Vote for MobileRead's best fiction book of 1931-1940

[pdurrant]

This is the fourth voting thread for choosing MobileRead's ten best fiction books of the 20th Century. This thread covers 1931-1940.

VOTING IS NOW OPEN! Voting totals will be hidden until the poll ends (so that no-one is influenced by previously recorded votes), and voting will be anonymous.

You are, of course, welcome to make your choice known in the discussion thread associated with this poll.

The nominations and nominators are:

1. 1931 The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck (1892-1973) (obs20)
2. 1931 Schloß Gripsholm [English: Castle Gripsholm] by Kurt Tucholsky (1890-1935) (knuthmeyer)
3. 1931 The Waves by Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) (pynch)
4. 1932 Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) (treadlightly)
5. 1932 Sunset Song by Lewis Grassic Gibbon (James Leslie Mitchell) (1901-1935) (missimpossible)
6. 1933 Blinky Bill by Dorothy Wall (1894-1942) (Lynx-lynx)
7. 1933 Lost Horizon by James Hilton (1900-1954) (crich70)
8. 1934 Good-bye, Mr. Chips by James Hilton (1900-1954) (pdurrant)
9. 1934 The Postman Always Rings Twice by James Mallahan Cain (1892-1977) (GA Russell)
10. 1934 The Nine Tailors by Dorothy Leigh Sayers (1893-1957) (disconnected)
11. 1935 Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa (1892-1962) (Katsunami)
12. 1935 Odd John by Olaf Stapledon (1886-1950) (Ralph Sir Edward)
13. 1936 At the Mountains of Madness by Howard Phillips Lovecraft (1890-1937) (EndlessWaves)
14. 1936 Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell (1900-1949) (Catlady)
15. 1937 Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (1902-1968) (spellbanisher)
16. 1937 The Hobbit by John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (1892-1973) (HomeInMyShoes)
17. 1938 La Nausée [English: Nausea] by Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980) (GeoffR)
18. 1939 And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie (1890-1976) (sun surfer)
19. 1939 The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler (1888-1959) (Rizla)
20. 1939 The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (1902-1968) (Bilbo1967)
21. 1940 The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene (1904-1991) (issybird)

Most of these books are still in copyright. Those whose author died before 1945 are in the EU public domain.

It is, perhaps, worth noting that if EU copyright was at the life+50 years of the Berne Convention, only 8 of these novels would still be in copyrights. As it is, only 4 of them are out of copyright!

Nominators should now post about their nominated book, and everyone is welcome to discuss the relative merits of the nominations

[EndlessWaves]

At the Mountains of Madness is not HP Lovecraft's best work but it is, perhaps, his most interesting. Although he excelled at short horror stories, most of his attempts to write a more detailed world ended up a long way away from reality.

At the Mountains of Madness is different. It manages to hold on to that thread of reality and plausibility. We know the deep ocean holds secrets and undiscovered species, we know there are discoveries to be made under the Antarctic ice. Could these events happen? It seems unlikely, but many of the things that were discovered had been thought unlikey.

[Rizla]

I've tried with Lovecraft, but I don't get it. His mythologies just seem silly to me. I don't find it scary. Maybe I should try again. But IMO it doesn't hold a candle to Hodgson for scariness or vision.

[Rizla]

The Long Goodbye is Chandler's opus. The other great one is The Big Sleep. Chandler was a funny man. I recommend hes collected letters. He had zero interest in plot and it shows. Talk about circuitous. But it doesn't matter. His prose is beautiful and his characterization is brilliant. In his letters, he says that he wrote scenes within a very rough outline, chucked out what lacked legs, and kept the rest. That was the novel. So he only kept what prose that came alive. Also he never wrote after dark because the results were execrable. He was a big drinker, so presumably he was a bit doused by sundown.

His books star Philip Marlowe and he mastered the art of the hard-boiled moral detective in a dirty world. A cliche now, it was innovation when he wrote, and it is not a cliche when he writes. Marlowe is alive and unflinching. Chandler said his main character was not from imagination. He had met Marlowe many times, and that he was always poor, and he always will be, presumably because he is incorruptible.

[Greg Anos]

On the opposite side of the SF/Fantasy coin is Odd John.

A parable about being a supermind. Definitely worth a read.

[AnotherCat]

Originally Posted by Ralph Sir Edward

On the opposite side of the SF/Fantasy coin is Odd John.

A parable about being a supermind. Definitely worth a read.

Have to confess I had never heard of it . Have got myself a copy now and it looks interesting, so is added close to the top of my to read list. Thanks.

[caleb72]

There are a few great books on this list, but I was completely blown away by Grapes of Wrath.

I think what I love about this book is that Steinbeck presents a hopeless situation in such a dark time of poverty, but treats those who are crushed by it with such a tender dignity and respect. He takes a group of people who have been dehumanised by circumstance and greed and honours them - elevates them.

The story is dark in so many ways, but there is also something beautiful and joyful about the family portrayed even through its trials. I think this is most evident in Rose of Sharon's scene at the end of the novel; that even through her darkest moment, there is personal redemption.

It's seldom that I read a book that affects me the way that Grapes of Wrath has affected me and I would humbly submit it as a strong candidate for the best novel released in this decade.

[crich70]

When will the poll be open? I've only ever seen it as closed. edit: Never mind I just saw the note about June 27th (today). I'll check back later.

[pdurrant]

Voting is now open!

[Apache]

There are so many good ones.
Apache

[crich70]

Originally Posted by Apache

There are so many good ones.
Apache

Yep. I went with "Lost Horizon" as it's an old favorite of mine.

[gmw]

I voted for what would have been my nomination if Sun Surfer hadn't gotten in first: And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie (also known as Ten Little Niggers, Ten Little Indians or Ten Little Soldiers).

I still think this is one of her best works and one of the best of the genre. A true classic that has stood up well over time (even with the various PC changes that were forced on it). I find most Agatha Christie books fun to re-read even when you already know the outcome, but this one always stands out.

Lots of other worthy choices in the nominations, though I never really considered The Hobbit as a real favourite - I do re-read it fairly often (forcing my way through the first quarter of the book) but only as a prelude to The Lord of the Rings.

[Apache]

I finally chose Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa.
Apache

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by Apache

I finally chose Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa.
Apache

Excellent choice.

[AnotherCat]

Originally Posted by Apache

I finally chose Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa.
Apache

Not necessarily going to be my voting choice but it is another that I have browsed, on the basis of it having been nominated, and considered it to be an important read. So now have the book; kinda long I see, but I intend fitting it into my reading time sometime soon.