The best novels in English: readers' alternative list

After Robert McCrum finished his two-year-long project compiling the best novels written in English, you had a lot to add. Here are the 15 books that received most votes to join the list

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Which are the 100 best novels ever written in the English language? No list could possibly satisfy everyone, as is always the case with listicles. When writer Robert McCrum completed his own, after developing it over the course of two years, it was greeted with a mix of enthusiasm and criticism. Most of the scepticism centred on the lack of diversity, though many readers had their own favourite omission. So we asked you to nominate the books you thought should have made the list. Here are the novels that received the most nominations, in no particular order – we have included all that received a minimum of two votes.

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