Dom CasmurroDom Casmurro
Score Classic
What it's about
Machado de Assis's masterpiece is told by an embittered narrator looking back on his life and love, in a novel celebrated for its wit and its ambiguity.
Why it's worth reading
It's on the Guardian's list of 1,000 novels everyone must read. It's one of the great novels of Brazil.
You'll love it if you liked
The Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas
The Good Soldier
Madame BovaryGood to know
Its narrator is famously unreliable. Choose a complete translation, such as John Gledson's.
By the numbers
- Readers90 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics30 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller16 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
Why it made the list
Reads as
Thought-provoking
More by Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis
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Quick answers
Is Dom Casmurro worth reading?
Yes. It's on the Guardian's list of 1,000 novels everyone must read. It ranks #860 of the 3,057 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 75.0 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Dom Casmurro about?
Machado de Assis's masterpiece is told by an embittered narrator looking back on his life and love, in a novel celebrated for its wit and its ambiguity.
How long does it take to read Dom Casmurro?
About 5 hours (210 pages), or about 10 days at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Dom Casmurro?
If you liked it, try The Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas by Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis, The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford or Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert.