Pedro PáramoPedro Páramo
Score Classic
What it's about
Juan Preciado travels to the deserted Mexican village of Comala to find his father, Pedro Páramo, and claim his inheritance. He finds a ghost town full of whispering voices, and the story of his father's ruthless power and obsessive love for a woman who would not be possessed.
Why it's worth reading
It's on the Bokklubben World Library list of the 100 greatest books. It inspired Gabriel García Márquez and helped give birth to magical realism.
You'll love it if you liked
One Hundred Years of Solitude
The Sound and the Fury
Love in the Time of CholeraGood to know
It's short but fragmentary; the dead and the living speak in turn. It rewards a second reading.
By the numbers
- Readers43 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics55 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller26 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
- #201 of the 459 fantasy books we rank
- #408 of the 762 classics we rank
- #1399 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Adventurous, Moving
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A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Beloved
Midnight's Children
The Master and Margarita
The Magus
GormenghastExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is Pedro Páramo worth reading?
Yes. It's on the Bokklubben World Library list of the 100 greatest books. It ranks #1,399 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 69.2 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Pedro Páramo about?
Juan Preciado travels to the deserted Mexican village of Comala to find his father, Pedro Páramo, and claim his inheritance. He finds a ghost town full of whispering voices, and the story of his father's ruthless power and obsessive love for a woman who would not be possessed.
How long does it take to read Pedro Páramo?
About 4 hours (144 pages), or about 8 days at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Pedro Páramo?
If you liked it, try One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez, The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner or Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez.