Life and FateLife and Fate
Score Classic
What it's about
Vasily Grossman's vast novel of the Second World War is Russian literature at its most magnificent and intense, a story that rolls on like the steppe, overwhelming in its scope and power.
Why it's worth reading
It's on the Guardian's list of 1,000 novels everyone must read. It's often called the War and Peace of the 20th century.
You'll love it if you liked
War and Peace
Doctor Zhivago
The Gulag ArchipelagoGood to know
It's very long, with a huge cast of characters.
By the numbers
- Readers95 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics30 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller19 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
Epic
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Quick answers
Is Life and Fate worth reading?
Yes. It's on the Guardian's list of 1,000 novels everyone must read. It ranks #713 of the 3,057 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 76.4 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Life and Fate about?
Vasily Grossman's vast novel of the Second World War is Russian literature at its most magnificent and intense, a story that rolls on like the steppe, overwhelming in its scope and power.
How long does it take to read Life and Fate?
About 22 hours (884 pages), or about 6 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Life and Fate?
If you liked it, try War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak or The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn.