Doctor ZhivagoDoctor Zhivago
Score Classic
What it's about
Boris Pasternak's epic follows Yuri Zhivago, a doctor and poet, through the Russian Revolution and civil war, torn between his wife and his great love, Lara. The novel couldn't be published in the Soviet Union until 1987, and Pasternak was forced to decline the Nobel Prize in 1958.
Why it's worth reading
It spent 24 weeks at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list and was one of the ten best-selling books of 1958 and 1959.
You'll love it if you liked
War and Peace
Anna Karenina
The Master and MargaritaGood to know
It's long and complex, with many characters. It became a famous 1965 film.
By the numbers
- Readers21 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller70 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- 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
- #131 of the 219 young adult books we rank
- #559 of the 762 classics we rank
- #1942 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Moving, Epic
If you like this, read next
The Great Gatsby
Jane Eyre
Persuasion
I Capture the Castle
Tess of the D'Urbervilles
Purple HibiscusExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is Doctor Zhivago worth reading?
Yes. It spent 24 weeks at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list and was one of the ten best-selling books of 1958 and 1959. It ranks #1,942 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 64.4 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Doctor Zhivago about?
Boris Pasternak's epic follows Yuri Zhivago, a doctor and poet, through the Russian Revolution and civil war, torn between his wife and his great love, Lara. The novel couldn't be published in the Soviet Union until 1987, and Pasternak was forced to decline the Nobel Prize in 1958.
How long does it take to read Doctor Zhivago?
About 15 hours (594 pages), or about 4 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Doctor Zhivago?
If you liked it, try War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy or The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov.