The Forsyte Saga
Score Classic
What it's about
John Galsworthy's trilogy follows three generations of the Forsytes, a wealthy upper-middle-class London family, from the late Victorian era into the 1920s. At its center is Soames Forsyte, a man who sees everything, including his wife, Irene, as property, and the unhappy marriage whose consequences echo through the family for decades.
Why it's worth reading
It's on the BBC's Big Read, and it helped Galsworthy win the Nobel Prize in Literature. It's a sweeping family saga, twice adapted for television.
You'll love it if you liked
Middlemarch, The Age of Innocence or Buddenbrooks
Good to know
It collects three novels, The Man of Property, In Chancery and To Let, with linking interludes, so it's long. The first novel can be read on its own.
Quick answers
Is The Forsyte Saga worth reading?
Yes. It's on the BBC's Big Read, and it helped Galsworthy win the Nobel Prize in Literature. It ranks #1,304 of the 2,819 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 69.9 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Forsyte Saga about?
John Galsworthy's trilogy follows three generations of the Forsytes, a wealthy upper-middle-class London family, from the late Victorian era into the 1920s. At its center is Soames Forsyte, a man who sees everything, including his wife, Irene, as property, and the unhappy marriage whose consequences echo through the family for decades.
How long does it take to read The Forsyte Saga?
About 24 hours (953 pages), or about 7 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after The Forsyte Saga?
If you liked it, try Middlemarch by George Eliot, The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton or Buddenbrooks by Thomas Mann.
By the numbers
- Readers56 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller54 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- 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.
On the BBC's The Big Read list.
Where it ranks
On the lists
- BBC's The Big Read
Reads as
Epic, Moving
If you like this, read next
To Kill a Mockingbird
The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York
The Color Purple
1984
The Lord of the Rings
A Brief History of Time