美媒：16本值得永世珍藏的英文小说

 　　1. The Lovely Bones By Alice Sebold; 400 pages

　　1. 《可爱的骨头》，艾丽斯·西伯德著（400页）

　　Because Susie made us trust -- and cry for -- a ghost.

　　推荐理由：（女主人公）苏西让我们信任一缕孤魂，并为之哭泣。

　　In Sebold's first novel, The Lovely Bones, she has crafted a gripping tale of tragedy. Part detective story, part family drama, part meditation¹ on what lies beyond, The Lovely Bones is a page-turner in the most literary sense.

　　《可爱的骨头》是西伯德的处女作，讲述了一个扣人心弦的悲剧故事。小说部分侦探向，又有点家庭剧的意味，它还对物质层面之外的事物展开些许沉思。从极为文学的角度而言，这部书写得极为精彩，引人入胜。

　　2. Gone Girl By Gillian Flynn; 422 pages

　　2. 《消失的爱人》，吉莉安·弗琳著（422页）

　　Because Flynn nails an age-old fear: Do we really know the people closest to us?

　　推荐理由：费琳在这本书中一针见血，点出人们由来已久的恐惧——我们真的了解同我们最亲密的人吗？

　　As the story unfolds in precise and riveting² prose, readers will find they are being manipulated by the unreliable narrator Nick. Still, even one notices this, searching for the missing pieces is half the thrill of this wickedly absorbing tale.

　　在精准而又引人入胜的文字描述下故事情节渐渐展开，读者们将意识到自己正被不可靠的叙述者尼克牵着鼻子走。然而即使人们意识到这点，在这则诡异莫测、扣人心弦的故事中找寻遗失的片段只占一半紧张的心绪。

　　3. Interpreter of Maladies By Jhumpa Lahiri; 198 pages

　　3. 《疾病解说者》，裘帕·拉希莉著（198页）

　　Because change is inevitable³...and nobody knows what the heck to do about it.

　　推荐理由：因为改变在所难免，而且没人知道要拿改变怎么办。

　　The author's details about the specific Indian culture were so precise and evocative, and yet her insights into family dynamics⁴, homesickness and the ways we grapple with shifting circumstances resonated with us all.

　　此书中作者对印度特有文化的细节描写非常精准并带有启发性。而她对家庭动态关系的洞见、作品中体现的念家之情以及人们在瞬息万变的环境中摸索的方式，让我们所有人产生了共鸣。

　　4. Life of Pi By Yann Martel; 326 pages

　　4. 《少年派的奇幻漂流》，扬·马特尔著（326页）

　　Because we can't resist a didn't-see-it-coming spiritual punch.

　　推荐理由：看不到未来的精神冲击让我们无法承受。

　　The novel asked us to think how we endure tragedy, who we become in its wake and how, within it, we may just find both the terrifying and the miraculous⁵.

　　这本小说让我们思考如何承受悲剧，在经历过悲剧后成为怎样的人，我们也许还会发现恐惧和奇迹共存。

　　5. The Fault in Our Stars By John Green; 336 pages

　　5. 《星运里的错》，约翰·格林著（336页）

　　Because we all need to feel first love again; even if we know the horrible sob-fest to come at the end.

　　推荐理由：我们都需要再次体验下初恋的感觉，即便知道最终自己会哭得泣不成声。

　　Sixteen-year-old Hazel faces terminal cancer with humor and pluck. But it isn't until she meets Augustus in a support group that she understands how to love or live fully⁶.

　　16岁的海泽尔以幽默勇敢面对癌症晚期。但是直到她在青少年癌友互助会上遇见了奥古斯都，她方明白如何去爱，如何充实地活着。

　　注：书名来自莎士比亚戏剧《凯撒大帝》（Julius Caesar）第一幕第二场，凯撒说：“亲爱的布鲁特斯，错误并不在于命运，而在于我们自己。”（The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, But in ourselves.）

　　6. Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China By Jung Chang; 538 pages

　　6. 《鸿：三代中国女人的故事》，张戎著（538页）

　　Because we got a literary visa to a long-hidden part of the world.

　　推荐理由：此书让我们借助文学，得以探知这个世界隐藏已久的一角。

　　Chang's memoir⁷ reads like a blockbuster multigenerational novel, but it's true. Through the portrait of her family, Chang paints a picture of mid-20th-century China, the suffering of its people and the resilience of women everywhere.

