Great writers are also great readers, which is why we trust them to give the best book recommendations. To celebrate 250 years of storytelling, we asked some of our favorite authors to share what they consider The Great American Novel, and they came up with a wide range of essential books that capture the spirit of American literature through powerful storytelling and unforgettable characters.
Check out must-read recommendations from Ann Patchett, James Patterson, Min Jin Lee, Matt Dinniman, Stephen Graham Jones, William Kent Kreuger and many more.
![The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay | [This novel] still thrills me every time I reread it. More than that: it inspires me to make art out of my enthusiasms, poetry out of my fancies, in other words: to write from the best of me. — Andrew Sean Greer, Villa Coco](https://outgoing-img-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/barnesandnoble/6bh98kmq5.jpg)
![1919 (USA complete trilogy) | [1919] captures for me the ever-yearning hope and struggle of our American story. — Chang-rae Lee](https://outgoing-img-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/barnesandnoble/6bh98kmq6.jpg)
![The Last Novel | The final installment in [Markson]’s heartbreaking, hilarious, haunting Notecard Quartet… There are few books that I return to as often as these. — Hernan Diaz, Ply](https://outgoing-img-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/barnesandnoble/6bh98kmq8.jpg)
