National Book Award Fiction Winners and Finalists 1974-89

1.
The Hotel New Hampshire
The Hotel New Hampshire 3.93 avg rating — 67,958 ratings
2.
The Color Purple
The Color Purple 4.27 avg rating — 737,273 ratings
3.
Beloved (Beloved Trilogy, #1)
Beloved (Beloved Trilogy, #1) 3.97 avg rating — 477,022 ratings
4.
Nickel Mountain
Nickel Mountain 3.72 avg rating — 1,057 ratings
5.
Sula
Sula 4.05 avg rating — 117,037 ratings
6.
Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?
Will You Please Be Quiet, Please? 4.19 avg rating — 19,022 ratings
7.
Sophie’s Choice
Sophie’s Choice 4.17 avg rating — 93,613 ratings
8.
The Ghost Writer
The Ghost Writer 3.81 avg rating — 13,595 ratings
9.
The World According to Garp
The World According to Garp 4.11 avg rating — 235,976 ratings
10.
Rabbit Is Rich (Rabbit Angstrom, #3)
Rabbit Is Rich (Rabbit Angstrom, #3) 3.93 avg rating — 17,703 ratings
11.
Shiloh and Other Stories
Shiloh and Other Stories 3.91 avg rating — 1,401 ratings
12.
Victory Over Japan: A Book of Stories
Victory Over Japan: A Book of Stories 4.10 avg rating — 2,226 ratings
13.
Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant
Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant 3.80 avg rating — 33,717 ratings
14.
White Noise
White Noise 3.86 avg rating — 123,859 ratings
15.
That Night
That Night 3.63 avg rating — 1,986 ratings
16.
Breathing Lessons
Breathing Lessons 3.66 avg rating — 32,324 ratings
17.
Gravity’s Rainbow
Gravity’s Rainbow 4.01 avg rating — 46,900 ratings
18.
A Crown of Feathers: Stories
A Crown of Feathers: Stories 4.12 avg rating — 648 ratings
18.
The Joy Luck Club
The Joy Luck Club
by: Amy Tan
3.97 avg rating — 703,437 ratings
20.
Beasts of the Southern Wild and Other Stories
Beasts of the Southern Wild and Other Stories 3.91 avg rating — 253 ratings
21.
The World of Apples
The World of Apples 3.79 avg rating — 341 ratings
22.
Apostles of Light (Banner Books)
Apostles of Light (Banner Books) 3.96 avg rating — 26 ratings
23.
Searches and Seizures
Searches and Seizures 4.05 avg rating — 152 ratings
24.
Black Conceit
Black Conceit did not like it 1.00 avg rating — 1 rating
25.
Ninety-two in the Shade
Ninety-two in the Shade 3.73 avg rating — 1,864 ratings
26.
People Will Always Be Kind
People Will Always Be Kind 3.33 avg rating — 15 ratings
27.
Burr
Burr 4.09 avg rating — 10,488 ratings
28.
State of Grace
State of Grace 4.12 avg rating — 708 ratings
29.
Dog Soldiers
Dog Soldiers 3.70 avg rating — 7,339 ratings
30.
The Hair of Harold Roux
The Hair of Harold Roux 3.67 avg rating — 459 ratings
31.
Guilty Pleasures
Guilty Pleasures 3.89 avg rating — 129 ratings
32.
The Odd Woman
The Odd Woman 3.49 avg rating — 425 ratings
33.
Something Happened
Something Happened 3.54 avg rating — 8,465 ratings
34.
Look at the Harlequins!
Look at the Harlequins! 3.74 avg rating — 1,701 ratings
35.
Enormous Changes at the Last Minute: Stories
Enormous Changes at the Last Minute: Stories 4.01 avg rating — 2,781 ratings
36.
My Life as a Man
My Life as a Man 3.72 avg rating — 2,616 ratings
37.
The Death of the Detective
The Death of the Detective 3.40 avg rating — 159 ratings
38.
J R
J R 4.32 avg rating — 3,682 ratings
39.
Humboldt's Gift
Humboldt's Gift 3.84 avg rating — 9,916 ratings
40.
The Collected Stories of Hortense Calisher
The Collected Stories of Hortense Calisher 3.64 avg rating — 14 ratings
41.
Other People's Lives
Other People's Lives 2.67 avg rating — 39 ratings
42.
Tyrants Destroyed and Other Stories
Tyrants Destroyed and Other Stories 4.17 avg rating — 156 ratings
43.
Beyond the Bedroom Wall: A Family Album (Graywolf Rediscovery Series)
Beyond the Bedroom Wall: A Family Album (Graywolf Rediscovery Series) 4.16 avg rating — 213 ratings
44.
The Spectator Bird
The Spectator Bird really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 8,582 ratings
45.
The Balloonist
The Balloonist 3.66 avg rating — 187 ratings
46.
