A simple scoring system to evaluate whether a book is good or not

Does it feature elegant or masterful use of language? – 2 points
Examples: Lolita, In Search of Lost Time, The Great Gatsby

Does it explore questions about the human condition? – 2 points
Examples: Frankenstein, Lord of the Flies, The Death of Ivan Ilyich

Is it character-driven rather than plot-driven? – 2 points
Examples: Jane Eyre, Moby-Dick, Anna Karenina

Is it dense and complex in structure or style? – 1 point
Examples: Ulysses, Gravity’s Rainbow, The Recognitions

Does the author demonstrate deep, specialized knowledge? – 2 points
Examples: Foucault’s Pendulum, Cryptonomicon, Petersburg

Does it experiment with the structure? – 2 points
Examples: Tristram Shandy, Pale Fire, Dictionary of the Khazars

Does it experiment with the language? – 2 points
Examples: A Clockwork Orange, Finnegans Wake, Bottom's Dream

Does it raise social or political issues? – 1 point
Examples: 1984, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Handmaid's Tale

Is it philosophical in nature? – 1 point
Examples: Thus Spoke Zarathustra, The Stranger, Brothers Karamasov

Does the main character undergo psychological or moral development? – 1 point
Examples: Wilhelm Meister, Siddhartha, Neapolitan Novels

Is it free from typical genre clichés? – 1 point
Examples: Hard to Be a God, The Left Hand of Darkness, Solaris

Is it heavily intertextual, referencing other works? – 1 point
Examples: The Man Without Qualities, Infinite Jest, The Divine Comedy

Is it rich in symbolism or deliberate ambiguity? – 2 points
Examples: The Hour of the Star, Malone Dies, The Sound and the Fury

Good: 8 points or more
Excellent: 14 points or more
Maximum Score: 20 points