2004 Best-Seller 'The Line of Beauty' Named 'One of the Most Brilliant Novels Ever Written'

It's not very often when a novel is described as one of the best novels of the 21st century yet.

But if anyone is fit to award that unique distinction, it's the always literary-minded critics of The Times.

Evaluating some of the greatest book releases of the century to date, The Times specifically named Hilary Mantel's best-selling novel, Bring Up the Bodies, as the best literary work of the 21st century yet.

However, they were also quick to heap praise on the second best book of the century: Alan Hollinghurst's sweeping 2004 novel, The Line of Beauty.

"This is one of the most brilliant novels ever written about the British class system," The Times said of Hollinghurst's book. "It has comedy, tragedy, political scandal and drug-fuelled hedonism. It even has a dancing Mrs Thatcher. Every sentence is a work of beauty."

The 2004 winner of the prestigious Man Booker Prize, The Line of Beauty takes place in 1980s London during the height of Margaret Thatcher's years as prime minister.

Following a young gay protagonist named Nick Guest, the story explores the wealth, class and social disparity prevalent throughout the United Kingdom in the '80s, exploring the hyprocisies at the heart of Thatcher's England.

"Alan Hollinghurst can write about outdoor 'bumshoving' with a rare elegance and candour," The Times said of the author's work. "This is a novel with a powerful political charge."

Like The Times, many well-respected critics and literary outlets shared a similarly positive response to Hollinghurst's book. Among other honors, The Guardian ranked The Line of Beauty favorably on their list for the best books of the 21st century.

"Thatcher-era degeneracy is lavishly displayed as Nick falls in love with the son of a supermarket magnate, and the novel records how Aids began to poison gay life in London," the outlet wrote. "In peerless prose, Hollinghurst captures something close to the spirit of an age."

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This story was originally published April 20, 2026 at 7:48 AM.