　　张戎的这本回忆录读起来像是一部讲述多代人故事的卖座大片，但它是写实的。她用自己家族的自画像勾勒出中国二十世纪中期的景象——遭受苦难的人与抗打击的女性随处可见。

　　7. Wild By Cheryl Strayed; 315 pages（315页）

　　7. 《涉足荒野》，谢莉尔·斯瑞德著（315页）

　　Because Strayed showed us how to leave our tough, destructive pasts 1,100 miles behind us.

　　推荐理由：斯瑞德向我们展示如何将那些苦涩又刺痛人心的过去远远甩在身后。

　　Cheryl Strayed, 26, admitted herself as a total mess. She righted herself by setting out to hike up the Pacific Crest⁸ Trail. How she did it, and what she learned about life, love, and survival of the emotional and physical sort, is the subject of her moving memoir, Wild.

　　26岁的谢莉尔·斯瑞德承认自己一团糟。她为了让生活恢复正常，便前往太平洋山脊国家步道远足。她实现这一想法的方式，对生活、爱情以及维续精神和身体存在的感悟，构成了《涉足荒野》这本回忆录的主题，感人肺腑。

　　8. White Teeth By Zadie Smith; 464 pages

　　8. 《白牙》，查蒂·史密斯著（464页）

　　Because wildly smart novels never go out of style.

　　推荐理由：行文极为精明的小说永不过时。

　　In her daring debut⁹ novel, Zadie Smith takes us straight to 1970s multicultural¹⁰ London. Smith's wit and audacity¹¹ is simply irresistible¹² -- as she had written entirely¹³ in the language of charisma¹⁴.

　　查蒂·史密斯的这本处女作大胆地将20世纪70年代的多族裔伦敦直接展现在我们面前。整本书中的语言极具魅力，彰显出作者的聪慧果敢。

　　9. House of Sand and Fog By Andre Dubus III; 365 pages

　　9. 《尘雾家园》，安德鲁·杜鲁斯三世著（365页）

　　Because as much as it hurt, we couldn't look away.

　　推荐理由：它是如此的痛彻心扉，以至于我们无法移开目光。

　　Combining unadorned realism with profound empathy, House of Sand and Fog is a devastating¹⁵ exploration of the American Dream gone awry¹⁶.

　　《尘雾家园》一书将赤裸裸的现实与人们心底的同情心一同展现出来，深度探索了已走偏的美国梦。

　　10. Eat, Pray, Love By Elizabeth Gilbert; 352 pages

　　10. 《美食、祈祷与恋爱》，伊丽莎白·吉尔伯特著（352页）

　　Because we'll probably never embark¹⁷ on a trip like this -- in fact, we're sitting in a cubicle¹⁸. But we adored going along for the ride.

　　推荐理由：我们将来也许绝不会踏上如书中所述的这种旅程，事实上，我们正坐在小隔间里。然而我们享受这本书给我们带来的旅行。

　　Culinary delights, rigorous spiritual searching and exhilarating romance (in that order) were all in store, and we devoured¹⁹ every detail. Afterward²⁰, we couldn't stop talking about Gilbert's adventures in self-discovery -- and our own.

　　这本书中依次讲述了作者的烹调之乐、严肃的精神追寻以及愉悦的浪漫史。我们耽读每一个细节。之后我们情不自禁地会谈论起吉尔伯特的自我找寻之旅，再延伸到我们自己。

　　11. The Secret Life of Bees By Sue Monk²¹ Kidd; 336 pages

　　11. 《蜜蜂的秘密生活》，苏·蒙克·基德著（336页）

　　Because three awesome²² beekeepers taught us about the value of mothering ourselves.

　　推荐理由：三个值得尊敬的养蜂人教会我们——养育自我的价值所在。

　　With its “hive” of great characters and its uplifting message of self-empowerment, Bees was the novel for mothers and daughters of all ages to share.

　　这本小说由诸多性格鲜明的人物构建而成，其中传递出自我充实的积极信息。它适合各个年龄段的母女一同阅读。

　　12. The Poisonwood Bible By Barbara Kingsolver; 560 pages

　　12. 《毒木圣经》，芭芭拉.金索佛著（560页）

　　Because Barbara Kingsolver has a sneaky way of making us more empathic.

　　推荐理由：芭芭拉·金索佛不经意间便能让我们更易表同情心。

　　This novel features five narrators, observing and commenting the clash of cultures, the struggle to overcome stifling²³ conventions, and the preservation²⁴ of heritage.

　　这部小说有五名叙述者，他们观察并评论文化冲突，挣扎着打破清规戒律、坚决维护遗产。

　　13. The Help By Kathryn Stockett; 544 pages

　　13. 《相助》，凯瑟琳·斯多科特著（544页）

　　Because it served as a reminder²⁵ of a painful history, while showing us what a few courageous²⁶ individuals can accomplish.

　　推荐理由：这部小说告诉我们——铭记伤痛历史的同时，勇敢的个人所能做到什么。

　　This novel opened a national conversation about race. And yet, the story also gives readers insight into the strength, courage and dignity of the maids themselves -- qualities that have been too often overlooked.

　　《相助》在全美掀起了一番关于种族的讨论。然而这部小说还让读者深刻意识到奴仆身上蕴含着的力量、勇气和尊严。它们都是些已被人习惯忽视的品质。

　　14. Water for Elephants By Sara Gruen; 350 pages

　　14. 《大象的眼泪》，莎拉·格鲁恩著（350页）

　　Because who doesn't love a pachyderm and a happy ending?

　　推荐理由：谁不喜欢厚皮类动物和美好的结局呢？

　　This depression-era tale of life with a third-rate traveling circus centers on orphaned²⁷ animal caretaker Jacob, the woman he loves and her cruel and abusive husband, who happens to be the boss.

　　这部小说以大萧条时期为背景，主角是一个三流巡回马戏团中的三名成员——孤儿出身的动物看守员雅各布，他爱上的女人（马戏团明星）和她残暴的丈夫（刚巧他又是雅各布的上司）。

　　15. The Remains²⁸ of the Day By Kazuo Ishiguro; 245 pages

　　15. 《长日留痕》，石黑一雄著（245页）

　　Because the anguish²⁹ of unrequited love makes for riveting reading.

　　推荐理由：单恋的苦楚让此书引人入胜。

　　This quiet, heart-piercing novel showed us the cost of misplaced loyalties³⁰ and missed opportunity, and reminded us of the happiness we must claim for ourselves.

　　这部安静而撕扯人心的小说向我们展示了错付忠心、错失良机付出的代价，也提醒着我们那份一定要为自己争取的幸福。

　　16. The Immortal³¹ Life of Henrietta Lacks By Rebecca Skloot; 381 pages

　　16. 《永生的海拉》，丽贝卡·思科鲁特著（381页）

　　Because we would have never known the truth without it.

　　推荐理由：多亏了这本小说，我们才知道这一事实。

　　Henrietta Lacks was a poor, Southern tobacco farmer, yet her cells -- taken without her knowledge -- became one of the most important tools in medicine.

　　海瑞塔·拉克斯是美国南方一位贫穷烟农。而在她不知情的情况下（其过世后），她的细胞被医生取走，成为了最为重要的医学工具之一。

1 meditation   

n.熟虑，（尤指宗教的）默想，沉思，（pl.）冥想录

参考例句：

• This peaceful garden lends itself to meditation.这个恬静的花园适于冥想。
• I'm sorry to interrupt your meditation.很抱歉，我打断了你的沉思。

2 riveting   

adj.动听的，令人着迷的，完全吸引某人注意力的；n.铆接（法）

参考例句：

• I find snooker riveting though I don't play myself.虽然我自己不打斯诺克，但是我觉得它挺令人着迷。
• To my amazement,I found it riveting.但令我惊讶的是，我发现它的吸引人处。

3 inevitable   

adj.不可避免的，必然发生的

参考例句：

• Mary was wearing her inevitable large hat.玛丽戴着她总是戴的那顶大帽子。
• The defeat had inevitable consequences for British policy.战败对英国政策不可避免地产生了影响。

4 dynamics   

n.力学，动力学，动力，原动力；动态

参考例句：

• In order to succeed,you must master complicated knowledge of dynamics.要取得胜利，你必须掌握很复杂的动力学知识。
• Dynamics is a discipline that cannot be mastered without extensive practice.动力学是一门不做大量习题就不能掌握的学科。

5 miraculous   

adj.像奇迹一样的，不可思议的

参考例句：

• The wounded man made a miraculous recovery.伤员奇迹般地痊愈了。
• They won a miraculous victory over much stronger enemy.他们战胜了远比自己强大的敌人，赢得了非凡的胜利。

6 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

7 memoir   

n.[pl.]回忆录，自传；记事录

参考例句：

• He has just published a memoir in honour of his captain.他刚刚出了一本传记来纪念他的队长。
• In her memoir,the actress wrote about the bittersweet memories of her first love.在那个女演员的自传中，她写到了自己苦乐掺半的初恋。

8 crest   

n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖

参考例句：

• The rooster bristled his crest.公鸡竖起了鸡冠。
• He reached the crest of the hill before dawn.他于黎明前到达山顶。

9 debut   

n.首次演出，初次露面

参考例句：

• That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里，他初次在百老汇登台，扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
• The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。

10 multicultural   

adj.融合多种文化的，多种文化的

参考例句：

• Children growing up in a multicultural society.在多元文化社会中长大的孩子们。
• The school has been attempting to bring a multicultural perspective to its curriculum.这所学校已经在尝试将一种多元文化视角引入其课程。

11 audacity   

n.大胆，卤莽，无礼

参考例句：

• He had the audacity to ask for an increase in salary.他竟然厚着脸皮要求增加薪水。
• He had the audacity to pick pockets in broad daylight.他竟敢在光天化日之下掏包。

12 irresistible   

adj.非常诱人的，无法拒绝的，无法抗拒的

参考例句：

• The wheel of history rolls forward with an irresistible force.历史车轮滚滚向前，势不可挡。
• She saw an irresistible skirt in the store window.她看见商店的橱窗里有一条叫人着迷的裙子。

13 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

14 charisma   

n.(大众爱戴的)领袖气质，魅力

参考例句：

• He has enormous charisma. He is a giant of a man.他有超凡的个人魅力，是个伟人。
• I don't have the charisma to pull a crowd this size.我没有那么大的魅力，能吸引这么多人。

15 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

16 awry   

adj.扭曲的，错的

参考例句：

• She was in a fury over a plan that had gone awry. 计划出了问题，她很愤怒。
• Something has gone awry in our plans.我们的计划出差错了。

17 embark   

vi.乘船，着手，从事，上飞机

参考例句：

• He is about to embark on a new business venture.他就要开始新的商业冒险活动。
• Many people embark for Europe at New York harbor.许多人在纽约港乘船去欧洲。

18 cubicle   

n.大房间中隔出的小室

参考例句：

• She studies in a cubicle in the school library.她在学校图书馆的小自习室里学习。
• A technical sergeant hunches in a cubicle.一位技术军士在一间小屋里弯腰坐着。

19 devoured   

吞没( devour的过去式和过去分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光

参考例句：

• She devoured everything she could lay her hands on: books, magazines and newspapers. 无论是书、杂志，还是报纸，只要能弄得到，她都看得津津有味。
• The lions devoured a zebra in a short time. 狮子一会儿就吃掉了一匹斑马。

20 afterward   

adv.后来；以后

参考例句：

• Let's go to the theatre first and eat afterward. 让我们先去看戏，然后吃饭。
• Afterward,the boy became a very famous artist.后来，这男孩成为一个很有名的艺术家。

21 monk   

n.和尚，僧侣，修道士

参考例句：

• The man was a monk from Emei Mountain.那人是峨眉山下来的和尚。
• Buddhist monk sat with folded palms.和尚合掌打坐。

22 awesome   

adj.令人惊叹的，难得吓人的，很好的

参考例句：

• The church in Ireland has always exercised an awesome power.爱尔兰的教堂一直掌握着令人敬畏的权力。
• That new white convertible is totally awesome.那辆新的白色折篷汽车简直棒极了.

23 stifling   

a.令人窒息的

参考例句：

• The weather is stifling. It looks like rain. 今天太闷热，光景是要下雨。
• We were stifling in that hot room with all the windows closed. 我们在那间关着窗户的热屋子里，简直透不过气来。

24 preservation   

n.保护，维护，保存，保留，保持

参考例句：

• The police are responsible for the preservation of law and order.警察负责维持法律与秩序。
• The picture is in an excellent state of preservation.这幅画保存得极为完好。

25 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。

26 courageous   

adj.勇敢的，有胆量的

参考例句：

• We all honour courageous people.我们都尊重勇敢的人。
• He was roused to action by courageous words.豪言壮语促使他奋起行动。

27 orphaned   

[计][修]孤立

参考例句：

• Orphaned children were consigned to institutions. 孤儿都打发到了福利院。
• He was orphaned at an early age. 他幼年时便成了孤儿。

28 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

29 anguish   

n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼

参考例句：

• She cried out for anguish at parting.分手时，她由于痛苦而失声大哭。
• The unspeakable anguish wrung his heart.难言的痛苦折磨着他的心。

30 loyalties   

n.忠诚( loyalty的名词复数 )；忠心；忠于…感情；要忠于…的强烈感情

参考例句：

• an intricate network of loyalties and relationships 忠诚与义气构成的盘根错节的网络
• Rows with one's in-laws often create divided loyalties. 与姻亲之间的矛盾常常让人两面为难。 来自《简明英汉词典》

31 immortal   

adj.不朽的；永生的，不死的；神的

参考例句：

• The wild cocoa tree is effectively immortal.野生可可树实际上是不会死的。
• The heroes of the people are immortal!人民英雄永垂不朽！