20 most readable books in Russia

Reading at all times was a special sacrament, immersing the reader in a parallel book world, with the heroes of which you can travel, fall in love, investigate crimes, empathize with their emotions and follow the famously twisted plot. Despite the change of generations, time, and views, the classics of the 20th century are still in demand - from time to time even lovers of tabloid literature prefer their works. Experts EXPERTOLOGY studied the book sales ratings in Russia in recent years and made a rating, which includes 20 of the most readable works of different genres and years.

Rating of the most readable books in Russia

Nomination	a place	Name of product	rating
Rating of the most readable books in Russia	1	The Master and Margarita (M. A. Bulgakov)	5.0
	2	Dark Tower (Stephen Ging)	4.9
	3	I'm the same (Jojo Moyes)	4.9
	4	Shantaram (Gregory David Roberts)	4.8
	5	The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)	4.8
	6	Stigmalion (Christine Stark)	4.7
	7	My Children (Guzel Yakhin)	4.7
	8	Not saying goodbye. The Adventures of Erast Fandorin in the Twentieth Century (Boris Akunin)	4.7
	9	Immortelle (chloe benjamin)	4.7
	10	Moth (Henri Charriera)	4.6
	11	Alchemist	4.6
	12	The mysterious story of Billy Milligan (Daniel Keyes)	4.6
	13	Back to you (Sarah Gio)	4.5
	14	Woman in the window (A.J. Finn)	4.5
	15	Murder on the Orient Express (Agatha Christie)	4.5
	16	Three Comrades (Erich Maria Remarque)	4.5
	17	Goldfinch (Donna Tartt)	4.5
	18	1984 (George Orwell)	4.4
	19	Idiot (F. M. Dostoevsky)	4.4
	20	The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown)	4.4

The Master and Margarita

Book author: M. A. Bulgakov

Rating: 5.0

The controversial author Mikhail Afanasyevich Bulgakov worked in the beginning and in the middle of the 20th century, but he wasn’t published for a long time due to Soviet censorship. In the second half of the last century, his novel Master and Margarita gained popularity among the reading public and still stirs the imagination of readers. The mystical story, the journey of heroes in time and fantasy images, the combination of goodness, love, otherworldly and evil in one work - this is what makes you plunge into reading with undying interest. The work has been translated into many languages, it is known all over the world, and not only thanks to books, but also to theater and television productions.

“The Master and Margarita” is truly a bestseller, inspiring photographers, poets, directors and musicians. The work has become an integral part of world culture, so every self-respecting Russian is obliged to have a volume of this novel in the home library.

Dark tower

Book author: Stephen King

Rating: 4.9

Legendary science fiction writer from the USA Stephen King, master of the horrors of the modern world, from 1982 to 2004 worked on the creation of the “Dark Tower” series of books, which included 8 works. The author made the novels independent, but at the same time combined into one über-novel, the actions are intertwined between different volumes of the series, from which it becomes even more interesting to read books.

In the center of events, the Dark Tower, the main character sought by shooter Roland, is a peculiar center of the universe or the axis of time, with the help of which he wants to bring back to life the events of his life.In the development of the plot, the reader will get acquainted with ordinary people and representatives of otherworldly forces, magicians and talking animals, artificial intelligence, all actively interact with each other in unexpected ways in the tradition of intricate detective stories and drama. Actions take place in fictional cities and countries. Novels are written in the manner of fairy tales, but with a fantasy bias of the author.

I'm the same

Book author: Jojo Moyes

Rating: 4.9

In the third place in the rating is a modern romantic novel by the British writer Jojo Moyes, “All the Same Am I,” which will definitely not leave the reader indifferent. The book is about an upbeat girl named Lou trying to escape from her past life in the ever-moving and glowing lights of New York. In the metropolis, she tries to forget the hard times of her personal drama and begin anew, but the storyline inexorably pulls her into the abyss of mysterious and seemingly mystical events. Problems collapsed on Louise with a snowball, and during the reading of the novel the reader remains ignorant of the ending of the novel, but does the heroine have enough strength to cope with all situations and save herself what she wanted to become or really is?

The book will be of interest mainly to women and girls who see their own reflection in the main character. Partly, the author's idea was just to show that everything in life is solved, it is enough not to despair and listen to your own heart.

Shantaram

Book author: Gregory David Roberts

Rating: 4.8

In the two-volume novel of the Australian novelist Gregory Roberts, the fate of many heroes are intertwined. The city of Bombay became the place where Lindsay Ford (who is also the main character of Shantaram) is hiding from representatives of the law and the high-security prison cell, from which he managed to escape the second year from his nineteen-year term. Trying to start a peaceful life away from his native Australia and New Zealand, the hero makes a living by becoming a forger and a robber, and also heals ordinary people from the slums. After 4 months of imprisonment spent in prison, where he got by denunciation, Shantaram takes root in the Indian mafia, where he continues to sell false passports, precious metals and money. Having lost two friends, he is looking for relief from heroin. Will Lindsay Ford break the vicious cycle? The plot includes a love line - the hero finds his “fate” in the face of a beautiful Swiss. Heroes reflect on their lives, sometimes looking at it from an unexpected angle.

