TroublesTroubles
Score Classic
What it's about
1919: after surviving the Great War, Major Brendan Archer comes to Ireland to find out whether he is really engaged to Angela Spencer, whose Anglo-Irish family owns the crumbling Majestic Hotel on the west coast. His fiancée is strangely changed, the hotel is falling apart, and outside the Irish war for independence is raging.
Why it's worth reading
It won the Lost Man Booker Prize for 1970. It's darkly hilarious and deeply sad, about the end of an empire.
You'll love it if you liked
The Remains of the Day
Brideshead Revisited
The Siege of KrishnapurGood to know
It's the first of J. G. Farrell's Empire Trilogy, each of which stands alone.
By the numbers
- Readers59 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics67 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
Epic
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Quick answers
Is Troubles worth reading?
Yes. It won the Lost Man Booker Prize for 1970. It ranks #942 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 73.6 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Troubles about?
1919: after surviving the Great War, Major Brendan Archer comes to Ireland to find out whether he is really engaged to Angela Spencer, whose Anglo-Irish family owns the crumbling Majestic Hotel on the west coast. His fiancée is strangely changed, the hotel is falling apart, and outside the Irish war for independence is raging.
How long does it take to read Troubles?
About 12 hours (482 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What awards has Troubles won?
Booker Prize winner (1970).
What should I read after Troubles?
If you liked it, try The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro, Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh or The Siege of Krishnapur by J. G. Farrell.