Readers have been writing in to challenge the recent top 100 novels list published by the Guardian, offering critiques and suggestions.
Debating the Definition of a Trilogy
Alex Clark noted that The Lord of the Rings “is, strictly speaking, a trilogy” (Move over Middlemarch! Readers’ top 100 novels, 6 June). However, Prof Chris Walsh of Hawarden, Flintshire, argues that it is not a trilogy but a single work of fiction originally published in three volumes for practical reasons. None of the three volumes can stand alone. He contrasts it with David Lodge’s campus trilogy—Changing Places, Small World, and Nice Work—which is a proper trilogy.
Defending Bleak House
Noel Kavanagh from Cambridge urges critics to read Bleak House in full before condemning it as miserable. He highlights the death of Mr. Krook by spontaneous human combustion as one of the darkest, funniest scenes in 19th-century literature, ending with a fitting warning from Dickens about corrupt administrations.
Celebrating Larry McMurtry
Sue Jackson of Neston, Cheshire, was delighted to see Larry McMurtry’s Lonesome Dove at No. 52 on the readers’ list. She first encountered the story on TV and was compelled to read the book, describing it as an epic as wild and sprawling as the West itself. She notes McMurtry is underestimated outside the US but shows compassion for human frailty equal to Dickens.
Missing Treasure Island
Dan Thisdell from Egham, Surrey, questions the absence of Treasure Island from the list. He suggests that many writers and readers owe their love of literature to Robert Louis Stevenson.
Lack of Diversity
Laura Orchard of Yarnton, Oxfordshire, observes that the list feels like a throwback to the 1930s, with only 26 books by women and no authors from Africa.
Suggestions for Future Lists
Gaverne Bennett from Walthamstow, London, asks whether the Guardian has considered compiling top 100 books for teenagers and younger children, noting that the National Year of Reading 2026 focuses on such audiences.
Readers are invited to share their opinions via email for potential publication in the letters section.