Orsinian Tales
Orsinian Tales 3.66 avg rating — 2,172 ratings
47.
A Fine Romance
A Fine Romance 4.50 avg rating — 8 ratings
48.
Blood Tie
Blood Tie 3.38 avg rating — 175 ratings
49.
The Public Burning
The Public Burning 4.01 avg rating — 1,465 ratings
50.
Madder Music
Madder Music 3.62 avg rating — 63 ratings
51.
Elbow Room
Elbow Room 3.71 avg rating — 1,818 ratings
52.
Union Dues
Union Dues 3.96 avg rating — 170 ratings
53.
Going After Cacciato
Going After Cacciato 3.91 avg rating — 14,429 ratings
54.
The Stories of John Cheever
The Stories of John Cheever 4.26 avg rating — 15,588 ratings
55.
Lying Low
Lying Low 3.28 avg rating — 121 ratings
56.
The Family
The Family 3.86 avg rating — 29 ratings
57.
Just Above My Head
Just Above My Head 4.44 avg rating — 3,167 ratings
58.
The Executioner's Song
The Executioner's Song 4.05 avg rating — 22,792 ratings
59.
Endless Love
Endless Love 3.56 avg rating — 6,727 ratings
60.
Collected Stories, 1939-1976
Collected Stories, 1939-1976 4.40 avg rating — 763 ratings
61.
Violet Clay
Violet Clay 3.65 avg rating — 251 ratings
62.
Too Far to Go: The Maples Stories
Too Far to Go: The Maples Stories 4.05 avg rating — 461 ratings
63.
Miss MacIntosh, My Darling
Miss MacIntosh, My Darling 4.25 avg rating — 240 ratings
64.
Plains Song
Plains Song 3.70 avg rating — 386 ratings
65.
The Transit of Venus
The Transit of Venus really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 4,875 ratings
66.
So Long, See You Tomorrow
So Long, See You Tomorrow 3.90 avg rating — 14,443 ratings
67.
The Second Coming
The Second Coming 3.92 avg rating — 2,470 ratings
68.
The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty
The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty 4.20 avg rating — 8,257 ratings
69.
The Year of the French
The Year of the French 4.09 avg rating — 1,173 ratings
70.
War and Remembrance (The Henry Family, #2)
War and Remembrance (The Henry Family, #2) 4.43 avg rating — 38,939 ratings
71.
Ellis Island And Other Stories
Ellis Island And Other Stories really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 956 ratings
72.
A Flag for Sunrise
A Flag for Sunrise 3.87 avg rating — 1,120 ratings
73.
Dad
Dad 4.20 avg rating — 2,005 ratings
74.
Loon Lake
Loon Lake 3.48 avg rating — 1,639 ratings
75.
Morgan's Passing
Morgan's Passing 3.74 avg rating — 5,207 ratings
76.
A Mother and Two Daughters
A Mother and Two Daughters 3.79 avg rating — 792 ratings
77.
The Mosquito Coast
The Mosquito Coast 3.81 avg rating — 13,612 ratings
78.
The Chaneysville Incident
The Chaneysville Incident really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 1,235 ratings
79.
The Company of Women
The Company of Women 3.57 avg rating — 377 ratings
80.
Housekeeping
Housekeeping 3.81 avg rating — 57,357 ratings
81.
Foreign Affairs
Foreign Affairs 3.76 avg rating — 12,823 ratings
82.
The Anatomy Lesson
The Anatomy Lesson 3.65 avg rating — 3,704 ratings
83.
Always Coming Home
Always Coming Home 4.07 avg rating — 4,430 ratings
84.
The Tree of Life
The Tree of Life 3.62 avg rating — 86 ratings
85.
World's Fair
World's Fair 3.85 avg rating — 4,865 ratings
86.
Whites
Whites 3.79 avg rating — 516 ratings
87.
A Summons to Memphis
A Summons to Memphis 3.63 avg rating — 6,770 ratings
88.
Paco's Story
Paco's Story 3.76 avg rating — 984 ratings
89.
The Northern Lights
The Northern Lights 3.89 avg rating — 359 ratings
90.
The Counterlife
The Counterlife 3.92 avg rating — 5,446 ratings
91.
Paris Trout
Paris Trout 3.88 avg rating — 7,017 ratings
92.
Libra
Libra 4.05 avg rating — 19,596 ratings
93.
Vanished
Vanished 3.73 avg rating — 1,042 ratings
94.
Wheat that Springeth Green (New York Review Books Classics)
Wheat that Springeth Green (New York Review Books Classics) 3.85 avg rating — 320 ratings
95.
Spartina
Spartina 3.80 avg rating — 2,348 ratings
96.
Billy Bathgate
Billy Bathgate 3.82 avg rating — 7,700 ratings
97.
Geek Love
Geek Love 3.95 avg rating — 71,416 ratings
98.
The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love
The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love 3.66 avg rating — 12,667 ratings