Can that really be the 21 best loved books in Britain?

Since they have a rule that no author can be represented twice in the top 21, obviously this list is not entirely truthful. Surely, there would be at least a couple more Harry Potters in there?! Anyway, this is after all a poll for the best loved titles, not the best, and so the scope of the excercise changes and the winner will surely be on par with Robbie Williams being voted the best singer/musician/whatever of the millenium. Which is just rubbish.

I mean, Captain Corelli's Mandolin?

So I have decided to forget about reason and Britain and the communal best-loved tag and have voted for my favorite in this sea of (mainly) entertaining, but mediocre blah, Catch-22, which I think is a fantastic, intelligent, poignant tale of human suffering the need to question status quo. I did consider The Catcher in the Rye, which is also wonderful, Winnie-the-Pooh, which is unfortunately marred by the publishing of Benjamin Hoff's double whammy of existential, philosophical bestsellers, that is actually a behavioural conduct code, Great Expectations, if nothing else because of Ms Haversham's barmy old maid and To Kill A Mocking Bird because it has a certain significance, but out of these 21, my best loved book, is Catch-22.
posted by charlotte at 12:10 - comment