50 Must-Read 50 Beta
← The Must-Read 50
Cover of The Rings of Saturn by WG SebaldThe Rings of Saturn
Modern · Fiction, Travel, Classics

The Rings of Saturn

by WG Sebald
1995 · 316 pages · Fiction
74.7Must-Read
Score Modern
Critics' pick
≈ 8 hours to read · about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day

What it's about

W. G. Sebald's narrator takes a walking tour through East Anglia, and as he walks, he reflects on Britain's pastoral and imperial past, accompanied by ghosts like Thomas Browne, Joseph Conrad and Borges. Its ten strange, beautiful chapters are illustrated with an archive of photographs.

Why it's worth reading

It's on the Guardian's list of 1,000 novels everyone must read. It's unlike any other book.

You'll love it if you liked

Cover of Austerlitz by W.G. SebaldAusterlitz
AusterlitzW.G. Sebald
Cover of The Old Ways: A Journey on Foot by Robert MacfarlaneThe Old Ways: A Journey on Foot
The Old Ways: A Journey on FootRobert Macfarlane
Cover of Invisible Cities by Italo CalvinoInvisible Cities
Invisible CitiesItalo Calvino

Good to know

It's part novel, part travelogue and part essay, with no conventional plot.

By the numbers

74.7Must-Read Score
  • Readers89 out of 100 · counts 42%
  • Critics30 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
  • Bestseller18 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

Adventurous

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 The Book Thief by Markus ZusakThe Book Thief
The Book ThiefMarkus Zusak
Cover of Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi AdichieAmericanah
AmericanahChimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Cover of Secondhand Time: The Last of the Soviets by Svetlana AlexievichSecondhand Time: The Last of the Soviets
Secondhand Time: The Last of the SovietsSvetlana Alexievich
Cover of Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourtAngela's Ashes
Angela's AshesFrank McCourt
Cover of My Brilliant Friend by Elena FerranteMy Brilliant Friend
My Brilliant FriendElena Ferrante
Cover of Voices From Chernobyl: The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster by Svetlana AlexievichVoices From Chernobyl: The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster
Voices From Chernobyl: The Oral History of a Nuclear DisasterSvetlana Alexievich

Explore the best-of lists

All 36 best-of lists →
Modern booksTop 25 · 1,648 rankedBooks of the 1990sTop 25 · 305 rankedFantasy booksTop 25 · 504 rankedMysteries and thrillersTop 25 · 623 rankedLiterary novelsTop 25 · 325 rankedMemoirs and biographiesTop 25 · 290 rankedScience fiction booksTop 25 · 333 rankedRomancesTop 25 · 246 ranked

Quick answers

Is The Rings of Saturn worth reading?

Yes. It's on the Guardian's list of 1,000 novels everyone must read. It ranks #888 of the 3,057 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 74.7 (the best book we found scores 99).

What is The Rings of Saturn about?

W. G. Sebald's narrator takes a walking tour through East Anglia, and as he walks, he reflects on Britain's pastoral and imperial past, accompanied by ghosts like Thomas Browne, Joseph Conrad and Borges. Its ten strange, beautiful chapters are illustrated with an archive of photographs.

How long does it take to read The Rings of Saturn?

About 8 hours (316 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.

What should I read after The Rings of Saturn?

If you liked it, try Austerlitz by W.G. Sebald, The Old Ways: A Journey on Foot by Robert Macfarlane or Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino.