News of the WorldNews of the World
Score Modern
What it's about
After the Civil War, Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd travels through northern Texas giving paid readings from newspapers to audiences hungry for news. An elderly widower who has lived through three wars, he agrees to return a ten-year-old girl, raised by the Kiowa after her family was killed, to her relatives, across four hundred dangerous miles.
Why it's worth reading
It was a National Book Award finalist. It's a short, beautiful and moving Western.
You'll love it if you liked
Lonesome Dove
True Grit
The Lincoln HighwayGood to know
It's short and can be read in a day or two. It became a film with Tom Hanks.
By the numbers
- Readers66 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics30 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller37 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz4 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
- #575 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #1097 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Adventurous
If you like this, read next
All the Light We Cannot See
The Book Thief
The Nightingale
The Underground Railroad
A Gentleman in Moscow
World Without EndExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is News of the World worth reading?
Yes. It was a National Book Award finalist. It ranks #1,097 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 72.0 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is News of the World about?
After the Civil War, Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd travels through northern Texas giving paid readings from newspapers to audiences hungry for news. An elderly widower who has lived through three wars, he agrees to return a ten-year-old girl, raised by the Kiowa after her family was killed, to her relatives, across four hundred dangerous miles.
How long does it take to read News of the World?
About 5 hours (212 pages), or about 10 days at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after News of the World?
If you liked it, try Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry, True Grit by Charles Portis or The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles.