Unlike the Modern Library's, our list is not ranked. We've also restricted it to one work per author, since our aim was to showcase the extraordinary richness and variety of 20th century fiction by women. Asterisks denote authors who received multiple votes for one or more works. After careful consideration, we decided to exclude genres such as Mystery and Science Fiction, which we felt were worthy of their own lists. Why the Caged Bird Sings.
Selection is necessarily subjective.
Although efforts were made to canvas as widely as possible, we feel sure that omissions have been made. We welcome your feedback and suggestions . You can now order these books directly from this page, and save money in the process. We welcome your comments on this and other topics. Please visit our message board .