The Grass Is SingingThe Grass Is Singing
Score Classic
What it's about
Set in South Africa under white rule, a chronicle of human disintegration.
Why it's worth reading
It's on the Guardian's list of 1,000 novels everyone must read. It's Doris Lessing's first novel, and a beautifully understated social critique.
You'll love it if you liked
The Golden Notebook
Cry, the Beloved Country
Things Fall ApartGood to know
It's her debut.
By the numbers
- Readers6 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics30 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller2 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
Thought-provoking
More by Doris Lessing
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Pulitzer Prize-winning novelsTop 25 · 63 ranked
Memoirs and biographiesTop 25 · 290 ranked
Science fiction booksTop 25 · 333 rankedQuick answers
Is The Grass Is Singing worth reading?
Yes. It's on the Guardian's list of 1,000 novels everyone must read. It ranks #3,024 of the 3,056 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 52.4 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Grass Is Singing about?
Set in South Africa under white rule, a chronicle of human disintegration.
How long does it take to read The Grass Is Singing?
About 5 hours (217 pages), or about 10 days at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after The Grass Is Singing?
If you liked it, try The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing, Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton or Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe.