There’s something artificial about any numbered list of “bests.” Criteria are fluid and subjective. You can cheat by allowing for “ties” and end up with more than the stated number. Or heck just make it the “50 best” say, rather than the 10 best or whatever. My own list of 10 all time favorite novels is constantly changing. I add new ones as I read them. I remember ones from the past that need to be included. But, for what it’s worth, here’s the list as it stands right now, in NO particular order.
Flowers for Algernon, Daniel Keys
Night Flight, Antoine de St. Exupéry
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Betty Smith
The Color Purple, Alice Walker
The Age of Innocence, Edith Wharton
The Circle, Dave Eggers
The Wall, John Hersey
The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck
Père Goriot, Honoré de Balzac
Cry, the Beloved Country, Alan Paton
Lida Bushloper 