20150223 - best novels

These are the best novels of the past 20 years, according to the experts




From the winners of the biggest literary prizes to acclaimed books that somehow missed out, a panel of literary experts have compiled what they believe should be the definitive list of the best books of the past two decades – topped by Wolf Hall, a novel that “transformed the literary landscape”.

Marking the 20th anniversary of the Independent Bath Literature Festival the project was led by its artistic director, Viv Groskop.
“I wanted to celebrate books readers have loved and to pinpoint the novels that, with hindsight, transformed the literary landscape,” Ms Groskop said. “Wolf Hall has done that with bells on.”
Here are the panel’s picks:

1995 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin by Louis de Bernieres

1996 Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood

1997 American Pastoral by Philip Roth

1998 England, England by Julian Barnes

1999 Disgrace by JM Coetzee

2000 White Teeth by Zadie Smith

2001 Atonement by Ian McEwan

2002 Any Human Heart by William Boyd

2003 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon

2004 Small Island by Andrea Levy

2005 We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver

2006 The Road by Cormac McCarthy

2007 Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

2008 The Outcast by Sadie Jones

2009 The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters

2010 Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

2011 A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan

2012 State of Wonder by Ann Patchett

2013 Life After Life by Kate Atkinson

2014 The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt