The Magician's AssistantThe Magician's Assistant
Score Modern
What it's about
When the magician Parsifal dies, his assistant Sabine, who was also his wife for only the last few months of his life, must sort out the emotional baggage she inherits.
Why it's worth reading
It was a finalist for the Women's Prize for Fiction.
You'll love it if you liked
Bel Canto
The Dutch House
CommonwealthGood to know
It's about grief.
By the numbers
- Readers32 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics25 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller13 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
- #408 of the 504 fantasy books we rank
- #1397 of the 1,647 modern books we rank
- #2630 of the 3,056 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Moving
More by Ann Patchett
The Dutch House
WhistlerBel Canto
Tom LakeIf you like this, read next
The Song of Achilles
House of Earth and Blood
Six of Crows
A Court of Thorns and Roses
Outlander
The House in the Cerulean SeaExplore the best-of lists
All 47 best-of lists →
Fantasy booksTop 25 · 504 ranked
Modern booksTop 25 · 1,647 ranked
Books of the 1990sTop 25 · 305 ranked
Mysteries and thrillersTop 25 · 623 ranked
Literary novelsTop 25 · 325 ranked
Pulitzer Prize-winning novelsTop 25 · 63 ranked
Memoirs and biographiesTop 25 · 290 ranked
Science fiction booksTop 25 · 333 rankedQuick answers
Is The Magician's Assistant worth reading?
Yes. It was a finalist for the Women's Prize for Fiction. It ranks #2,630 of the 3,056 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 58.9 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Magician's Assistant about?
When the magician Parsifal dies, his assistant Sabine, who was also his wife for only the last few months of his life, must sort out the emotional baggage she inherits.
How long does it take to read The Magician's Assistant?
About 9 hours (357 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after The Magician's Assistant?
If you liked it, try Bel Canto by Ann Patchett, The Dutch House by Ann Patchett or Commonwealth by Ann Patchett.