Black ButterfliesBlack Butterflies
What it's about
Sarajevo, spring 1992. Each night, nationalist gangs put up makeshift barricades, splitting the city into ethnic enclaves; each morning, the people who live there, Muslim, Croat or Serb, push the barriers aside. Priscilla Morris's novel follows one woman as the siege begins.
Why it's worth reading
It was a finalist for the Women's Prize for Fiction. It's a moving novel about the siege of Sarajevo.
You'll love it if you liked
People of the Book
The Nightingale
All the Light We Cannot SeeGood to know
It depicts wartime violence and hardship.
By the numbers
- Readers36 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics25 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller8 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz37 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
Why it made the list
Reads as
Moving, Thought-provoking, Dark
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Quick answers
Is Black Butterflies worth reading?
Yes. It was a finalist for the Women's Prize for Fiction. It ranks #2,175 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 62.1 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Black Butterflies about?
Sarajevo, spring 1992. Each night, nationalist gangs put up makeshift barricades, splitting the city into ethnic enclaves; each morning, the people who live there, Muslim, Croat or Serb, push the barriers aside. Priscilla Morris's novel follows one woman as the siege begins.
How long does it take to read Black Butterflies?
About 7 hours (289 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Black Butterflies?
If you liked it, try People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks, The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah or All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr.