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Cover of Life: A User's Manual by Georges PerecLife: A User's Manual
Classic · Fiction, Classics

Life: A User's Manual

by Georges Perec
1978 · 581 pages · Fiction
64.2Must-Read
Score Classic
Lifetime bestseller
≈ 15 hours to read · about 4 weeks at 30 minutes a day

What it's about

Georges Perec's Life: A User's Manual is set at a single moment, 8 p.m. on June 23, 1975, in a Paris apartment block. Chapter by chapter, room by room, it reveals an extraordinary cast of residents and their stories, past and present, in a vast literary puzzle.

Why it's worth reading

It's on Le Monde's list of the 100 books of the century. It's often called a masterpiece as encyclopedic as Dante or Chaucer.

You'll love it if you liked

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Good to know

It's long and structured like a puzzle. It's translated from French.

By the numbers

64.2Must-Read Score
  • Readers54 out of 100 · counts 42%
  • Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
  • Bestseller28 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

Why it made the list

On the lists
Le Monde's 100 Books of the Century

Reads as

Moving

How we rank

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Explore the best-of lists

All 36 best-of lists →
Classic booksTop 25 · 762 rankedBooks of the 1970sTop 25 · 131 rankedFantasy booksTop 25 · 459 rankedMysteries and thrillersTop 25 · 555 rankedLiterary novelsTop 25 · 309 rankedMemoirs and biographiesTop 25 · 290 rankedScience fiction booksTop 25 · 313 rankedRomancesTop 25 · 233 ranked

Quick answers

Is Life: A User's Manual worth reading?

Yes. It's on Le Monde's list of the 100 books of the century. It ranks #1,966 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 64.2 (the best book we found scores 99).

What is Life: A User's Manual about?

Georges Perec's Life: A User's Manual is set at a single moment, 8 p.m. on June 23, 1975, in a Paris apartment block. Chapter by chapter, room by room, it reveals an extraordinary cast of residents and their stories, past and present, in a vast literary puzzle.

How long does it take to read Life: A User's Manual?

About 15 hours (581 pages), or about 4 weeks at 30 minutes a day.

What should I read after Life: A User's Manual?

If you liked it, try Ulysses by James Joyce, The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy Gentleman by Laurence Sterne or 4 3 2 1 by Paul Auster.