By the way, all the heroes of the novel are fictional, and the places are real. At the Prabaker Bureau, you can book a tour of the places where the main character lived. The demand is due to the wide distribution of the novel throughout the world. The work is compared with the creation of such "sharks" of literature, as Hemingway and Melville. Perhaps because the manner of presentation in the form of confession is identical for these authors.

Kite wind

Book author: Khaled Hosseini

Rating: 4.8

Judging by the reviews, the novel by the American prose writer Khaled Hosseini, “The Runner in the Wind,” not only breaks through a sea of ​​emotions and empowers the heroes, but also brings to tears especially sentimental readers.

The author of the work comes from Afghanistan, where he transferred his heroes. Amir and his father Baba are in the center of the story, relations between them were cool, and Hassan is the son of a father’s servant who became the boy’s best friend. The child received enough love from the father, offended at him for the death of his mother. Baba gives more paternal feelings to Hassan, but why? Amir is trying to return the location of a single parent, while not helping a friend in time, when a nationalist brutally mocks Hassan, and then completely substitutes him. After the separation of friends begins a sad page in the history of Afghanistan - the introduction of Russian troops and the war. Baba and Amir emigrate to the United States. Later it turned out that Hassan and Amir were brothers to the father, but Amir was not destined to meet a close friend - he died during the ethnic cleansing of the Taliban, and his little son remained in the orphanage. Amir is trying to save him.

Friendship, betrayal, resentment, loyalty despite the circumstances, death of close people and war, hope for a bright future - the reader will be really interested to read the novel to the end.

Stigmalion

Book author: Christina Stark

Rating: 4.7

The novel "Stigmalion" saw the light in 2018, but already in a couple of months the book was bought up by a huge circulation all over the world. What caused such a demand? The fact of Christina Stark's ability to write is not just heartfelt - she knows how to find the key to every reader. Thus, in the work “Stigmalion”, simultaneously with the development of the plot, the author gives hints to actions in various difficult life situations.

At the center of the story is the girl Dolores, who suffers from a really existing autoimmune disease - an allergy to people. A girl can calmly interact only with her brother; Dolores has a painful burn from touching the skin of other people. The heroine throughout the novel learns to accept herself through her own, special vision of the world, she dreams of meeting love, having a baby and experiencing the usual joys of life.

The focus of the novel is on the inner state of a person different from society, his experiences and feelings, because not everyone is ready to understand and accept the heroine for what it is.

My children

Book author: Guzel Yakhina

Rating: 4.7

The editors included in the rating another fascinating novel by the Russian writer Guzeli Yakhina about German colonists who lived in the 1920s and 1930s on the banks of the Volga. In the center of the plot is the meek Jacob Bach, a thin German physique who prefers to communicate with nature to human society. He writes fairy tales and shares pure German culture with those around him. Quiet and measured life violates the request of a wealthy gentleman to teach his daughter, whose face Jacob did not see because of the screen, but without that he falls in love with his student, and she is destined to return to Germany and get married.

In the work are intertwined the fate of people, politics, the history of Russia before the war, mental and creative torments. The novel “My Children” is very atmospheric, the author thoroughly, almost to the sensation and smell, conveys the beauty of the countryside and the wildlife on the banks of the Volga.

Not saying goodbye. The Adventures of Erast Fandorin in the Twentieth Century

Book author: Boris Akunin

Rating: 4.7

The cycle of novels about the famous detective ends with the work “I do not say goodbye. The Adventures of Erast Fandorin in the Twentieth Century. ” The action takes place in post-revolutionary Russia and in 1918, when the country was in a fever of starvation, devastation with the new structure that had not yet been consolidated. Characters from the novel “Death to Brothershaft” and other works about Fandorin returned to the plot, their lives are intertwined in the storyline of the story, where the path of the main character from the unusual exit from the coma to the investigation and the final farewell is tracked. Detective spy story from the life of a detective created in the best traditions of Boris Akunin.

Reviewers and readers are unanimous in their opinion: the novel, the final cycle of the “New Detective” with the main character Erast Fandorin, turned out to be somewhat blurred and not as vivid and understandable as earlier stories. In any case, to understand the work, you should read the previous novels of the cycle. And the reader will receive disappointment or satisfaction at the end - an exclusively individual matter.

Immortelle

Book author: Chloe Benjamin

Rating: 4.7

The book "Immortal" will be a great tool for relaxation and immersion in the inner world and reflections on the eternal. The novel is especially recommended for reading in a state of depression and life situations of “traps” when it seems that there is no way out. Relaxing and immersion contributes surprisingly smooth story without emotional outbursts, like confession alone with yourself.

In the family Goldov measured and calm life, until the children go to the fortuneteller, who, according to rumor, accurately predicts the date of death. The idle children's curiosity is satisfied, but it does not bring joy, and the fate of the members of the once close-knit family diverge in an attempt to deceive fate or change it.

The novel "Immortal" opens the question of the predestination of fate - is it? Or does it all depend on us? Answers to find the reader on the pages of the book or in thinking about reading.

Butterfly

Book author: Henri Sharrier

Rating: 4.6

The autobiographical novel “Moth” by Henri Shariera was released as early as 1969, it was sold in huge editions. Later, in 1973, an adaptation of the book was released; today, the film is counted among the classics of cinema.

The story of the protagonist Henri Sharter, nicknamed Papillon, begins with his accusation of murder at the age of fifteen and a sentence of life imprisonment, but by the will of fate, after passing various tests, the guy still turns out to be free. The plot intrigues its believability and brevity. In the novel, there is still a bit of fiction - Henri Sharrier was indeed accused of murder. But in later years.

Alchemist

Book author: Paulo Coelho

Rating: 4.6

Roman Paulo Coelho "The Alchemist" is the story of the search by the shepherd Santiago, who is looking for treasure, a gypsy invented him in exchange for a tenth of the treasure. The storyline leads the hero through losses, wandering and searching for himself.Meeting with the Alchemist in the oasis of El-Fayoum changes life and in general the perception of the world of Santiago - now he learns to know the “Soul of the World”, to communicate with phenomena and manage space at his own discretion. The alchemist helps the shepherd to follow the fate and listen to the inner world in search of treasure. Meeting with Fatima, finding happiness becomes another key point in the novel. Can Santiago find a treasure?

“The Alchemist” is a novel that will help the reader to look at his own life from a different angle and understand how close sometimes what we are looking for.

The mysterious story of Billy Milligan

Author of the book: Daniel Keyes

Rating: 4.6

At the heart of the novel "The Mysterious History of Billy Milligan" is the real story of a person suffering from dissociative personality disorder, which the author managed to describe very authentically. Kiz conveyed the depth of human tragedy in accessible language, explaining even complex medical and legal terms. The reader learns from the first person all the complexity of the situation, immersed in the atmospheric environment of the novel.

Bill was born a normal child, grew up in an ordinary family. Everything changed the suicide of his father, then, against the background of what happened, the boy had the first “personalities”. Memory lapses, difficulties in understanding the situation, accusations of a crime, and a dissociative disorder revealed by a psychologist (multiple personalities). Until the end of the reading, intrigue remains, whether Billy will manage to cope with the illness and return to normal life. What happened to Billy Milligan and why?

Back to you

Book author: Sarah Gio

Rating: 4.5

The atmospheric romance that will brighten up a gloomy day off and be read in one breath is “Back to you” by American writer Sarah Gio. The story develops on an island in Bermuda, where the elderly Charlotte lives lonely in her life alone. She recalls the time spent on an uninhabited island with Gray, who saved her life. Once in the hands of a woman gets a bottle with a message from him. Is Gray alive? How to find it? The reader will find answers to these questions in the book by Sarah Gio.

The product is atmospheric, so for those who want to go to the sea, but a vacation is not soon, we highly recommend reading.

Woman in the window

The author of the book: A. J. Finn

Rating: 4.5

Our rating is impossible without an action-packed detective story, which is the novel Woman in the Window. Anna alone lives in her home in one of the quarters of New York, rarely goes out because of the stress experienced a year ago. Communication is only with close people on the phone, but the desire to return to normal life is not alien to her.

Anna's entertainment is watching movies, memories, creativity and peeping at her neighbors - a real reality show without leaving home. The plot begins to escalate from the moment of moving to a neighboring house of a new family, as it seems at first glance, just perfect: husband, wife, teenage son, peace and idyll. Everything was fine until the heroine witnesses a brutal murder, peeping once again behind her neighbors through the camera lens. But how to convey to the public that a crime has been committed nearby, if there are no warning signs from neighbors, but there are simply no witnesses? Anna begins her own investigation.

The novel is translated into many languages ​​and is popular in many parts of the world. A.J.Finn knows how to bring stories with a peppercorn so brightly that it is impossible to break away from them, and thick books are read in one breath.

Kills on the Orient Express

Author of the book: Agatha Christie

Rating: 4.5

The novel “Murders on the Orient Express” from the legendary Agatha Christie does not lose its relevance even in the XXI century. The famous detective Hercule Poirot investigates the murder on the train with its unique deductive methods, although the trip was supposed to be a break after the next completed case. Poirot unravels the weird and brutal murder of the American step by step, analyzing the contradictory clues and motives of the alleged killers.

The outcome of the story, as usual with Christie, is unexpected. This is the queen of the detective genre - she is able to keep the intrigue and enthrall the reader into an interesting adventure that is hard to tear off.

Three friends

Book author: Erich Maria Remarque

Rating: 4.5

Another classic in the ranking is the book “Three Comrades” by Erich Maria Remarque. The action takes place in the difficult post-war years, where the heroes are fighting for life, while not forgetting about human values: friendship, love, loyalty. Three friends, whose fate intersected in the First World War, trying to escape from the terrible memories and ghosts of the past. One of his friends, Robert Lokamp, ​​met his love in the face of a beautiful girl. The development of their relationship, as well as the interaction of three friends, are shown against the backdrop of the post-war crisis.

Thirst for life no matter what, craving for feelings and humanity - this is what united the heroes of the novel “Three Comrades”.

Goldfinch

Book author: Donna Tartt

Rating: 4.5

The novel “Goldfinch” by Donna Tartt won the prestigious literary awards and received high marks from critics, which explains the demand among readers.

The thirteen-year-old boy Theo Decker, who survived the explosion at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, received the ring and picture of Karel Fabricius with a mandate from a dying old man to deliver them to a safe place. When meeting the novel, the reader will see what kind of hardship the hero has experienced, how he had to wander around cities and other people's families in the United States. Relics first pull the boy to the bottom, and then give hope of salvation and return to the light. Donna Kartt managed to combine the incompatible: the novel is classic and modern, for which the work and receives advisory reviews. The work of the author lasted for almost 10 years, the manuscripts were repeatedly edited and tailored to the most exacting reader. The message to the authors of the classics, subtle descriptions, with the usual and understandable syllable - “Goldfinch” is a “tasty” literary cocktail.

1984

Book author: George Orwell

Rating: 4.4

The novel “1984” was one of the keys to fame, but, unfortunately, only towards the end of his life, for the critic, novelist and publicist George Orwell. The raised topic, the plot of which develops in the middle of the XX century, is relevant to this day. The Ministry of Truth is Winston Smith, who brings historical documents into line with the political regime.The hero understands that everything he does is necessary for the party, but he himself denies the established regime of totalitarianism internally. Attempts to resist, express feelings and change of thoughts only exacerbate the situation, driving Winston into the trap of lack of freedom.

The novel "1984" was banned in the USSR until the collapse of the country, because censorship saw in Big Brother conformity to the ruling country’s leaders. The situation was similar in other countries.

Moron

Author of the book: F. M. Dostoevsky

Rating: 4.4

The novel "Idiot" is translated into different languages ​​and to this day is one of the most widely read works of Russian classics. True, the audience is mostly students, pupils and students of various courses, as well as readers who want to refresh their long-read work in memory. Films have been made from the book, performances, ballet, opera are staged in theaters.

“Idiot” is a narrative in four parts about the Russian prince Lev Nikolayevich Myshkin, who was treated for epilepsy in Switzerland. He is intelligent, good, but is not perceived by the aristocratic society as a normal person. The hero faces misunderstanding, rejection, contempt, greed, but still remains true to his open heart. Can he resist the cruel world? Partly nicknamed Idiot, he received because of a sincere belief in people and a bright future, while others see only the dark around.

The problem that Fyodor Dostoevsky posed is a person in the big world, a thirst for life, new knowledge and bright feelings against the background of difficult human relationships and hidden thoughts about his own good.

The Da Vinci Code

Book author: Dan Brown

Rating: 4.4

Closes the rating of the world-famous work of Dan Brown "The Da Vinci Code" more than once filmed. The novel's genre is a detective story that begins with the murder of Jacques Sauniere, the keeper of the secrets of the Louvre. Near the body was found a note with a cipher, directing to search for the solution of the crime in secret signs in the works of Leonardo da Vinci. Robert Langdon, a professor at Harvard University, teamed up with the granddaughter of the victim, trying to unravel the encrypted riddle and find out who dealt with the guardian.

As it turns out, the main purpose of the killer is to try to find out from Soniera about the holy Grail, a Christian shrine that promises unlimited power to the owner. Probably, da Vinci knew where the Grail was hidden, the answer to the riddle he hid in his sculptures, paintings. What secrets can be revealed to Robert and will he find a relic?

The novel “The Da Vinci Code” by Dan Brown has been translated into 44 languages ​​and sold around the world with the circulation of 88 million books.

---

Attention! This rating is subjective, is not advertising and does not serve as a guide to the purchase. Before buying, you should consult with a specialist.