50 Must-Read 50 Beta
← The Must-Read 50
Cover of The Piano Teacher by Elfriede JelinekThe Piano Teacher
Classic · Fiction, Classics

The Piano Teacher

by Elfriede Jelinek
1983 · 297 pages · Fiction
52.9Must-Read
Score Classic
Critics' pick
≈ 7 hours to read · about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day

What it's about

Erika Kohut teaches piano at Vienna's prestigious conservatory, a quiet woman devoted to Bach, Beethoven and her domineering mother, and a talented woman society has turned into a ticking bomb.

Why it's worth reading

It's on the Guardian's list of 1,000 novels everyone must read. It's a brilliant, uncompromising look behind Vienna's prettiness.

You'll love it if you liked

Cover of The Vegetarian by Han KangThe Vegetarian
The VegetarianHan Kang
Cover of Eileen by Ottessa MoshfeghEileen
EileenOttessa Moshfegh
Cover of The Driver's Seat by Muriel SparkThe Driver's Seat
The Driver's SeatMuriel Spark

Good to know

It's shocking and disturbing.

By the numbers

52.9Must-Read Score
  • Readers5 out of 100 · counts 42%
  • Critics30 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
  • Bestseller10 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

On the lists
Guardian 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read

Reads as

Thought-provoking

How we rank

Already read it? Upload your Goodreads or StoryGraph history and get the 50 best books you haven't read, tuned to your taste.Get my 50

If you like this, read next

Cover of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper LeeTo Kill a Mockingbird
To Kill a MockingbirdHarper Lee
Cover of The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. TolkienThe Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the RingsJ. R. R. Tolkien
Cover of The Color Purple by Alice WalkerThe Color Purple
The Color PurpleAlice Walker
Cover of 1984 by George Orwell1984
1984George Orwell
Cover of The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York by Robert CaroThe Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York
The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New YorkRobert Caro
Cover of A Brief History of Time by Stephen HawkingA Brief History of Time
A Brief History of TimeStephen Hawking

Explore the best-of lists

All 47 best-of lists →
Classic booksTop 25 · 924 rankedBooks of the 1980sTop 25 · 229 rankedFantasy booksTop 25 · 504 rankedMysteries and thrillersTop 25 · 623 rankedLiterary novelsTop 25 · 325 rankedPulitzer Prize-winning novelsTop 25 · 63 rankedMemoirs and biographiesTop 25 · 290 rankedScience fiction booksTop 25 · 333 ranked

Quick answers

Is The Piano Teacher worth reading?

Yes. It's on the Guardian's list of 1,000 novels everyone must read. It ranks #3,008 of the 3,056 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 52.9 (the best book we found scores 99).

What is The Piano Teacher about?

Erika Kohut teaches piano at Vienna's prestigious conservatory, a quiet woman devoted to Bach, Beethoven and her domineering mother, and a talented woman society has turned into a ticking bomb.

How long does it take to read The Piano Teacher?

About 7 hours (297 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.

What should I read after The Piano Teacher?

If you liked it, try The Vegetarian by Han Kang, Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh or The Driver's Seat by Muriel Spark.