MotherMother
Score Classic
What it's about
A hard-working, uneducated peasant woman endures abuse from her husband while raising her son, then becomes part of her people's revolutionary struggle.
Why it's worth reading
It's on the Guardian's list of 1,000 novels everyone must read. It's Maxim Gorky's most famous novel, giving a voice to working people.
You'll love it if you liked
Germinal
The Good Earth
Fathers and SonsGood to know
It's openly political. It's a translation from Russian.
By the numbers
- Readers48 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics30 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller0 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
Moving
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Quick answers
Is Mother worth reading?
Yes. It's on the Guardian's list of 1,000 novels everyone must read. It ranks #2,247 of the 3,057 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 62.8 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Mother about?
A hard-working, uneducated peasant woman endures abuse from her husband while raising her son, then becomes part of her people's revolutionary struggle.
How long does it take to read Mother?
About 11 hours (440 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Mother?
If you liked it, try Germinal by Emile Zola, The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck or Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev.