Brighton RockBrighton Rock
Score Classic
What it's about
Pinkie Brown, a teenage gangster with a razor blade and a bottle of acid, commits a brutal murder. Rose, a naive young waitress, could destroy his alibi, and Ida Arnold, sure of right and wrong, is determined to see justice done.
Why it's worth reading
It's on the Guardian's list of 1,000 novels everyone must read.
You'll love it if you liked
The Power and the Glory
The End of the Affair
The Third ManGood to know
It's a crime novel.
By the numbers
- Readers8 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics30 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller15 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 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
- #600 of the 623 mysteries and thrillers we rank
- #905 of the 924 classics we rank
- #2961 of the 3,056 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Gripping
More by Graham Greene
The Heart of the MatterThe Power and the GloryThe End of the Affair
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All 47 best-of lists →
Mysteries and thrillersTop 25 · 623 ranked
Classic booksTop 25 · 924 ranked
Books of the 1930sTop 25 · 59 ranked
Fantasy booksTop 25 · 504 ranked
Literary novelsTop 25 · 325 ranked
Pulitzer Prize-winning novelsTop 25 · 63 ranked
Memoirs and biographiesTop 25 · 290 ranked
Science fiction booksTop 25 · 333 rankedQuick answers
Is Brighton Rock worth reading?
Yes. It's on the Guardian's list of 1,000 novels everyone must read. It ranks #2,961 of the 3,056 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 53.9 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Brighton Rock about?
Pinkie Brown, a teenage gangster with a razor blade and a bottle of acid, commits a brutal murder. Rose, a naive young waitress, could destroy his alibi, and Ida Arnold, sure of right and wrong, is determined to see justice done.
How long does it take to read Brighton Rock?
About 7 hours (288 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Brighton Rock?
If you liked it, try The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene, The End of the Affair by Graham Greene or The Third Man by Graham Greene.