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Cover of Light Years by James SalterLight Years
Classic · Fiction, Literary Fiction, Classics

Light Years

by James Salter
1975 · 337 pages · Fiction
65.3Must-Read
Score Classic
Critics' pick
≈ 8 hours to read · about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day

What it's about

Nedra and Viri's charmed life is full of dinners, games with their children, enviable friends and near-perfect days. James Salter lets us see the fine cracks spreading through their marriage.

Why it's worth reading

It's on the Guardian's list of 1,000 novels everyone must read. It's an exquisite portrait of a marriage.

You'll love it if you liked

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Good to know

Its pleasures are the sentences more than the plot.

By the numbers

65.3Must-Read Score
  • Readers56 out of 100 · counts 42%
  • Critics30 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
  • Bestseller5 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

On the lists
Guardian 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read

Reads as

Moving, Thought-provoking

How we rank

Already read it? Upload your Goodreads or StoryGraph history and get the 50 best books you haven't read, tuned to your taste.Get my 50

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Explore the best-of lists

All 36 best-of lists →
Literary novelsTop 25 · 325 rankedClassic booksTop 25 · 924 rankedBooks of the 1970sTop 25 · 143 rankedFantasy booksTop 25 · 504 rankedMysteries and thrillersTop 25 · 623 rankedMemoirs and biographiesTop 25 · 290 rankedScience fiction booksTop 25 · 333 rankedRomancesTop 25 · 246 ranked

Quick answers

Is Light Years worth reading?

Yes. It's on the Guardian's list of 1,000 novels everyone must read. It ranks #1,951 of the 3,057 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 65.3 (the best book we found scores 99).

What is Light Years about?

Nedra and Viri's charmed life is full of dinners, games with their children, enviable friends and near-perfect days. James Salter lets us see the fine cracks spreading through their marriage.

How long does it take to read Light Years?

About 8 hours (337 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.

What should I read after Light Years?

If you liked it, try A Sport and a Pastime by James Salter, Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates or Stoner by John Williams.