BookRank

Best Contemporary fiction books

The 55 highest-rated Contemporary fiction books, scored from 43.5K reader ratings.

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55 results
By year of first publication, 1811–2026. The busiest stretch is 2000–2019, with 21. Select a bar to narrow the list.
  1. Demon Copperhead
    1
    8.88.8 / 10
    Demon CopperheadBarbara Kingsolver875 ratingsThis was an excellent read, but gosh it was so heartbreaking and depressing at times! It was so tough to read at times that I honestly felt like…aminakara on Hardcover
  2. Stoner
    2
    8.68.6 / 10
    StonerJohn Edward Williams944 ratingsA masterpiece of quiet introspection, "Stoner" is John William's magnum opus, and nothing short of a literary triumph. Williams' prose is beautifully…Expiredcoookies on Hardcover
  3. Shuggie Bain
    3
    8.58.5 / 10
    Shuggie BainDouglas Stuart289 ratingsThrowing in the towel. It's not poorly written or offensive, but it is tedious. Poverty and alcoholism suck, yes. Yes, it is difficult being gay…Warzala on Hardcover

Why Demon Copperhead is #1

Demon Copperhead (Barbara Kingsolver) scores 8.8/10 from 875 ratings — 0.2 points ahead of Stoner in second place.

The score is a weighted average across 3 independent rating sources. A title with few ratings is pulled toward the category average, so a handful of enthusiastic reviews cannot outrank a book that thousands of readers have judged. Method →

  1. The Color Purple
    The Color PurpleAlice Walker · 1982873 ratings
    8.58.5 / 10
  2. Young Mungo
    Young MungoDouglas Stuart · 2022203 ratings
    8.58.5 / 10
  3. Anne of Green Gables
    Anne of Green GablesLucy Maud Montgomery · 19081.2K ratings
    8.48.4 / 10
  4. Middlemarch
    MiddlemarchGeorge Eliot · 1871Filmed 1994268 ratings
    8.38.3 / 10
  5. To Kill a Mockingbird
    To Kill a MockingbirdAaron Sorkin · 19605.8K ratings
    8.38.3 / 10
  6. Pride and Prejudice
    Pride and PrejudiceJane Austen · 1813Filmed 20054.4K ratings
    8.38.3 / 10
  7. The Great Alone
    The Great AloneKristin Hannah · 2018NYT bestseller524 ratings
    8.38.3 / 10
  8. The Vegetarian
    The VegetarianHan Kang · 200752 ratings
    8.28.2 / 10
  9. A Fine Balance
    A Fine BalanceRohinton Mistry · 1995173 ratings
    8.28.2 / 10
  10. Remarkably Bright Creatures
    Remarkably Bright CreaturesShelby Van PeltNYT bestseller1.1K ratings
    8.28.2 / 10
  11. Middlesex
    MiddlesexJeffrey Kent Eugenides · 2002628 ratings
    8.28.2 / 10
  12. Big Little Lies
    Big Little LiesLiane Moriarty · 2014NYT bestseller712 ratings
    8.28.2 / 10
  13. The Perks of Being a Wallflower
    The Perks of Being a WallflowerStephen Chbosky · 19992.5K ratings
    8.28.2 / 10
  14. The Power of One
    The Power of OneBryce Courtenay · 1989114 ratings
    8.28.2 / 10
  15. A Little Life
    A Little LifeHanya Yanagihara · 2015NYT bestseller1.3K ratings
    8.18.1 / 10
  16. Where the Crawdads Sing
    Where the Crawdads SingDelia Owens · 2018NYT bestseller1.8K ratings
    8.18.1 / 10
  17. Angle of Repose
    Angle of ReposeWallace Stegner · 197161 ratings
    8.18.1 / 10
  18. Three Days in June
    Three Days in JuneAnne Tyler · 2025NYT bestseller53 ratings
    8.18.1 / 10
  19. The Goldfinch
    The GoldfinchDonna Tartt · 2013NYT bestseller1.2K ratings
    8.18.1 / 10
  20. Wild Dark Shore
    Wild Dark ShoreCharlotte McConaghy · 2025368 ratings
    8.18.1 / 10
  21. The Midnight Train
    The Midnight TrainMatt Haig · 2026NewNYT bestseller52 ratings
    8.08.0 / 10
  22. Native Son
    Native SonRichard Wright · 1940158 ratings
    8.08.0 / 10
  23. Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe
    Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop CafeFannie Flagg · 1987282 ratings
    8.08.0 / 10
  24. Siddhartha
    SiddharthaHermann Hesse · 1922Filmed 19721.7K ratings
    8.08.0 / 10
  25. A River Runs Through It
    A River Runs Through ItNorman Maclean · 197658 ratings
    8.08.0 / 10
  26. The Blind Assassin
    The Blind AssassinMargaret Atwood · 2000285 ratings
    8.08.0 / 10
  27. Little Women
    Little WomenLouisa May Alcott · 1868Filmed 20191.7K ratings
    7.97.9 / 10
  28. Call Me By Your Name
    Call Me By Your NameAndré Aciman · 2007876 ratings
    7.97.9 / 10
  29. The Outsiders
    The OutsidersS. E. Hinton · 19671.6K ratings
    7.97.9 / 10
  30. Little Fires Everywhere
    Little Fires EverywhereCeleste Ng · 2017NYT bestseller1.2K ratings
    7.97.9 / 10
  31. The Line of Beauty
    The Line of BeautyAlan Hollinghurst · 200475 ratings
    7.97.9 / 10
  32. Ulysses
    UlyssesJames Joyce · 1922Filmed 1967308 ratings
    7.97.9 / 10
  33. Atonement
    AtonementIan McEwan · 2001Filmed 2007607 ratings
    7.87.8 / 10
  34. The Corrections
    The CorrectionsJonathan Franzen · 2001384 ratings
    7.87.8 / 10
  35. Everything Is Illuminated
    Everything Is IlluminatedJonathan Safran Foer · 2002303 ratings
    7.87.8 / 10
  36. The God of Small Things
    The God of Small ThingsArundhati Roy · 1997508 ratings
    7.87.8 / 10
  37. To the Lighthouse
    To the LighthouseVirginia Woolf · 1927409 ratings
    7.87.8 / 10
  38. The Secret Life of Bees
    The Secret Life of BeesSue Monk Kidd · 2002610 ratings
    7.87.8 / 10
  39. As I Lay Dying
    As I Lay DyingWilliam Faulkner · 1930360 ratings
    7.77.7 / 10
  40. Sense and Sensibility
    Sense and SensibilityJane Austen · 1811Filmed 19951.1K ratings
    7.77.7 / 10
  41. White Teeth
    White TeethZadie Smith · 2001323 ratings
    7.77.7 / 10
  42. Oliver Twist
    Oliver TwistCharles Dickens · 1838Filmed 1988606 ratings
    7.67.6 / 10
  43. The Sound and the Fury
    The Sound and the FuryWilliam Faulkner · 1929348 ratings
    7.67.6 / 10
  44. Bel-Ami
    Bel-AmiGuy de Maupassant · 1885100 ratings
    7.57.5 / 10
  45. Convenience Store Woman
    Convenience Store WomanSayaka Murata · 20161.1K ratings
    7.57.5 / 10
  46. The House on Mango Street
    The House on Mango StreetSandra Cisneros · 1984373 ratings
    7.57.5 / 10
  47. The Best of Me
    The Best of MeNicholas Sparks · 2011NYT bestseller83 ratings
    7.57.5 / 10
  48. My Year of Rest and Relaxation
    My Year of Rest and RelaxationOttessa Moshfegh · 2018863 ratings
    7.47.4 / 10
  49. Seeds of Yesterday
    Seeds of YesterdayV. C. Andrews · 198454 ratings
    7.47.4 / 10
  50. Lunar Park
    Lunar ParkBret Easton Ellis · 200592 ratings
    7.27.2 / 10
  51. Half His AgeJennette McCurdy
    Half His AgeJennette McCurdy · 2026NYT bestseller169 ratings
    7.27.2 / 10
  52. The Lovely Bones
    The Lovely BonesAlice Sebold · 20031.3K ratings
    7.27.2 / 10

Frequently asked questions

What is the best Contemporary fiction book?

Demon Copperhead (Barbara Kingsolver) — 8.8/10 from 875 ratings, in the snapshot of September 21, 2026.

How many Contemporary fiction books are ranked here?

55, published between 1811 and 2026, scored from 43.5K reader ratings in total.

Which title here has the most ratings?

To Kill a Mockingbird (Aaron Sorkin) — 5.8K ratings and 8.3/10, which puts it at #8 on this list.

How is the score calculated?

A raw average rewards obscurity: five readers who loved a book would outrank a classic held by a hundred thousand. We use a Bayesian weighted average that pulls every title toward the category mean until enough readers have voted.

How often it updates

Ratings are re-fetched every 3 months and stored as a dated snapshot, which is how the trend arrows and “biggest risers” are calculated.