WhaleWhale
What it's about
A sweeping multi-generational tale of fable, farce and fantasy: a woman sells her daughter for two jars of honey, a fifteen-pound baby born in winter is named 'Girl of Spring,' and a storm reveals a hidden fortune.
Why it's worth reading
It was an International Booker Prize finalist. It's the English-language debut of a beloved South Korean storyteller.
You'll love it if you liked
One Hundred Years of Solitude
Pachinko
The Master and MargaritaGood to know
It's darkly funny and earthy. It's a translation from Korean.
By the numbers
- Readers32 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics27 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller4 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz37 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
- #385 of the 504 fantasy books we rank
- #394 of the 485 new books we rank
- #2468 of the 3,056 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Epic
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Fantasy booksTop 25 · 504 ranked
New booksTop 25 · 485 rankedBooks of the 2020sTop 25 · 562 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 Whale worth reading?
Yes. It was an International Booker Prize finalist. It ranks #2,468 of the 3,056 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 60.7 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Whale about?
A sweeping multi-generational tale of fable, farce and fantasy: a woman sells her daughter for two jars of honey, a fifteen-pound baby born in winter is named 'Girl of Spring,' and a storm reveals a hidden fortune.
How long does it take to read Whale?
About 9 hours (372 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Whale?
If you liked it, try One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez, Pachinko by Min Jin Lee or The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov.