The Swimming-Pool LibraryThe Swimming-Pool Library
Score Classic
What it's about
A darkly erotic novel of gay life just before AIDS, and an elegy for a way of life that would soon be gone.
Why it's worth reading
It's on the Guardian's list of 1,000 novels everyone must read. It was a literary sensation and a bestseller in Britain and America.
You'll love it if you liked
The Line of Beauty
Giovanni's Room
Brideshead RevisitedGood to know
It's sexually explicit.
By the numbers
- Readers49 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics30 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller3 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
Moving
More by Alan Hollinghurst
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Quick answers
Is The Swimming-Pool Library worth reading?
Yes. It's on the Guardian's list of 1,000 novels everyone must read. It ranks #2,171 of the 3,057 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 63.4 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Swimming-Pool Library about?
A darkly erotic novel of gay life just before AIDS, and an elegy for a way of life that would soon be gone.
How long does it take to read The Swimming-Pool Library?
About 7 hours (288 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after The Swimming-Pool Library?
If you liked it, try The Line of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst, Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin or Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh.