RegenerationRegeneration
Score Modern
What it's about
Pat Barker's novel centers on a real meeting at Craiglockhart hospital in 1917 between army psychologist W.H.R. Rivers and the poet Siegfried Sassoon. It blends real and imagined characters of the First World War.
Why it's worth reading
It's on the Guardian's list of 1,000 novels everyone must read. It opens the trilogy whose final book, The Ghost Road, won the Booker Prize in 1995.
You'll love it if you liked
Birdsong
All Quiet on the Western Front
The Silence of the GirlsGood to know
It's the first book of a trilogy. It deals frankly with war trauma.
By the numbers
- Readers39 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics77 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller8 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
- #75 of the 124 historical novels we rank
- #658 of the 1,648 modern books we rank
- #1278 of the 3,057 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Moving
More by Pat Barker
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Quick answers
Is Regeneration worth reading?
Yes. It's on the Guardian's list of 1,000 novels everyone must read. It ranks #1,278 of the 3,057 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 70.9 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Regeneration about?
Pat Barker's novel centers on a real meeting at Craiglockhart hospital in 1917 between army psychologist W.H.R. Rivers and the poet Siegfried Sassoon. It blends real and imagined characters of the First World War.
How long does it take to read Regeneration?
About 6 hours (251 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What awards has Regeneration won?
Booker Prize winner (1995, for The Ghost Road).
What should I read after Regeneration?
If you liked it, try Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks, All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque or The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker.