After critics and authors picked their top 100, we asked readers to choose their favourite novels. Thousands of votes came in from around the world ... which overlooked masterpieces made the cut – and what has pushed George Eliot off the top spot? • See the top 100 here The hobbits have it: topping the chart of what Guardian readers declare the 100 greatest novels published in English is a work of literature that didn’t even feature when authors, critics and academics made their selection . JRR