A best-selling author's novel has been ranked highly on Goodreads, with some outlets reporting it as one of the best books of all time and others specifying it as among the most read or popular books. There is some uncertainty about which novel is being referred to, with different publication years mentioned, including 1954 and 1988. The novel's ranking on Goodreads is unclear, with varying descriptions of its status, including best books ever, best books of this century, and greatest book of all time.