3.81 stars (3.81 stars)

Lists: 3709459s (7), CGlanovsky (18), ahef1963 (32)

Score: 6.08

58
Winter's Tale
by Mark Helprin
3,932 members, 123 reviews
4.04 stars (4.04 stars)

Lists: Her_Royal_Orangeness (12), ppqq (15), roby72 (36)

Score: 5.82

59
Fifth Business
by Robertson Davies
2,679 members, 71 reviews
4.16 stars (4.16 stars)

Lists: kara.shamy (7), macha (26), ahef1963 (59)

Score: 5.67

60
House of Leaves
by Mark Z. Danielewski
10,895 members, 287 reviews
4.12 stars (4.12 stars)

Lists: indigorising (15), ppqq (24), ahef1963 (37)

Score: 5.46

61
Blow Up
by Julio Cortázar
374 members, 5 reviews
3.97 stars (3.97 stars)

Lists: thecoroner (17), macha (21), roby72 (40)

Score: 5.43

62
Palimpsest
by Catherynne M. Valente
1,036 members, 58 reviews
3.82 stars (3.82 stars)

Lists: Her_Royal_Orangeness (14), 3709459s (23), macha (71)

Score: 5.27

63
The Hundred Secret Senses
by Amy Tan
4,891 members, 54 reviews
3.8 stars (3.8 stars)

Lists: ppqq (17), macha (24), ahef1963 (66)

Score: 5.18

64
The Name of the Rose
by Umberto Eco
15,506 members, 241 reviews
4.2 stars (4.2 stars)

Lists: merrystar (15), ppqq (27), macha (77)

Score: 5.14

65
The Witches of Eastwick
by John Updike
2,588 members, 35 reviews
3.31 stars (3.31 stars)

Lists: electrice (4), Dilara86 (11)

Score: 5.03

66
Troll: A Love Story
by Johanna Sinisalo
854 members, 30 reviews
3.7 stars (3.7 stars)

Lists: aulsmith (5), Dilara86 (9)

Score: 4.98

67
The Lovely Bones
by Alice Sebold
30,592 members, 871 reviews
3.71 stars (3.71 stars)

Lists: dara85 (5), hailelib (7), ahef1963 (22)

Thumbs down: 3709459s

Score: 4.98

68
After Dark
by Haruki Murakami
5,435 members, 187 reviews
3.62 stars (3.62 stars)

Lists: leigonj (5), CGlanovsky (13)

Score: 4.78

69
The President
by Miguel Ángel Asturias
643 members, 12 reviews
4.08 stars (4.08 stars)

Lists: roby72 (8), thecoroner (9)

Score: 4.69

70
Garden Spells
by Sarah Addison Allen
4,111 members, 335 reviews
4.02 stars (4.02 stars)

Lists: dara85 (3), roby72 (35)

Score: 4.68

71
Weetzie Bat
by Francesca Lia Block
1,566 members, 161 reviews
3.6 stars (3.6 stars)

Lists: aulsmith (7), macha (11)

Score: 4.66

72
The Sugar Queen
by Sarah Addison Allen
2,497 members, 201 reviews
3.97 stars (3.97 stars)

Lists: KimarieBee (3), roby72 (46)

Score: 4.58

73
The River King
by Alice Hoffman
1,459 members, 33 reviews
3.64 stars (3.64 stars)

Lists: dara85 (4), Her_Royal_Orangeness (31)

Score: 4.52

74
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
by Junot Diaz
10,463 members, 407 reviews
3.86 stars (3.86 stars)

Lists: andomck (9), ahef1963 (21)

Score: 4.18

75
Little, Big
by John Crowley
3,411 members, 95 reviews
4.08 stars (4.08 stars)

Lists: electrice (5), roby72 (53)

Score: 4.16

76
The Elephant Vanishes
by Haruki Murakami
3,892 members, 58 reviews
3.85 stars (3.85 stars)

Lists: andomck (10), CGlanovsky (21)

Score: 4.12

77
The Wood Wife
by Terri Windling
859 members, 36 reviews
4.22 stars (4.22 stars)

Lists: merrystar (14), macha (18)

Score: 4.01

78
Before I Fall
by Lauren Oliver
3,576 members, 361 reviews
3.95 stars (3.95 stars)

Lists: dara85 (1)

Score: 4

79
The Snow Child: A Novel
by Eowyn Ivey
3,095 members, 257 reviews
3.99 stars (3.99 stars)

Lists: Her_Royal_Orangeness (1)

Score: 4

80
Air: Or, Have Not Have
by Geoff Ryman
762 members, 28 reviews
3.69 stars (3.69 stars)

Lists: aulsmith (1)

Score: 4

81
Memories of a Butterfly
by Ivan Vlasov
7 members, 2 reviews
3.67 stars (3.67 stars)

Lists: exvano (1)

Score: 4

82
The Wishmaker
by C. E. Turner
1 member, 0 reviews

Lists: Oneeyedseaeagle (1)

Score: 4

83
The Green Mile
by Stephen King
9,218 members, 131 reviews
4.24 stars (4.24 stars)

Lists: dara85 (6), ahef1963 (65)

Score: 3.97

84
The God of Small Things
by Arundhati Roy
15,813 members, 289 reviews
3.89 stars (3.89 stars)

Lists: kara.shamy (9), roby72 (38)

Score: 3.92

85
A Wild Sheep Chase
by Haruki Murakami
6,368 members, 115 reviews
3.91 stars (3.91 stars)

Lists: ppqq (18), mspixieears (19)

Score: 3.86

86
Coraline
by Neil Gaiman
15,328 members, 577 reviews
4 stars (4 stars)

Lists: macha (19), ahef1963 (19)

Score: 3.83

87
The Five People You Meet in Heaven
by Mitch Albom
15,079 members, 366 reviews
3.68 stars (3.68 stars)

Lists: dara85 (7), ahef1963 (79)

Score: 3.8

88
The Metamorphosis (Bantam Classics)
by Franz Kafka
4,788 members, 67 reviews
3.8 stars (3.8 stars)

Lists: andomck (11), ahef1963 (40)

Score: 3.79

89
Shame
by Salman Rushdie
2,018 members, 14 reviews
3.71 stars (3.71 stars)

Lists: mspixieears (17), CGlanovsky (24)

Score: 3.78

90
Everything Is Illuminated
by Jonathan Safran Foer
12,479 members, 224 reviews
3.87 stars (3.87 stars)

Lists: ahef1963 (11), roby72 (44)

Score: 3.75

91
Smoke and Mirrors: Short Fictions and Illusions
by Neil Gaiman
8,616 members, 111 reviews
3.99 stars (3.99 stars)

Lists: ppqq (19), ahef1963 (23)

Score: 3.74

92
The Complete Stories
by Franz Kafka
4,772 members, 27 reviews
4.31 stars (4.31 stars)

Lists: andomck (12), macha (59)

Score: 3.59

93
Dangerous Angels
by Francesca Lia Block
1,692 members, 39 reviews
4.24 stars (4.24 stars)

Lists: macha (20), roby72 (37)

Score: 3.51

94
Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator
by Roald Dahl
7,132 members, 61 reviews
3.57 stars (3.57 stars)

Lists: ppqq (22), ahef1963 (34)

Score: 3.5

95
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
by Roald Dahl
17,269 members, 358 reviews
4.1 stars (4.1 stars)

Lists: ahef1963 (26), ppqq (33)

Score: 3.44

96
I Am the Messenger
by Markus Zusak
5,048 members, 296 reviews
4.05 stars (4.05 stars)

Lists: KimarieBee (12), ahef1963 (95)

Score: 3.43

97
The Ice Queen
by Alice Hoffman
1,935 members, 78 reviews
3.47 stars (3.47 stars)

Lists: roby72 (28), Her_Royal_Orangeness (33)

Score: 3.41

98
The Stolen Child
by Keith Donohue
2,276 members, 125 reviews
3.76 stars (3.76 stars)

Lists: KimarieBee (2)

Score: 3.36

99
The Golem
by Gustav Meyrink
1,359 members, 34 reviews
3.8 stars (3.8 stars)

Lists: leigonj (2)

Score: 3.36

100
Lust
by Geoff Ryman
195 members, 8 reviews
3.76 stars (3.76 stars)

Lists: aulsmith (2)

Score: 3.36

All members' list: [1] 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11Sort: Score | Title | Author | Date

About this list

Started by: roby72 (October 2013)

Type: Numbered and unnumbered

Related tags

adventure (9,857) children (8,341) children's (16,036) children's literature (8,093) fantasy (140,330) fiction (268,601) Harry Potter (26,100) historical fiction (11,172) horror (7,606) humor (7,326) literature (15,235) magic (26,842) Magic Tree House (8,448) magical realism (13,600) mystery (12,356) novel (29,545) read (26,396) science fiction (12,167) series (13,871) short stories (12,432) to-read (71,706) vampires (8,774) wizards (8,845) YA (13,607) young adult (24,021)